Posted: 8/15/2011 9:17:33 PM EDT
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So, I don't know why I didn't post here about this sooner but.....I am very excited about this.....I just dropped my truck off today to have a lift kit installed on my 01 F250. I am getting a 4" BDS lift with a single steering dampener and full leaf to axle springs in the rear.
Shopping around was interesting. A number of shops I spoke with didn't even get back to me with any info after I told them what I wanted. One shop said "that's going to be expensive, I'll get back to you with a price" but never got back to me. One shop quoted me a price that was WAY more than everyone else so I asked him what that included and he said he didn't know. I told him they were way more expensive and he said "I don't know, that's just what it says here". So a few shops were serious and gave me bids that were all about ball park with one another. So I thought I would give all you locals a shout and see if you know anything about "Derby Four Wheel Drive" in Sauk Rapids. John at Derby impressed me with how motivated he was. He asked me tons of questions about my truck and what I wanted, gave me his input, all while sounding like he genuinely likes doing this stuff. All the while I can tell he is busy as crap, I know from when I had my business what that's like and I can recognize the signs of someone who is working their ass off. I checked around as much as I could by internet, better business bureau, etc. and they seem like good shit up there. Anyone else have any experience with them? Anyone ever hear about them? |
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Derby has been around for quite some time. I never delt with them. But I have lifted many Superdutys. BDS kits were always one of the better kits. Just higher priced compared to a few others that were better in ride quality. Leaf springs in the rear are the best way to go for the extra 500 bucks. if you decide to go bigger you can (4" kit uses 6" rear springs with no block) .
For the money I would have sent you this route. This is the best Leaf spring kit on the market. or they have a hanger kit that is just as good. both can add rear leafs. Prices may look hight but thats the retail. Icon should take about 4-5 hours for the install What 35" tires are you going to run. |
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Yea, I looked at Icon and that was my first choice but the cost of parts exceeded my budget of $2000. I was really sold on their stuff, nothing but positive feedback about them. They also used to be Donahoe Racing so I consider the feedback on that company to be one and the same. Lots of R&D behind their products.
I want/need new leaf springs all the way around, I have one rear spring that is broken now and it was about time for shocks anyways so I went to BDS as my second choice as they are highly regarded as well. I have not heard any negative feedback on them. I'm just not so sure about their shocks, havn't found much info on them. I do like the idea of being able to go bigger, just put the stock 2" blocks back in and presto. Hopefully their "no bs waranty" is in fact a no bs waranty. It may not look cool but I have 265/75/16 on there now and they are nearly new so I will probably run the life out of em. They are General Grabbers AT2 and I have liked them more than my BFG ATs. They have been real good in the snow. I would also like to re gear before I get tires so the next $1000 dollars I spend might go into gears. I have the 3:73's now but want the 4:10's. I just don't want to feel like the truck is sluggish with the bigger tires, not to mention I will probably need new wheels for the bigger tires. You said you have lifted a lot of super duty's? Do you do this work for a living? If so where do you work? |
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Bds has been around forever. It bds is big dicks suspensions from way back. I love the rear springs your getting. There great for towing as they don't sag much. Down side is ride quality suffers. I would have recommended a lift with multiple springs for better ride. Or a hanger kit for better than stock ride. Also I would have recommend the 6 right off the bat. Depending on engine.
Yes it is easy to add 2 extra to you kit but for the money it will cost the 6 inch would have been cheaper in the end. As for gears again depending on engine. 3.73 are fine till you get to 37 inch tires. I could have got you into s icon installed with in your budget. |
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Pics will come for sure.
The deal is not done yet though, they are going to look at the truck and get back to me with the final writen price. Right now it was an estimate and he wanted to go through the truck and then write everything up. I don't expect there to be any big changes but you never know. If the price takes a big jump I will back off a bit. I am in no hurry to get this done, I got my beater for daily driving/fuel savings. Send me an IM and I could give you a call or visa vee. I knew I should have posted up sooner! Edited: I went with the 4" because I want to be able to get it in the garage for oil changes and such. Kinda lame because I only have 3 3/4" clearance now and will probably have to air the tires down to get it in and do routine maintenance. I would love a 6" lift but after tires I don't know if I would be able to get it inside even after airing the tires down. |
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you need to use photobucket or something to host them as mentioned.
with the crew cab 5.4 some of the lift manufactures use a lighter load spring to keep the ride quality . some lifts will net more lift. for example a 6" in a 5.4 will net close to 7-8" of lift depending on manufacture. I dont believe BDS has the option so you may experience a rougher ride. but with the crew cab it will help it out being it weighes more. Also many for the 5.4 has the 4.10 gears. you can verify what you have by looking at the front axel and on the back side is a white sticker (if the MN salt hasnt ate it) it has the axel build data and will have the ratio/ or you can try decipering the axel tag on the diff cover. and if i was you and going to regear dont even bother with the 4.10s if you have the 3.73s you gouing to want to go strait to 4.56's the RPMS are perfect for highway and towing. for the cost you want to step up 2 ratios over to be cost effective. also there is a calculator (new tire/old tire x axel ratio) so 35/31 x 3.73= 4.21 ratio to be eqvialent to stock it is better to round up for the added weight of the new bigger tires and raised truck so 4.30 or 4.56 is the options the 4.56 is more common so cheaper at 700 bucks a shop will install them for 1300-1700 out the door. |
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So I am getting a little frustrated. I am thinking about going and just bringing my truck home.
