We had recently upgraded the front suspension on our F-150 2WD project truck with the installation of a set of Fox Performance Series shocks. The slight increase in coil-spring rate and the improved damping action was a significant improvement when controlling our 33-inch Interco Vortrac all-terrains. But we were looking to improve the front end further. ReadyLift now offers their Series 1 Upper Control Arm (UCA) Kit for 2004-and-newer Ford F-150 2WD and 4WD trucks. The upgrade is a bolt-on affair and offers an improvement in the upper arm strength for use with stock trucks, or those that have been leveled or lifted. The arms pivot in the factory frame mounts on polyurethane bushings and Teflon-lined uniballs are used in the outer pivot points to provide smooth, quiet operation. Along with installing the UCA kit, we added a ReadyLift Heavy Duty Steering Kit. It provides replacement steering tie rods to address the relatively weak steering rods that come stock on F-150s. If you run large, heavy tires and/or use your truck off-road you can over-tax the stock pieces. The ReadyLift steering kit uses quality Teflon-lined rod ends and stronger hardware to fortify the steering system. We easily swapped on these parts in several hours. We were impressed that ReadyLift provided quality instructions with helpful color photos to make the job straight-forward. The result was more precise front end tracking due to the firmer bushings and stronger control arms. The new control arms are designed to work well with the new Fox Performance Series shocks valved specifically for the F-150 models. The new steering components went in easily and we’re confident in their ability to reduce flex and minimize the likelihood of bending a tie rod with heavier tires. 01. This is ReadyLift’s new performance hardware for late-model Ford F-150s. We opted to install their improved upper control arms and heavy duty steering kit. We did the entire installation in a driveway using common home mechanic tools. We’ll detail the installation steps on the driver side. The passenger side install is identical.01. This is ReadyLift’s new performance hardware for late-model Ford F-150s. We opted t 02. The installation started with unbolting and removing the stock upper control arm, while the lower arm was supported with a floor jack. The ball joint can sometimes be stubborn to separate. A shot of penetrating oil in the taper area and a few hammer hits on the side of the spindle will usually release the tapered joint.02. The installation started with unbolting and removing the stock upper control arm, whi 03. The new ReadyLift arm was assembled. Urethane bushings and steel sleeves are used at the frame end and zerk fittings get installed in the bushing tubes as well.03. The new ReadyLift arm was assembled. Urethane bushings and steel sleeves are used a 04. The new arms utilize a tab and slot boxed plate design where the steel components interlock and welded in multiple areas for overall strength and durability. The arms are powder-coated a gray color. Here, you can compare the size of the stock cast arm and the beefier ReadyLift arm.04. The new arms utilize a tab and slot boxed plate design where the steel components in 05. ReadyLift converts the upper tapered hole in the spindle to accept the beefy 1-inch uniball in the control arm by providing a 4340 heat-treated tapered stud for the spindle.05. ReadyLift converts the upper tapered hole in the spindle to accept the beefy 1-inch 06. Stainless steel misalignment spacers were installed into the control arm uniball and each arm is bolted to the frame mounts and to the spindle. The uniball angle has been set at the correct angle to work with leveled or lifted trucks.06. Stainless steel misalignment spacers were installed into the control arm uniball and 07. The steering upgrade started with removing the rubber boot that covers the stock tie rod at the steering rack to access the inner tie rod. The outer and inner tie rod ends were removed, allowing the stock tie rod assembly to be pulled from the truck.07. The steering upgrade started with removing the rubber boot that covers the stock tie 08. Here is how the stock tie rod compares to the ReadyLift steering rod. The new rod is constructed from thick wall 7075 aluminum tubing and the substantial difference in structure is quite evident. The ReadyLift rods were supplied with USA made FK rod ends with Teflon liners, so service lifetime should be very good.08. Here is how the stock tie rod compares to the ReadyLift steering rod. The new rod i 09. The ReadyLift supplied stainless steel inner clevis was bolted onto the steering rack using thread locking compound on the supplied bolt. The clevis converts the inner connection to accept a rod end.09. The ReadyLift supplied stainless steel inner clevis was bolted onto the steering rack 10. As with the ball joint hole in the spindle, the tapered hole in the steering arm is converted to a stud connection using another taper pin that bolts to the steering arm.10. As with the ball joint hole in the spindle, the tapered hole in the steering arm is 11. The new aluminum steering rod was bolted to the inner clevis and to the tapered pin in the steering arm. The rod end at the steering arm also uses misalignment spacers to allow the steering to move without any binding over the whole range of suspension travel.11. The new aluminum steering rod was bolted to the inner clevis and to the tapered pin Sources ReadyLift 3201 W. MacArthur Boulevard Santa Ana CA 92704 800-549-4620 www.readylift.com By Jay Kopycinski Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!
