CST Lift Kit on a 2004 Nissan Titan - Towering Titan

1. Fitting the 37-inch BFGs we chose required two lifts. All Terrain Motorsports built a custom 3-inch body lift for the truck. The shop lift made quick work of installing the pucks between the cab and the stock bushings that were pilfered from a Performance Accessory Suburban body lift kit. Custom brackets raised the front and rear bumpers to follow the body line.

2. We only had a limited number of extra lift pucks laying around, so custom steel spacers complete the body lift for the Titan's hindquarters.

3. The devil is truly in the details. Raising the cab and bed are a snap. Controls, connections, and plumbing that go from body to frame must be accounted for and dealt with so everything functions as it did before the body lift was installed. To avoid problems, we recommend checking steering shafts, gas filler tubes, wiring, and brake lines for available slack before unbolting and lifting begin. If everything seems OK, lift the body in increments, checking the components for available slack. If a component seems stretched too far, see what might cause the binding. Unbolt or disconnect as needed to avoid irritating and costly parts breakage. Installing a longer component is sometimes necessary if the stock item won't stretch enough. If your truck uses an engine-mounted fan, the radiator must be lowered to line up with the fan. Skip this step and you'll risk frying your motor from lacking airflow through the radiator. An alternative to lowering the radiator is to use a radiator-mounted electric fan such as a Flex-A-Lite.

4. Lifted bumper brackets must offer enough structural rigidity to keep stock bumpers functional. If you're considering a custom-fabricated bumper, this is the perfect time. We're satisfied with the stock items for now, so lifting brackets made the cut.

5. Here's the stock front suspension in all its glory. Nissan took a cue from Ford and Toyota by incorporating a coilover in its new design.

6. CST offers two lifts for the '04 Titan. A 2-1/2-inch coilover spacer brings the frontend level with the rear. Our 37s required more height, so we went for the racing-inspired trickery of CST's 8-inch kit. A one-piece subframe drops the factory lower control arms, while extended knuckles and coilover spacers span the new distance. The CST tubular upper control arms use uniballs for strength unmatched by stock ball joints. Extended stainless-braided front brake lines, rear lift blocks, U-bolts, and a center carrier bearing drop bracket round out the contents. The body is lifted, the boxes are unpacked, and the Big T hovers on a shop lift. Of course, the battery has been disconnected. Let the install begin!

7. A few smacks with a Big Freakin' Hammer, and the tie-rod ends parted company with the stock steering knuckles.

8. Disconnect the ABS sensor. Note to self: reconnect upon reassembly.

9. The brakes are next to go. We pinched off the line to minimize air in the lines. The calipers were unbolted and hung safely from zip ties. Brake calipers can also safely hang from wire, but not from brake lines. We pulled the retention clips off the lug studs and slid the brake rotors off.

10. The unit bearing hubs are extracted next. Air tools make life much easier.

11. The lower coilover bolt comes off next.

12. We'll extend the antisway bar endlinks later in the install. For the time being, we disconnected and hung them to the side.

13. Neither the stock upper control arm nor the stock steering knuckle will be reused, but it's easier to disassemble the front suspension a piece at a time. Heard the term upright batted about? It's another label for the steering knuckle. Save the alignment cams and bolts for reassembly.

14. We'll yank the lower control arm pinch bolt next.

15. The factory coilover unbolts at the top. Don't feed it to the dumpster - it'll be reused.

16. The lower control arm is also on the reuse list.

17. Anyone who's battled a yesteryear rust bucket appreciates the chance to turn wrenches on a new rig. The Titan's underpinnings cooperated with our disassembly, one by one, until we arrived at this point. The old is out - in with the new.

18. The new subframe finds a home in the stock lower control arm mounts. A little test-fitting and grinding were required to achieve the perfect fit. All trucks have manufacturing tolerances, so we took the parts massaging in stride.

19. The pneumatic die grinder was called on to prepare the mounts for the CST upper control arms. We fogged the newly-bare steel with black paint to prevent rust. The a-arm slid home easily, and we bolted them into place with the original bolts and alignment cams. We put the alignment hardware back in the original locations for a good starting point. We're heading straight for the alignment rack as soon as the big Nissan is rolling again.

20. Bolt the lower control arms into their new home in the CST subframe. Use a torque wrench on the bolts to ensure safety and peace of mind.