They took a look at it and called me to tell me I had a broken bolt on my manifold and that my truck needed a left and right outer tie rod end and a drag link assembly. So all told the cost goes up by $1200 dollars. I tell him I didn't have enough money for all that and to just do the lift and I would put all the other stuff on my to do list. He then said he didn't think he could do it because it wouldn't be right and I should just do those repairs and come back later for the lift. Well, that still leaves me with a broken rear leaf spring. Then he said he would take another look at it and see if they could make just the lift work. That was sunday night and we are going to be getting close to two weeks now and the only thing that has been done to my truck is they put grease zerks in the ball joints for me. He called me tonight and was talking about checking the heat on the catalytic converter to see if that is what caused my bolt to break. Then he said he could replace it with something that would give me better flow. WTF?? I don't know what part of "I don't have the money for that other stuff" he didn't understand but I am still waiting to see if he can do the freaking lift. I don't want to be sold a catalytic converter or an exhaust job. Now the more I think about it the more I want to just go pick up my truck. Now I am tempted to put the damn thing back in my garage for another year. I honestly don't know if I should just have him do the work or not. I had hoped to get the thing back by Friday with the lift. I am not trying to say he is jerking on my chain or anything but I don't feel like he is hearing me. I want him to do a lift, thats it and if he can't do it because he doesn't feel it would be right then I can always come back later. I can respect that. The other parts are functioning now and I don't have much of a budget. I took it to him because I felt he would do a good job and if that means he can't do it right within my budget that would just make me feel better about hiring them and convince me to take it back later. |
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I doubt you need the entire drag link , usually iy is the center link at the pitman arm which rund 50-60 bucks . And the tie rod ends run 20 is each. as for the exhaust manifold bolts if thats whats broke (on the head) that is pretty common. it is a vibration in the stock design and lack of mounts. i had 8 broke on my v10 I opted to put headers on it since ford wants a mint for the bolts and gaskets..
If you decided to get it back and still want a lift installed for some beer money give me a call. I just did a 4" 2004 grand cherokee last weekend and and booked this weekend but could set something up. |
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want some more truck porn
IMy 99 went thre 7 diffrent lift combanations 4" seen above post . at its hayday it was 10.5 with 40" tires 4.88 gears 
I traded it in. after returning it to stock. it was very pathetic and ugly 
traded in a 02 with the 7.3 kept it mild with 7" and 37s and 4.30 gears 
When fuel prices were super outrages and diesel was at the verge of 5 bucks a gallon, and everyone was getting laid off (including my wife i sold the crew and downsized to a f150 she made me prommise to not lift it for a year or till after she was back working ( a week later i snuck in a 3" leveling kit and 35" tires and exactly a year later added the 6" so this is my current ride but old picture has a few new mods. 
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Question please... I'm going to be downsizing from my current 02 7.3 to a F150. First, before I get my hopes up, with just the lift, tire and wheels, what do you have into those mods? I'm assuming you did gears as well? If so, please include those as well. Also... How tall is it as it sits? Feel free to PM me the info if you'd rather not post it here. Many thanks... 
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A six inch lift will run 1200-1800 on average price will go up with upgraded shocks or coilovers. Tires in the 35 inch size run 300 and up and wheels 180 and up. So figure at least 3000 for lift and wheels. I did gears which are not required but the right thing to do. And depending on the Installer 1200-1700. Parts alone are 700-900.
I do miss my 02. Modding the 7.3 was a lot if fun. I miss the diesel power but not the diesel in the winter |
| Should be some pictures coming soon. He said he would send some tomorrow. He also said something I did not expect. He said the lift is a "strong" 4" in front so he was going to add a block in the rear in addition to the 6" springs. Right now he said it has about 1/2" rake and it will have 1 1/2" to 2" when he is done. On one hand a little rake would be nice, on the other no rake would be nice too. |
| What were your feelings on bigger tires in snow and rain? Will the bigger and wider tires cause problems with performance? I was thinking about putting the current tires on when the snow started every year because I know they are good in the snow. Also, what do you think about something a little smaller than 35's as far as looks go? I really like the look of that 7.3 with the 6" and 37's. That looks like the perfect proportion imho. |
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Don't worry about hijacking, have fun. Are you set on the expedition or are you still thinking about what you want? I used to have a Jeep Cherokee (Not Grand) and man did I love that thing. I was going to lift it but then I bought a gun instead. Miss the Jeep, still have the gun.
