Installing the BTF 3” level kit on a 2003 Ford Explorer. LT265/70R17 Goodyear Wrangler MTR tires and Fuel Offroad Crush Wheels -12 offset. I bought the lift kit at BTF Fabrication: btffabrication...
You can just unboth those bolts that secure the whole upper control arm assembly and remove the whole thing so you don't need to cut any bit of the fender to remove them. Just like you would with replacing a normal uca
Upper Control arms come out in one piece. Definitely you did a lot of extra work cutting. Who ever told you to cut in half mis lead you. 3 hours for e brake. Do not let this guy scare you it is not that difficult. Great video. Glad you figured it all out.
Just did upper control arms on my 2003 Explorer and replaced with Mevotech TTX. Upper arms don't need to be cut to come out. its tight but the whole assembly will come out both sides. Good Video i'm looking to lift mine.
My 2002 explorer just 265/75r16, is enough for my camp trips and No, not comfortable with parts of this job. Do plenty of the work myself, But starting to pass along some jobs as I get older. Great looking Explorer, 👌 good job, have a great Sunday from 🇨🇦.
Very good job. I love the overall shape of the 3rd gen Explorer. Looks like it is just a bit bigger than the 2nd gen 2010 Escape. It looks compact and sporty. I like it.
@@ryanhablitzel I'm getting an 07 Limited 4x4 with the 4.0 v6. What dependability issues did you encounter and was it from being driven hard or something from normal driving?
Hey dude, just want to toot my Lil horn a bit. I did the uppers on mine a month ago, didn't need to cut anything, no air compressor. All hand tools and man power and good old fashion stubbornness. HAD IT ON JACK STANDS!
Holy shit this is the best video ever, been looking for so long for help and to see what people have done to lift these 3rd gen exploders. Quick question though, what kind struts/suspension did you use and which btf lift spacer did you install, the 3" front and 2.5" rear spacers or 2" front and rear spacers?
@@ryanhablitzel I actually made a tire mount for my 84 Bronco. Came out good and not complicated if you have welding skills. Looks better than having tire under truck. I don't have a way to post it, if I could you would like it. Poor man's 4x4 but drives great.
Probably not a boat because they tend to be too much of a money pit for my needs right now. I’m thinking about customizing something newer next. Maybe a new ranger. Maybe an Expedition. Maybe a 4 Runner. Not sure yet.
So I bought the BTF lift kit and the upper control arms. I'm in process of purchasing the rest of the new parts I want to replace on my 2005 XLT 4x4 4D 4.0l and then get started on the lift
I have a 1994 explorer sport 4x4 5-speed. I love it but needs new suspension and thinking of torsion twist and and add lift rear and new bilestein shocks There is not too many options for lifts for the 1994. But will check out btf. Also rough country or Rancho
So I have the same explorer and wanted to do a lift kit but since it’s independent suspension is it even worth lifting it because the clearance is so low anyways?
Hello I would like to put a 2 or 3 inch lift on a 2008 Ford Explorer. Can you help me fit the right longer springs? Maybe a link to an online store with the possibility of shipping to Poland will suffice
Just bought an explorer and the bumpers and the trim around the wheels are that faded plastic texture, is it possible to paint that gloss black to match the rest of the car?
Was the plastic originally painted black? Or is it black plastic (like the windshield wiper cowl)? If it's black plastic (and not painted), you can try the heat gun approach: just heat the plastic until the oils start rising out of it and you're good as new.
Is there anything special you have to do when installing the lift kit (pucks) with the new suspension (coilovers)? This is something I'm looking to do to my 03. I feel like there's something extra not mentioned in this video because of the pucks being installed vs beforehand. Or is it a true plug and play so long as everything lines up and Trqs are good?
Adding the spacers to the coil overs is the easy part. I think what you will find is that your other suspension parts will be worn when you take everything apart. I chose to replace all the worn out parts while I was in there and that is where most of the challenges came from.
@@ryanhablitzel Thank you! I'm looking to do that too. Control Arms, CV Axles, Wheel Bearings, Ball joints, then the suspension for all 4 wheels and might as well do the pucks at the same time right? Just wish I could do tires and wheels while I'm at it too lol. Thank you for this video though, it was a HUGE help! I figured that everything you showed was what was needed to do, but seeing it vs theory is much better.
Sounds like you have a good plan! There are inevitably unique challenges that will come up in your specific vehicle, but I tried to show the highlights of what were the most important points. Good luck!
Hello, I just picked up a 2006 Explorer, Eddie Bauer edition so it looks good. I'm considering having the local 4X4 shop to do this entire job for me. If you still have this truck, can you tell us how it runs? Have you had any transmission problems or any other issues because of the lift?
Are you using any part of the front upper control arms that they needed to be cut? I don't understand why you couldn't just unbolt and remove them whole without cutting. Thank you! Also, has the customer been back for cv shaft replacement since the mod?
Correct. I should have unbolted there whole control arm assembly to make the swap in retrospect. You use the part of the old part of the control arm that you bolt to the frame. I’ve had to replace the one CV axle since the lift, but I think it was because of a torn boot, not because of the angle.
