99 Ford ranger Lifting questions??

[freebird]

1999 ford ranger
off road
175K miles
ext cab
32" mickey thompson baja radials


Well, as it sits right now, the rear leaf springs are sagging, the drivers side more than the pass, kinda makes me feel like a fat fat kid ha. Well i was doing some reasearch on the the shops computer and stumbled upon trailmasters "add a leaf kit". Also noticed it lifts the truck 2" in the rear. So i got to thinking, and pricing things out and came to the conclusion that these add a leafs are cheaper than replacing my current leaf springs. But then i hit a roadblock, How do i go about leveling the truck up 2" in the front. Ive seen tough country's torsion bar leveling kits and heard about "cranking" up the torsion bars. I also heard that cranking up the torsion bars makes the ride much worse and could damage them. I really do not take the truck off road too often, about once a month during the spring and summer. Even then its not "hardcore" off roading. Im new to these forums, any help would be greatly appreciated.

thank you
-Nate

EDIT: i do live way back in the sticks, and the snow gets to be about 15" in the hills here on avg. i use 4x4 alot then also.

 

[Original_Ranger84]

I would just get new leaf springs because the add a leaf is a cheap and temporary fix (from what i have heard) and then you would need to level the front and that would cause possible damage to the front end which would eventually cost you more then just getting the factory leaf springs.

that is just what i think but i don't know newer trucks much.

 

[dougs3.0L98]

my my tosion bars have been cranked for 35,000 or 40,000 miles and i haven't had any problems. the ride is a little stiffer but nothing major. I'd get some used springs for the rear that were in good shape. Are you sure that it's the rear of the truck that is making it lean? I don't remember what side of my truck was leaning before i did a torsion twist but one of the sides was leaning an inch or so and i fixed that with the torsion twist too. Who knows the whole front end might fall apart tomorrow but everything it great as of now. my ranger has 197,000 miles. good luck!

 

[freebird]

Are you sure that it's the rear of the truck that is making it lean? I don't remember what side of my truck was leaning before i did a torsion twist but one of the sides was leaning an inch or so and i fixed that with the torsion twist too. Who knows the whole front end might fall apart tomorrow but everything it great as of now. my ranger has 197,000 miles. good luck!

im pretty sure that its the leaf springs causing the sagging. because if i look at the truck from the front its perfectly level, move to the drivers side and i can see the rear sag a little, if i look at it from the back of the truck i can see the rear drivers side dip way lower than the pass. and if i move to the pass side i can still see the rear sag. the front appears to be fine.

thank's for the info so far!

 

[LittleBigFoot]

The gas tank and driver will make it lean.

If you do go the add a leaf route and you want it to sit level, you could ditch the 2.5" blocks in the rear and that should give you a level-ish stance.

 

[freebird]

thanks littlebigfoot i was looking at removing those blocks but wasen't sure.. Say i wanted the 2" lift. Do you suggest cranking on the torsion bars or getting a set of tuff country leveling kits 1.5"? or is there another option?

 

[Sunk]

Just crank the torsion bars. A lot of people do it, and it works fine. Just get an alignment afterwards, and you're set.

 

[Mac]

First thing I would check is to see if any of the rear leafs have broken, shouldn't have but take a look back there.

 

[LittleBigFoot]

Just don't crank the torsion bars tooooo much. Then it feels like you've got no suspension at all and your axles are welded to your frame. Mine are cranked about 2" worth just to clear the 35s.

The Ranger already nose dives as it is stock. 2" more in the back and one inch or so from a crank will only make dive more.

If I were you, i'd ditch the blocks and go for the add a leafs.

 

[freebird]

what ill do is take a picture tomorrow or thursday and see what you guys think i should do. Id like to have a little lift, as i do get a little tire rub when im off roading or making sharp diving turns with the 32" M/T's. I can get those Tuff Country keys at jobber cost because i am a dealer. also i get the add a leafs at jobber too. I cannot get stock parts though so right now financially new leafs for the back are a stretch. I also looked at airbag suspension but then realized thats out of my current price range also.

 

[dougs3.0L98]

the bushings in the bed and body mounts can make it lean and do strange things. the bed on my ranger does that on some days and on other days it is as level as it can be. hope that helps.

 

[c_note]

I would just get new leaf springs because the add a leaf is a cheap and temporary fix (from what i have heard)

that is just what i think but i don't know newer trucks much.

some superlift and skyjacker kits come with add-a-leafs and i highly doubt that they'd sell you a "temporary" lift kit.

 

[Original_Ranger84]

some superlift and skyjacker kits come with add-a-leafs and i highly doubt that they'd sell you a "temporary" lift kit.

I had some on my truck and after about 2 months one of them broke and the other one only lifted about an inch and slowly sagged back down to the original height. I don't like em. (also I usually have an average of 500lb in the back because of hauling 4 wheelers, rocks and dirt, could be why it didn't last too long)

 

[freebird]

yea i dont plan on hauling anything really, cant fit my quad with my toolbox. and at the most ill be hauling some motors for the shop. not to heavy, but now ive run into a bigger problem so this is on hold.


i need new ball joints, and brakes....

 

[Black'03LevelII]

i need new ball joints, and brakes....

yup safety FIRST, fun stuff second.