SLim, I was recently working on installing a 6" Skyjacker lift on a 83 Bronco, and have done a few others, including my 84 before the SAS. As stated, the "hard" part is removing the old hardware. I'll run down the basics, and anyone else can add their input.
Front TTB axle:
Remove the wheels and place jackstands under the frame rails, put blocks behind and in front of the rear tires. USe a floor jack to support one axle beam, let it drop as far as it can without pulling the brake lines out. You can undo the clips holding the lines to the coil towers, or disconnect the banjo fitting on the caliper if changing to steel braided lines. put a block or another jack under the other side beam to support it.
Disconnect the front driveshaft at the axle yoke, tape up the u-joint so the caps don't fall off. Tie the shaft up and out of the way. Remove the front sway bar from the axle end links and the frame mounts. Unbolt the steering linkage at the Pitman arm, and use a puller to remove it. Some go easy, others need heat to help get loose. Soak liberally with a penetrating oil. Unbolt the shock(s), upper coil spring retainer, lower nut and wsher, and pull out the coil. If you let the suspension drop all the way down, there will be no pressure on the coil. It's still a good safety measure to wrap a chain around it and the frame. Loosen the nut on the back of the radius arm at the frame bracket. remove the axle pivot bolt, then do the same for the other side. The TTB axle beams are now "free", and should be supported on two floor jacks, or at least blocks. Some of the radius arm frame brackets are bolted on one side and have rivets on the other. I use a hand-held 4.5" grinder to remove the head, then try hitting it with a large punch and hammer/ small 2# sledge. if the rivets don't move, drill a 1/4" hole thru thwm and try again. Watch for fuel lines on the inside of the driver's frame rail. Unbolt the axle pivot bracket on the passenger side of the engine crossmember, and install the new drop bracket. On the driver's side, some kits use a new bracket that bolts into the stokc hole, and you drill 2 new holes in the crossmember. The SkyJ kit requires removing the factory mount by grinding the 6 rivets. Be careful of the oil pan, place a board or backstop on top of the x-member when drilling. If you are installing extended radius arms, you will need to remove the upper and lower radius arms nuts on the axle beams. These are torqued to about 250-300 ft-lbs, with Loctite from the factory, so a nroaml impact gun will not touch them. I use a long cheater bar and 3/4" drive breakover, with a 6-pt 1-1/8" socket. The upper stud needs a extra-long /deep socket to remove it, or use a good boxend wrench with a cheater. Bolt the axle pivot bolts into the new brackets, using a punch to help align the bolt in each hole. Two jacks work well to get the right leverage and push the axle end up into the bracket. Use red Loctite on all of the bolts for the drop brackets, the axle pivot bolts, coil spring, radius arm bolts, etc. per instructions. Get everything bolted up first, then go back and torque to specs. This may take 6 hours or 2-3 days, depending on how stubborn the original bolts are. You can use heat to help melt the factory loctite and loosen the rust, if you have a small torch. I normally drill out the bracket holes to fit a 1/2" GRADE8* bolt and hardware, so there is no slop in any of the bracket bolts.
Rear axle:
Remove tires, block the front wheels. Remove the shocks and rear sway bar. Support the axle with a floor jack, remove the 4 u-bolts holding the leaf springs tothe axle. Insert your block under the springs, and install the new u-bolts. NEVER re-use old u-bolts. IF you're replacing the leaf srpings, un-bolt them from the hangers and isntall the new ones. Takes 1-2 hours for the rear axle, unless you have stubborn bolts. You may need to re-rout the hrad brake lines, or ned the clip on top of the difffernetial housing, so theres no binding.
Front-end alignment - needs to be done by a pro or shop. May need new, adjustable camber bushings. Labor is noramlly $100-150. LAbor for the lift install is from $450-$600 in my area ( Houston, TX), and is worth every cent if you don't have air tools, a floor jack, and a few buddies to help you. JSM84
/emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> I mean, I built my own house, I maintain Offshore Oil and Gas Platforms.....I should be able to install a lift kit right???
