The new-style '04 Ford F-150 has big shoes to fill, since it's the 1/2-ton truck known as "the best-selling pickup truck in the world," but many of the new owners will find that the stock suspension and tires are just not high enough for their tastes. However, with the new Explorer Pro Comp 6-inch suspension lift and larger tires, a more aggressive look is available for those aiming to get their new Ford ready for some 1/2-ton hell-raisin'.
We're going to tell you flat out that lifting an IFS 1/2-ton truck will not make it the ultimate rockcrawler or desert racer, but you already knew that. But what it will do is give you clearance for a taller tire, which in turn will help you get a little bit further down your local trail, over some taller rocks, or through a deeper mud hole. Plus there is the fact, proven by our own 30 years of research, that a truck on bigger tires just plain looks better.
This kit from Pro Comp does require a fair bit of mechanical knowledge, but if you have a healthy toolbox, something to cut metal, a good set of jackstands, some buddies to lend you a hand, and a weekend, you should be able to install it in your driveway. We went to the Pro Comp research laboratory and watched the experts install it in half a day. They never needed a hammer for a single part of the install, which is proof that the kit was designed better than some suspensions we've tested.
The new Pro Comp 6-inch F-150 kit is a simple IFS lift kit that incorporates drop-down brackets for the lower A-arms, sway bar, and front axle, with taller spindles, coilover spacers, and lift blocks for the rear axle. We watched the Pro Comp techs install it in half a day, but the average home mechanic could do it over a weekend with some help.
Removal of the factory parts...
Removal of the factory parts starts after the truck frame is secure on jackstands and the tires are removed. Removing the spindle nut should be easy, but can sometimes pose a slight wrestling match that requires two flat screwdrivers.
With the front driveshaft...
With the front driveshaft disconnected, and the spindles, A-arms, and crossmembers removed, it is time to drop the front axle assembly. Two people are helpful, even if you are working on the ground. When you reinstall the axle it will be hanging from drop brackets to keep the halfshaft angles within reason.
The driver side of the rear...
The driver side of the rear A-arm crossmember frame mount needs to be trimmed to clear the differential after it is lowered. Simply mark the front of the mount with a vertical line 3/4 inch from the bolt hole, and the rear 1 3/4 inches from the rear hole.
Connect the two vertical lines...
Connect the two vertical lines across the top, and cut along it with a reciprocating saw or cutoff wheel.
This trick laser-cut template...
This trick laser-cut template shows precisely where to drill the crossmember mount for a second support bolt. By just lining the hole up with the top mounting bolt and the bottom up with the A-arm mounting hole, you can easily mark and drill the pilot hole through the smaller hole on the right.
Here you can see how the passenger-side...
Here you can see how the passenger-side sway-bar lowering mount ties into the rear A-arm crossmember and frame as well as the passenger-side differential drop bracket. All this makes for a very solid support system, but it is then given the added gusseting of the compression struts that tie into the crossmember that runs below the transfer case.
The rear suspension is a simple...
The rear suspension is a simple lift block that goes under the factory block, since the factory block has the axle's bumpstop surface. The rear of the truck also requires a brake-line drop bracket, parking-brake drop bracket, and new ES 9000 Nitrogen shocks.
The Pro Comp kit we installed...
The Pro Comp kit we installed used a coil-spring spacer that attaches to the top of the factory coilover shock, and effectively lifts the truck while keeping the factory spring and shock valving. Pro Comp also has a coilover replacement shock that should greatly improve the F-150's handling and driving characteristics, and which should be available by the time you read this.
With the front end back together,...
With the front end back together, we were able to mount a set of Mickey Thompson 35x12.5-17 Baja Claw radials. We have found these aggressive tires to be formidable in the mud, and have even heard of some teams running them in off-road desert racing. The 17x9 Pro Comp Extreme Alloy faux bead-lock wheels help add to the F-150's new aggressive look, and should hold up well to any off-road thrashing it should see in the future.