I got.an 05 and got the btf uca installed but now every time im turnjng i hear like a rubbing noise ..it my.uca rubbing on the struts..i have a 2in strut mount in front..what do i do to get rid of that rubbing
Hi Ryan, quick question from Australia. My Explorer has been lifted about 6-7 inches. 2” body lift, 2” level kit, new shocks and extended factory springs. Pretty high. The idiots that done this didn’t change the upper control arms and found the springs were rubbing against the standard upper arms as it was being forced downward it being so high. I’ve ordered the BTF upper arms so do you think this will solve my issue in opening up the gaps between the coils and the upper factory arms. Mechanics have looked and said it’s very dangerous as the upper ball joint looks like it’s about to give way. Other than the BTF arms, any other recommendations on what I should be changing? Much appreciated 😊
I would think the level kit and the extended springs are too much for the suspensions angles. I wonder if changing the springs back to factory will be necessary to resolve the issue.
Thanks for your reply. I’ve been told this but it’s going to compromise the height so I’m trying to do all I can to keep the height but also keep the car safe so it’s tricky. I wanted something very different and have achieved the height but the safety is the issue which is what I’m trying to resolve so hoping the BTF upper arms may help… Just hoping the BTF upper arms do the trick as the 2 mechanics that looked at my were mainly concerned with the factory upper arms being left on whilst been listed so high. The angle is terrible.
Just a level 3” kit. I think doing a body lift is too much for this vehicle in my opinion. Total cost of the lift will vary depending on what you suspension parts you replace when your in there. The control arms and lift kit were about $1000.
Mine just dropped right in. No pressing required. I do remember the arm rubbing on the springs a little until the vehicle settled all the way down on its own weight. It should be fairly simple and strait forward.
@@ryanhablitzel yah mine does rub too, ive heard the 06-10 explorer knuckles are taller so that could be a potential fix, but i haven't tried it and i have no clue why mines not going in. ill go out and work on it today and figure it out, thanks
I have not done much or any suspension work, but I can replace brakes and I did convert an auto trans to manual trans on my miata. Should I attempt this ?
Do you have patience and persistence when it comes to mechanical problem solving? Suspension involves specialty press tools that you can generally rent at an auto parts store, but can be frustrating to use at times. This is a doable job, but can get overwhelming will all the other parts that may need to be replaced. I did this job and fixed all the other problems in the suspension/brakes in 36 hours in a professional shop. But it could be done faster without swapping all the other suspension parts. I just wanted a solid vehicle when I was done so I did everything at the same time.
cool build, I have always been curious how a lifted 3rd gen explorer would be. Looks really good. with the independent rear suspension a diff locker would go a long way.
Does the offset on that wheel cause the tire to rub? I'm torn between getting a 0 offset vs a -12 for my Explorer. I'm going to run the same amount of lift and same size tires...
It does rub slightly. I’ll be doing a video on trimming the inner fenders to eliminate the rubbing when I get the Ex back next week from having the engine replaced. The -12 offset looks great in my opinion.
I'd love to see the video but can you tell me if it rubs on the back of the back of the inner fender or the front? I have rear A/C and heat, the lines are literally are right behind the liner and any rubbing on the rear of the liner will be rubbing on the lines as well.
Looks awesome, man! Thanks for posting this. I just got my BTF upper control arms this summer and have been pulling my hair out trying to find the rims I want. Does the -12mm offset stick out really far? Sounds perfect to me, but without pocket flares available for this truck it seems like I'll be throwing rocks everywhere. Any issues with this? I'll be lifting/leveling my 2005 Explorer XLT. Anything you would do different? Thanks in advance!
The -12 offset is perfect in my opinion. I haven’t had any issue with throwing rocks. Maybe some mud marks on the fenders after a storm. I wouldn’t change anything
That tire size converts to 31.7”. It may not rub if you have the standard offset. It would be close, but a little trimming would probably make it work if there was a problem.
I have a 2005 Ford Explorer xlt sport if I were to do this you think all I would need to do is get the BTF 3” front, and 2.5” rear lift spacer kit and get the uniball upper arms from the link you have in the comments and if I take it to a professional shop those are the 2 things I would need to get for them to do this ?
Technically, all you would need is the 3” front and 2.5” rear spacers. The lift causes additional wear on the upper ball joints and the upper arms help take care of this issue. Keep in mind that a mechanic will likely find additional issues with worn out front suspension parts when the spacers are installed.
good good friend, sorry for the inconvenience, can you share the link of the products you compared? I have looked for them I did not find them. Thank you.
Well… given that I just had to replace the engine… not sure that I can affirm reliability. But I do know you can find these cheap. If someone took care of it and did the maintenance on time…
That would depend on several factors. Your wheel/tire selection, how many other suspension parts need to be replaced, etc. I would guess $4000-$8000 depending on the shop and the parts you select.
That's just upper control arms I cant seem to find a whole lift I've seen top hat spacers for the strut/shocks but they say not for the awd model is the v8 with sensi track considered awd or 4x4?
Man, this video has probably caused a lot of people a lot of grief! This was so painful to watch as you made this extremely more difficult than it actually is!. To those of you that are here to replace the upper control arms on 2002 -2005 explores, go watch qualified mechanics show you how easy it is instead of watching this guy botch it all up not knowing what he's doing! There are two bolts on each upper control arm that remove the entire assy from the vehicle so you can put it in a vise and easily remove the control are arm. You shouldn't be making tutorial videos my friend, you're going to get someone hurt!
@@ryanhablitzel Ya, but your telling people to do it that way which is "passing on your mistakes" for other to fail at this! Just delete the video it's pointless, dangerous, really inappropriate.
@@ryanhablitzel : "An opportunity to learn from my mistakes" And yet your dangerous misleading video is still up... Doesn't look to me like you've learned anything... How many more unfortunate people have to find your video before they see how it's actually done? You're a disgrace to the RU-vid community my guy!