Zone 1221 lift install procedure?

[AMTRV]

I'm getting ready to install a Zone 1221 level/lift on my 22 Badlands non sas.
I've read through most every page of this forum regarding Badlands suspension and arrived at the Zone 1221 being the best it for me.
Regarding procedure, which way is the better way to handle the CV axles? Should I remove the spindle nut to keep the axle from coming out of the inner socket or should I remove the bolts in the lower control arms to allow it to drop for removal of the strut assembly?
I'm sure some of you have done it both ways.....which do you prefer?
This is the only part of me doing this procedure on my garage floor(no lift) that worries me.
Thanks!

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[flip]

IMO, remove the axle from the hub before pulling everything apart. No evidence of this but there've been some reports of CV issues after lift installs that weren't tall enough to cause a failure under normal driving. Just use an abundance of caution and try to find the workshop manual disassembly procedure I posted some time ago. When in doubt, pay someone to install so if they screw it up, it's on their dime.

 

[swami37]

I would remove the lower control arm bolts.. This is what I did when I added a Zone 2 inch kit on my Black Diamond last Saturday. Plenty of room to get the strut and spring out..Stage3 Motorsports has a good you tube video installing a 2"rough country lift on this subject. I'd post link but don't know how. lol
@Stage 3 Motorsports

EDIT:

 

[AMTRV]

I would remove the lower control arm bolts.. This is what I did when I added a Zone 2 inch kit on my Black Diamond last Saturday. Plenty of room to get the strut and spring out..Stage3 Motorsports has a good you tube video installing a 2"rough country lift on this subject. I'd post link but don't know how. lol
@Stage 3 Motorsports

EDIT:

Thanks Chris, Your reply and the video just confirmed that I'll remove the lower control arm bolts.

 

[AMTRV]

IMO, remove the axle from the hub before pulling everything apart. No evidence of this but there've been some reports of CV issues after lift installs that weren't tall enough to cause a failure under normal driving. Just use an abundance of caution and try to find the workshop manual disassembly procedure I posted some time ago. When in doubt, pay someone to install so if they screw it up, it's on their dime.

Thanks Phil. I really wish there was someone that I could trust to install the lift but unfortunately there is no one in my city that I'd trust.

 

[swami37]

Thanks Chris, Your reply and the video just confirmed that I'll remove the lower control arm bolts.

your welcome.

 

[DudeBronco]

@AMTRV How did the install go dropping the lower control arms? I'm installing this same kit on a Badlands non sas this weekend? Any tips/tricks?

 

[AMTRV]

I’ve still not made my mind up to install the level. I don’t have any clearance problems at all so I may keep the Badlands suspension stock.
If I do I’ll definitely remove the LCA bolts.

 

[orion]

Thanks Phil. I really wish there was someone that I could trust to install the lift but unfortunately there is no one in my city that I'd trust.

In today's world, you can only trust yourself to do anything right. It's been almost 20 years since I last had anyone touch my cars for anything but warranty stuff, and even then, they screw something up.

My factory warranty was about due on my 17' Super Duty and rear pinion seal was leaking. Was living on newly acquired 40 acres in a 5th wheel and was winter. I figured they could do that without messing it up. Well, went to pick it up and they did two other items without asking me, the seat belt recall and engine block heater recall. It looked as if the guys pulled the B-Piller interior plastics and threw them across the floor because they were all scraped up. The new block heater wasn't routed properly and two tangs were never pushed into their respective places...

 

[tobyw]

Just did mine this weekend. Started on the driver side and went the "normal" route with pulling the TRE and upper ball joint to rotate the knuckle back, and after about 10 minutes of fighting to get the coilover out I ended up dropping the lower arm. In stark contrast, on the passenger side, all I did was drop the lower arm and it allowed the coilover to literally fall out. I was able to get the passenger side coilover out and on the bench in less time that it took me to just get the TRE and ball joint separated on the driver side

 

[DudeBronco]

I did this install this weekend as well, dropping the lower arms without an issue. Definitely the way to go IMO.

 

[Wheelin72]

I have the Zone 2" lift kit with part number ZONF1220 for non-SAS base suspension, which should be correct for my non-SAS black diamond. I'm having trouble getting the rear struts back into the vehicle after putting the spacer on top. The instructions say to put the strut back into the vehicle oriented 180 deg from the original orientation so that the upper bolts will align with the holes in the body, however, I can see that the top mount has an angle to it. So if you rotate the whole thing around backwards (180), then the angle of the top mount faces the wrong way and it won't mate up to the body properly. Did anyone else run into this problem? My top mount does not appear to be flat. What do you guys see for your rear top mount angle? I have a 2022 model.

 

[tobyw]

I can see that the top mount has an angle to it.

My top mount does not appear to be flat.

If I'm reading your post correctly, it sounds to me like you have the wrong spacers installed on the rear strut... The front spacers have the taper to them, the rear spacers are flat. Both require disassembly of the strut and rotation of the top hat in order to correctly orient the (3) attachment bolts into the chassis mounts.

 

[Wheelin72]

I finally got it. I had the correct (flat) spacers on the rear. The issue was that when the axle is in full droop, with shock fully extended, that the shock has a bit of an angle at the top mount, and this makes it hard to get the bolts pushed up through the holes in the frame. When the axle and shock are at normal ride height position (with weight of the vehicle on wheels), then the shock position gets "straight" with regard to the angle at the top mount. The rubber in the top mount takes up that angular movement, but makes it difficult to get the bolts up through the holes.
I found one side to be easier than the other, but finally got them both. Thanks!

 

[tobyw]

Glad you got it figured out!

One thing that I haven't seen much mention of on anyone's install threads, or the manufacturer's install instructions for that matter, is the need to unload the rubber bushings and then retorque them with the weight of the vehicle on them after installing the lift components. This is for all suspension connection points, front and rear, as the OEM vulcanized rubber bushings only have so many degrees of twist and when you install the lift kit, you are changing the "baseline" orientation of the bushing and it needs to be reset accordingly. Otherwise you'll face premature wear on the bushing as it struggles with over-rotation in one direction or the other... As a side note to this, with the bushings loose it becomes much easier to get bolt holes lined up

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