Fabtech Lift Kits On A Ford F250 - Radius Arms And I-Beams

1. These are the components needed to fit one side of the Fabtech kit to your two-wheel-drive F250/350. The taller spring and shock are designed to supply some additional off-road ability without a harsh ride. With Fabtech's cool new radius arms, no drop brackets are used to move the stock link down. We like this because it retains the stock radius arm fulcrum point, which helps keep the stock suspension geometry.

2. Removal of the stock springs was the first step. The cool part about this kit is that it's probably the only kit where you won't need to deal with manipulating the brakes to fit the kit.

3. We contacted Junior from PTW in Perris, California, for the rolling stock on our project. He supplied a set of Nitto Terra Grappler A/Ts in the form of a 325/65R18. A set of Eagle 187 9-inch-wide rims filled the 18-inch holes of the Terra Grappler tires.

4. The through bolt that fits the radius arm and I-beam together was removed to make way for killer new radius arm.

5. A stab-jack was placed under the knuckle to support the suspension while the bolt was spun free on the radius arm for removal.

6. Preassembly of the radius arms requires installing the bushings and steel tube for mounting, as well as a zerk fitting for lubrication.

7. Installing the new radius arm was the next step in bringing our Blue Oval up to par.

8. Have you ever heard the phrase, "It's not the tools that make the mechanic?" We think the guy that said that was a hack! Skilled hands know what tools to use to get the job done without screwing up the finish of the installed part. This dead-blow hammer is one of the tools used to install heavy parts in a tight fit without destroying the piece.

9. Our installer, Eyrn, at White Motorsports, shakes his finger to remind us that even with the dead-blow hammer it's not a good idea to beat on the zerk fitting to swedge the radius arm into its mount.

10. That's when the tough work began. The next step in this installation was removing the I-beams from the stock mounting brackets.

11. Then, the mounting brackets themselves were removed from the frame.

12. Some of the fasteners for the I-beam mounts may put your wrench close to the brake line. It may be necessary to pull the brake line free of the mounts and push it aside to ensure you don't pinch the line if you use an impact to remove the fastener on the I-beam bracket.

13. The new drop brackets bolt to the frame, but some drilling was necessary to make room for the added fasteners on the new mounts.

14. Eryn used a paint pen to mark the new hole locations for drilling then removed the new brackets to make room for the drill.

15. Some insurance was needed to provide protection against drilling through any material that didn't need a new hole, so a piece of plate was cut to use as a backing plate.

16. The freshly cut insurance was clamped to the crossmember with Vise-Grips to prevent the drill bit from drilling a hole in anything other than the intended crossmember.

17. A 90 degree drill with a short bit is the only way to get to the new bolt locations. Again, the right tool for the task at hand is the only way to do things right.

18. With all the holes drilled and bolts in the new drop-down bracket, the I-beam was mounted to the drop bracket, but the fastener was left loose for now.

19. Prepping for the spring installation, the thick washer spacer was placed, and the nut was run down the through bolt till the radius arm was pulled taught to the I-beam.

20. The large washer was used to space the new spring up and away from the knuckle and I-beam for clearance.

21. Retaining the suspension coil spring was done by way of a washer that goes over the through bolt.

22. Check out this combination of four extensions to make the perfect height to fit the impact gun under the wheelwell but above the spring.

23. Retaining the top of the coil spring was done with the factory strap actually pinching the spring coil end in the spring bucket.

24. The rear was a standard shocks and blocks setup. Doing one side at a time makes it easier to deal with the rear differential.

25. With the stab-jack in place, the stock shocks and springs were removed from the suspension.

26. By simply lowering the stab-jack, enough room was made to allow for the lift block.

27. Another thing you should decide before ordering the kit is whether or not your suspension has overload springs. This will dictate the length of the U-bolt needed to fit around the helper spring and this lift block.