New shoks for 3" lift

[porksbboy]

Newish to the site anf orum so dont know if this has been coverd before, I expect it has but I cant find it.

I lifted my 08 4x4 Ranger 3.0 auto standard cab short bed. I couldnt get my front shocks to bolt back on. They are too short.
This is my daily driver and dont want to spend too much money on them, the truck 120k on it. I expect to replace it in 2-3 years.
It used to be I could go to the parts store, tell them what I was doing and they would look in a print catalogue and tell me what I needed. Last time I was doing something off the wall (54 Ford tractor converted fom 6V pos ground to 12V negative ground and needed a battery) the parts stores near me were lost.

 

[Uncle Gump]

Technically... by adding lift keys and raising the front... you still didn't alter the up or down travel stops. Stock length shocks will work. You just forced the lower control arms further downward.... this limits the amount of down travel when at ride height. Usually makes for a stiff ride.

The down stop is the upper control arm contacting the frame rail.

That said... a company called Wulf Suspensions sells and extended travel shock. I have no experience with them.

 

[porksbboy]

If I forced the lower control arm down, what do you thing happened to the relationship of the lower control arm where the shock mouts at it lower end and the frame where the shock mounts at its upper end?
I get what you are saying but the shocks no longer fit. If I force them together I can feel the tuck lower as I tighten the mounts.
The suspension must have been limited by the shocks under full drop.
Regardless, the shocks have 120k on them and need replacing. Not the best practice to have shocks as stops like that. Some shock do indeed have bump stops on them but they are purpose designed for that.

 

[Uncle Gump]

I also get what you're saying... but this has been discussed on here before.

If I forced the lower control arm down, what do you thing happened to the relationship of the lower control arm where the shock mouts at it lower end and the frame where the shock mounts at its upper end?

Absolutely nothing changed... zero... not even a millimeter. The up stop and down stop did not change by you installing lift keys to your torsion bars. Your suspension has exactly the same travel now as it did before.

I get what you are saying but the shocks no longer fit. If I force them together I can feel the tuck lower as I tighten the mounts.
The suspension must have been limited by the shocks under full drop.

If you can feel the truck lower it's ride height by tightening the shock mounts... you have zero down travel left in your suspension. Did you put the vehicles weight on the suspension before tightening the shock mounts? You must have if you could feel the truck lower it's ride height. You have set your suspension up in a way you have lots of compression and zero rebound. You can put a longer shock on if you wish... your truck will still have no drop. It makes for a really rough ride and is hard on the axles and front suspension parts.

I think Ford tried to get the hard stop and shock travel limit to come in at the same time... they may have missed a bit. I know my truck the passenger side hit the down stop and the bottom of the shock perfectly... the driver side was off by about 1/4". But when I put the weight of the vehicle on the suspension before tightening the shocks it worked... but I don't have my torsion bars maxed out like in your situation.

 

[porksbboy]

How did you raise the front of your truck? did you crank the torsion bar screws or did you replace the keys?

 

[porksbboy]

Forgot to ask how much did you raise your front end?

 

[Uncle Gump]

I didn't.... mine is still at factory height. I plan on turning up the torsion a smidge but keep it within factory limits. I run 32 inch tires.... no rub. 8 inch wide wheels with a 4 inch back space... 265/75/16.

 

[Uncle Gump]

I do have a spare set of factory Alcoa wheels and the plan is to put 33x10.50x15 tires on them.

If they rub within factory limits... I will do a one inch body lift.

My truck is my daily driver part time work truck too. I wanted to keep it as close to factory as possible for longevity reasons.

 

[porksbboy]

Now you have me thinking I did something wrong. This is my first foray in to torsion bars.
I raised the front of the truck, loosened the shocks and the sway bar.
Next I removed the skid plates for the torsion keys and screws.
measured the protruding length of the torsion key screws and made a note of the length.
Starting with the drivers side I put a small load on the key with a torsion key compressor and removed the key adjuster screw.
I then compressed the key enough to remove the threaded plate for the key adjuster screw.
let off tension for the key/ torsion bar, removed old key. I cleaned the plate in the frame where the key pivots and greased it.
I put the new key on the torsion bar, compressed with the key compressor tool, reinstalled the plate and started the key adjuster screw.
I then released tension on the key compressor tool and removed it.
I then did the same to the passengers side.
I screwed the key screws in but only about 3/4 the length they were before.
Reattached the sway bar then the shocks with a home made "spacer" on the top of the shock below the lower washer andabove the dust cover of the shock.
Do you think I have ny torsion screws in too far? do they make that much difference?

 

[Uncle Gump]

With it sitting at curb weight... on the tires... put your jack under the front crossmember. If the body/frame and tires lift at the same time... you're at full downward travel. The suspension should have some drop.

I'm not a fan of lift keys... they are a cheap way to get your lift... but they don't ride well and are hard on the suspension components.

Take a picture of the front of your truck so we can see the angle your axles are at. This is mine for comparison purposes... My axles are fairly straight... leave both compression and rebound.

 

[porksbboy]

Axles are about the same angle as before except angled down towards the out board end.

 

[porksbboy]

Axles are about the same angle as before except angled down towards the out board end.

 

[Uncle Gump]

I can tell just looking at the lower control arm that you have to be about max. Look at your control arms vs. mine... huge difference.

I don't think you did anything wrong really... many folks do this very thing. The trouble is they wear shit out quick and it provides a pretty rough ride compared to the factory.

IMHO... if you need a lift for big tires... you go with a lift kit that lowers everything down.

 

[Uncle Gump]

Took me a minute to find this thread... but post #2 has the measurements for factory adjustment of the torsion bars.

'01 Torsion Bar Stock Adjustment | The Ranger Station

There is something else I forgot to mention. In 2008 they actually lowered the suspension on the 4 wheel drive trucks. The torsion key was re-indexed to actually lower the ride height and for the rear they removed the lift block. There is a Tech Library article that addresses this...

2008-2011 Ford Ranger ‘Pre-Key’ Modification – The Ranger Station