Lift Kit Installation

Before beginning installation, be sure you consult the instructions included in your suspension lift kit from the manufacturer. Our instructions are meant to be a rough guide, not replace the manufacturer’s recommendations. If you have questions before, during or after installation of a lift kit purchased from TruckSpring.com, our suspension experts are available at 1-800-358-4751 from 7am to 11pm EST.

After installation, to make sure everything went smoothly, we recommend taking your vehicle to be checked by a suspension professional who can ensure that all parts are in place and are the right fit for your vehicle. If you happen to be local to our shop and warehouse in Michigan, our suspension experts are happy to help.

Note that there are two types of lift kits – suspension lift kits and body lift kits. Installation is markedly different for each, so be sure to review the correct instructions below. We recommend suspension lift kits, as they provide the most improved ground clearance and handling.

Know Your Suspension Type

To ensure you’re getting the right type of lift kit for your truck, be sure to use our search function at the top of the page to see the types of lift kits that are designed specifically for your vehicle. The type of suspension used in your vehicle may require some of the additional recommended tools listed below.

Generally speaking, light trucks and other vehicles have the one of the following front suspension types:

Leaf Spring Suspension

Coil Spring Suspension

Torsion Bar Suspension

Tools Needed

While your kit should have all parts necessary for the install, we recommend that you have these tools as well. You can get by with the bare minimum, but having the full complement of tools below at your disposal will speed the process along exponentially. Besides – who doesn’t love having an excuse to pick up a few new tools?

The Minimum Tools Necessary

Pry bars – Easily remove any parts that don’t want to come loose.
PB Blaster - Old parts from your original suspension may put up a fight when you remove them. PB Blaster is a penetrating oil and will work its way into stubborn fasteners better than products like WD-40.
Standard ¼”-1” socket and wrench set – For unscrewing any parts that need to come undone.
Vehicle jacks and stands rated for your vehicle – To be able to reach all your suspension parts, you’ll need to safely raise and stabilize your vehicle.
Torque wrench – So fasters can be installed to the correct torque spec.
Lug wrench – Save time when removing lugs on your suspension.
Screw driver(s) – Useful for unscrewing any parts that need to be removed or for putting new parts together.
Hammer – Remember the old parts that don’t want to break free? A hammer will help knock them out.
Extra nuts and bolts – You never know when you might need them.
Safety wire or other rigid wire – Incredibly useful for fishing fasteners into places you can’t reach, or to tie components out of the way during the install process.

Additional Recommended Tools

Spring Compressor – If your vehicle has a front coil spring suspension with either struts or separate coil springs, a spring compressor will likely be needed during removal and installation of new components.
Torsion Bar Unloading Tool – Needed to safely change torsion keys.
Breaker Bar – Got a fastener that just won’t come loose? The extra length of this tool allows you to create more torque to get it to break free.
Impact wrench – Save yourself time and hassle when removing lug nuts, bolts and nuts, especially stubborn/rusted/frozen hardware.
Reciprocating saw – Having a hard time getting an old part to come out? If you don’t need it any more, nothing evicts an unneeded component like cutting it off completely.
Drill and drill bits – Useful for creating additional holes for screws and assembling your new parts.

If you have a buddy with a shop and an auto lift, take them out for dinner, wash their truck or mow their lawn – whatever it takes to convince them to let you use it!

Suspension Lift Kit Installation Steps

Bet you never thought we’d get to the actual installation! Any successful project involves proper planning. So once you know the type of suspension your vehicle has, you’ve ordered the right kit, and bought or borrowed all tools needed, you’re ready to get started.

As mentioned previously, our instructions are meant to be a rough guide, not replace the manufacturer’s recommendations. Be sure to review the lift kit manufacturer’s installation guidelines in full before you ever get your truck off the ground.

To prevent electric shock, unclamp the negative battery terminal. (This is a general best practice any time you’re doing work of this type.)
Loosen but do not remove lug nuts.
Jack the front of the vehicle to a height that’s adequate for you to get underneath your vehicle and install your new components. Be sure a jack is under each weight point and that you keep your vehicle level.
Always place safety stands under each side of the vehicle for support. Make sure safety stands are rated for your vehicle’s weight. Do not rely solely on floor jacks.
Raise a floor jack underneath the axle to hold the weight of the axle as suspension components are removed.
Remove wheels/tires.
Remove the following components: Your current shocks, U-bolts and springs. You may want to set them aside in case you want to place them back into your vehicle. If you have any trouble getting your old parts off, you may want to try hammering them out of place or, if you have replacement parts in your kit, simply cutting them off and discarding them is fine.
Some kits require spring assembly. Use your kit instructions to put them together and then bolt them into place.
Take your new U-bolts and attach them where your old bolts used to be. Make sure they’re vertical and everything is aligned as it should be, referencing the previous application if need be.
Assemble your shocks using your kit instructions. Once your shocks are fully assembled according to the instructions, you can install them.
To wrap up, make sure all of your nuts, bolts and new components are tightly attached. Use a torque wrench to ensure that all fasteners are tightened exactly as described in the manufacturer’s installation instructions.
Remove safety stands and carefully lower your vehicle, keeping it level. Re-clamp your negative battery terminal.
Repeat steps above for the rear suspension. Rear suspension upgrades are usually simpler, most commonly taking the form of blocks/spacers for the rear leaf springs.

Below are a few Lift kit installation videos. Be sure to check out our Youtube Channel for more.

Hit the Road

Once your lift kit is installed, take things slow on your first test drive, listening for noises or rubbing, and making sure your vehicle handles properly. After 50 miles of drive time on your upgraded suspension, check all fasteners and ensure that they are still tightened to manufacturer specs.

Enjoy your lifted truck or SUV!