Suspension lift DIY?

[Phylodog]

I've been working my butt off this year and may have the money to do a suspension lift if things keep up. Was curious how many have installed their own 4x4 suspension lift and how you would rate the degree of difficulty? I'm far from being a mechanic but I'm definitely a DIY kind of guy.

For those who had one installed, what did it cost to go that route? I'm thinking about a 4" simply to keep me from wanting to go overboard with 37" tires and to avoid divorce court, lol.

 

[iSlacker816]

Lifts arent hard, being a 2012 everything should come apart rather easily. Hand tools will do it but air tools will make life much easier. What are your concerns on installing the lift?

 

[lone12star]

I've been wondering this too, are there any cuts/welds that need to be done?

 

[Phylodog]

Lifts arent hard, being a 2012 everything should come apart rather easily. Hand tools will do it but air tools will make life much easier. What are your concerns on installing the lift?

Mainly just a fear of the unknown as I've never really fooled around with a suspension like that. I replaced both front hubs on my 2002 and installed the Procomp level my 2012 but that's about it. I read through the Rough Country 4" lift installation and didn't really see anything that looked too difficult in there. I've got an 80 gallon compressor, impact and all of the tools they had listed as required. Just looking for opinions and curious if paying for an install would be worth the money.

 

[TexasRammer]

If youve got the tools than you can do it! Its nothing complicated, just take your time and dont do anything stupid!

 

[012RAMbo]

I agree with these guys. It will take you several hours to do, so just take your time and try not to get too frustrated. If you installed a leveling kit, then you have the basics down, and it isn't anything you can't handle. Get someone to help if possible. It will make it a lot easier on you. You can say anywhere in the ballpark of $600-$1200 for a shop to install a full lift.

 

[Bully's Performance]

Installing the kit yourself is not to terribly difficult especially if you are a handy type of person and have basic knowledge of tools and vehicles and can follow instructions. I would recommend renting a coil compressor, and having a professional do the alignment after you install the lift though.

Once you are ready to purchase you lift please feel free to reach out to us via PM or by posting in our Vendor Section, you can also email us directly at [email protected] or call us toll free at 855-432-FAST we are always more than willing to help out forum Members, just remember if you contact us off of the boards to mention you are a RF member to insure you get the best discounts

Thanks
Jeremiah

 

[Gymkata]

I had never touched a suspension before and had no difficulty installing a 3" OME suspension by myself on my wife's 2008 Grand Cherokee a few years ago. Just do a little research ahead of time and make sure you have the proper tools. Now if you go beyond a basic suspension lift (springs, shocks, control arms), things may or may not be more difficult.

A few items that may be beneficial are a spring compressor and an impact wrench, tall jack stands,...I'm sure I'll think of a few more later.

 

[Phylodog]

Appreciate the feedback guys. I'm pretty close to convinced I can tackle it, just need to research which kit to go with.

 

[TheStig]

I recently had a lift installed by a shop. It was my brothers shop and I sat around thinking I was helping. I can say that the zone offroad 6inch kit was very straight forward. It was however quite a bit of work. I had no clue that you would be removing the entire front end of the truck. My brothers shop has all of the tools, the lifts the strut/coil compressors and all of the little tools that make life easy. I would say that this lift is totally something that you could do on your own given enough time. However, after watching what was involved I would much rather pay to have someone install this kit for me.

The only cutting you need to do with the zone kit is where the brake lines bolt in.. you cut a small slit to allow them to slide out, and you cut a lower bracket to allow the transfer case to clear after its been lowered by the lowering bracket.

I hope this helps.

 

[Gymkata]

^^^
Exactly right. Once you beyond a few inches of lift that just requires springs, shocks, & control arms, things can get complicated.