Note: BOT’s did some research on line and found that anyone lifting 2.5 – 3 inches without changing anything else (IE drop brackets) is having problems with ball joints.

Searching the internet, you’ll find that one of the most popular leveling kits for the 2004-2010 Ford f-150’s is the AutoSpring kits.

One of the big advantages to the AutoSpring kit is that there is NO STRUT DISASSEMBLY REQUIRED. Other kits require you to completely remove the struts and disassemble them with a coil compressor tool (and it better be a heavy duty one cause the factory coils are stiff). They claim 1.5 hrs (for a suspension mechanic with the right tools on a good day).

The AutoSpring steel spacer simply bolts on top of your existing strut. After installing this kit you can easily clear 33″ tires. This kit was designed with strength and ease of installation in mind. AutoSpring uses the highest quality materials, including: Grade 8.8 Zinc plated hardware and Nylock nuts. Their kits are fabricated from heavy duty 1/4″ CNC plasma cut U.S. steel and 1/4″ thick wall D.O.M tubing. These kits are guaranteed for life and will not change your factory soft ride.

No special tools are required and the kit only takes an hour and a half to install.

Required Tools:

15mm deep socket
15mm wrench
17mm wrench
21mm socket
30mm socket
1-1/16″ wrench
Torque wrench

Instructions:

Warning: Installation of this kit should be done by a certified mechanic. Adjust headlights after installation.

1) Read instructions completely.

2) Jack up one side of the vehicle enough to get the wheel off the ground and support the vehicle with a jack stand.

3) Remove the front wheel using a 21mm socket. If not using an impact, it may be necessary to loosen the lug nuts with the tire still on the ground before raising it.

4) Disconnect the upper sway bar link attached to the lower control arm using a 15mm deep.

5) Remove the large lower strut assembly bolt using a 30mm socket on the nut and 1-1/16″ wrench on the bolt head. NOTE: An impact wrench will be helpful to remove this bolt. It is very tight.

6) Remove three upper strut nuts on the strut tower using 15mm socket and wrench. Remove the upper ball joint nut with a 21mm socket or wrench. Smack the steel spindle near the upper ball joint with a sledge hammer. The sharp vibration will cause the ball joint to pop loose from the spindle and allow the lower control arm to swing down allowing the removal of the strut assembly. Now, lower the strut assemble down from the upper strut tower. Remove the strut assemble from the vehicle. You should now be able to access the upper strut plate.

7) Install one of the steel spacers on top of the strut. The holes will only line up one way and use the factory nuts and a 15mm wrench to bolt the spacer to the strut. Torque the three nuts to 25 foot pounds.

8) Reinstall the strut back in the upper strut tower and start nuts on the three studs that extend through the tower. Use the nylock nuts provided in the kit. Tighten with a 17mm wrench and torque to 35 foot pounds.

9) Jack up the lower control arm and raise enough to re-install the lower strut bolt. Torque to 225 foot pounds.

10) Jack up the lower control arm and connect the upper control arm to the spindle.

11) Torque the upper ball joint nut to 90 foot pounds.

12) Reconnect the lower sway bar end link and torque to 35 foot pounds.

13) Install the front tire.

14) Carefully lower the vehicle to the ground. Repeat the procedure for the other side.

15) Align the vehicle. Re-aligning the vehicle must be done to allow the suspension to relax to its proper ride height (the tires will be towed in which will cause severe tire wear and force the front to sit to high) Re-aligning the vehicle is required with any lift/leveling kit. Re-torque all bolts after 300 miles.

Spacer Height Shorter Than Actual Lift:

PLEASE NOTE: The thickness of the spacer will not be equivalent to the amount of lift you are to receive. Due to the design of the independent suspension of the truck, when you extend the strut, the angle of the strut becomes steeper allowing the truck to experience more lift. It is the combination of extending the strut and the change in angle that gives the lift. Remember that the installation is not complete until you have had the truck realigned. This is when you will see the true amount of lift that you are expecting.

Autospring states that:

A 1-1/4 inch thick spacer will net 1-1/2 inches of lift.

A 1-1/2 inch thick spacer will net a 2 inch lift

A 1-5/8 inch thick spacer will net a 2-1/2 inches of lift

A 1-3/4 inch thick spacer will net a 3 inch lift.

Upper Control Arm to Coil Spring Contact:

AutoSpring has found that a very select few F-150’s still have the upper contral arm to coil spring contact at full upward deflection even with our offset kit installed. This is because Ford uses multiple vendors to supply their strut assemblies (outsourcing). Unfortunately not all the vendors that manufacture the strut assemblies machine the internal strut shaft exactly the same. They found after inspecting numerous worn out factory struts that the shaft length can vary up to 3/4″. The longer strut shaft allows the front suspension to droop farther than normal.

They were advised by a local Ford dealerships that they have had the upper control arm to coil spring touch problem on some stock F-150’s with NO leveling kit installed. They replaced the strut assemblies on these trucks and the issue was resolved. They found that replacing the strut assemblies with Rancho or Billstein brand strut assemblies also stopped the upper control arm to coil spring touch issue. The upper control arm to coil spring touch only occurs when the tires come completely off the ground. This rarely occurs under normal driving conditions. Autospring found that the upper control arm to coil spring strike only takes the paint off the coil and does no permanent damage to the coil or upper control arm. They recommend that the owner replace the strut assemblies with new Rancho or Billstein strut assemblies after the truck has @75,000 miles on it. That is typically the life cycle of a factory strut cartridge.

(F-150 with Autospring kit installed)

Looking for an Autospring kit? Click HERE.