My wife almost called up and had them put tires on as a surprise, then she thought better of it. Bless her heart for the thought but I really want to select my own tires and wheels. The good thing is she also thinks it needs bigger tires. |
| for the best ride , road noise , wet snow ice, and wear a all terrain tire will work the best. a 16-17" rim will give you a little more rubber for a better ride a 18-20 will have less and have a rougher ride. I like a Mud terrain tire for the looks but not the best on icy roads. for rims i like 18-17 rims on a 35. procomp xtreme all terrains would be a good looking tire and can be had in a 35x12.5 or 325 metric version depeiding on rim selection. for rims i would say go to ebay they have ther best prices. or check out NTWonline dot com for thre blem tires and rims. |
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Nevermind... "Guess who" put the big ka-bosh on the vehicle plan? It's back to a stinky, rusting ol' diesel for now...
I was looking at the Expy's from around 2004 or so. At least that year WAS in my cash paying price range. It or a F-15 still may happen. Hell, the Eagles got back together so it's possible, right? Man!!! If it wasn't for the stinkin' rusty cab corners... A bed is "easy" to replace and I'd be stylin' again!! But NOOOOOOOO!!!! Rust couldn't be that selective! 
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So.....I have had my truck back for about a week now......
I like the lift for sure, got about 5 1/4" over all. A little over 4 in the front and a little under 6 in the rear. They put the stock blocks in with the leaf spring and that gives it a little rake. I don't mind and I figure I can look at doing a leveling kit once it starts settling a little. I have 8 bags of sand that weigh something like 60lbs that I put in the back during the winter anyways. They lowered the bumpers and I don't care for how that looks. I am guessing that has some thing to do with state laws. Some crazy crap about 24". I think I will put them back. Truck drives nicer than I can ever remember it driving. They also dug out an engine block heater cord which is nice since I didn't know I had that. Weird, looks brand new. They gave me a 3 page list of stuff that really spells out where I'm sitting with some of the other components. Stuff I wouldn't have thought of like rear U Joint is going to need replacing before long. Nice to have for my maintenance schedule and most of the stuff I can do myself. When I picked up my truck it had been washed and it feels like it was waxed. Interior was cleaned VERY well. Even the floor mats were spotless and cleaned with armor all. Under the truck was cleaner than I have ever seen it as well. Rain X or something similar was put on the windshield and that kinda pisses me off. I really don't like that crap. I just don't know where I sit though and here is why. They put 158 miles on my truck and it took a month to get it back from them. I think it was 28 days they had it. Now I don't really know if 158 miles is worth getting upset over but that seems like a lot to me. Granted, I have never had a lift put on but I have never had a shop put so many miles on a vehicle of mine either. I suppose I have never had a shop hanging on to my wheels so long either. The other thing that bothers me is the lumbar support on my seat doesn't work any more. I can hear it rattle and kinda click while driving down the road. Since I know they did a little driving in it I gotta wonder what happened there. It is just a dial that adjusts the amount of lumbar support so I will have to look at that. There is more lumbar support in there than I would care for too. Tells me someone adjusted the seats to their comfort. Over all I am happy to have it done. Too tired to post pics now though. |
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most shops and myself will take it on a quick drive to make sure theres no rubbing or other problems, but 158 miles is quite a bit. even if they had to take it somewhere for a alignmnet. myslef If i do the alignmen t i haul it on my trailer to the shop since i do the lifting from my home shop. otherwise i get it as close as possable and they can take it to whomever they wish. abd the 28 days the truck mysh have been in rehab. 8 hours is the longest i have ever had someones truck.
You shouldnt have to worry about the bumpers with the 4" did you measure your bumper height. 25" is leagal . MN statute is Subd. 4. Maximum bumper height. (a) Notwithstanding the restrictions contained in
subdivision 3, bumpers required under this section shall not exceed a height of (1) 20 inches on any passenger automobile or station wagon or (2) 25 inches on any four-wheel drive multipurpose type vehicle, van as defined in section 168.011, subdivision 28, or pickup truck as defined in section 168.011, subdivision 29, when the vehicle is being operated on a public highway. The height of the bumper shall be determined by measuring from the bottom of the bumper, excluding any vertical bumper attachments, to the ground. A vehicle which has an original bumper which does not exceed a height of 30 inches may be modified by attaching a full width bumper to the regular bumper to meet the height requirement. The attached bumper must be at least 4.5 inches in vertical height, be centered on the vehicle's centerline, extend at least ten inches on either side of the frame, and be attached to the frame in at least four places with angle braces at no less than 45 degrees so that it effectively transfers impact to an extent equal to or greater than the original bumper. I have the Nissan in my garage tonite. and found my camara so can finally upload the jeep pictures. if anyone wants to see them i can post them here. I will have the nissan all week since there is no time frame to get it to the owner since hes in Iraq. and i have a lift rims tires alingmnet running boards and grill guard to do and a 08 powerstroke coming Wed for some diesel power tuning. |