Baddest Sporty Build... need help!!

[Benjamin Hobson]

Hey guys, I just recently sold my White 2003 Sport Trac 4x2 105k miles (pictured below) to buy a Black 2001 4X4 with leather, sunroof, and 50k miles. The main reason I did this is because I'm moving to Canada for work and I need something that can make it through those winters... 2 wheel drive will not cut it!



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My goal in the next 4 weeks is to build one of the baddest Gen 1 Sport Tracs around and I need your help and input



Here are my plans and questions:



I'm wanting to lift this as much as possible to stuff 35"s under it. It's currently at my buddys body shop getting the bumpers/side skirts getting painted to match. This thing is going to be black on black on more black.



1. I'm ordering a PA 3" body lift kit tomorrow, but what suspension lift should I order? I know there are a few out there, but all I can find is Superlift. Any other recommendations?



2. Do I have to do the Torsion Twist and rear shackles to fit 35" tires?



3. I'm going to need some more power to turn those tires. I've got the intake ordered and I'm thinking about ordering a Livewire as well because I love the display! I'll fiberglass/smooth it into the A-pillar unless you guys have other options.



4. I'm reusing my old bull bar/custom brackets and a different roof rack that is going to hold my matching spare wheel and (4) 6" yellow off-road lights.



5. I'm ordering another rear drop hitch and I'll have to fab up some brackets to make it work with my body lift. The only reason I'm doing this is so I can add a set of rock tamers.



6. I kept my custom fiberglassed speakerbox for two 12"s under the rear seat so I'm set for stereo Pics to come of course !



7. I'm going 18x10" black wheels as well as a set of Bushwacker flares (still need to order this week and painted to match).



Basically I would appreciate any tips/suggestions on what to run here. I don't want to miss a thing and money really isn't an issue. Thanks again guys!!

 

[Jim Upton]

You need to talk to Travis Stevens, he is on 35s and Jerry Gerner is another gentlemen on this site that has alot of offroad experience. Check out there member librarys. You can look them up at the membership list and go from there. Welcome to the site!!!

 

[Jerry Gerner 2]

Who's calling me a gentleman??? :bwahaha:



Depends on your budget and mechanical skills. :banana:



I have a 1.75" TT (worn out, need to install the longer tb bolts and crank it back up), Warrior products lift shackles (good way to lift but add a leafs are far cheaper and stronger, I will be switching over to add a leafs soon). I also have a Performance Accessories 3" Body Lift with 33x12.50x15 GY DuraTrac's on Cragar Soft 8, 15x8 with 4" backspacing.



I plan on doing a Solid Axle Swap and a Spring Over Conversion by the end of next year because I'm tired of the IFS on these trucks, gotta replace parts too often and no flex.



:angry::fire:



Here's some pictures of mine from start to current... :driving:



stock...

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stock with 265/70/16's

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1.75" TT, lift shackles and 265's...

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1.75" TT, lift shackles, 285/75/16's with 1.5" wheel spacers, 3" body lift...

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1.75" TT, lift shackles, 3" BL, 33x12.50x15 on 15x8 Cragar's with 4" b.s. ...



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[H D]

1. The body lift is the first step. I wouldn't get a suspension lift like the Superlift unless you want to make your suspension a snow plow. Unfortunately, that or a solid axle swap are your 4x4 options. All is not lost, though. You can fit 35s without either and you don't have to cut the fenders off to do it.



2. Not necessarily but you will need to do more trimming. I did 1.75" torsion twist and the trimming wasn't any more than what I've seen from guys with 33s and the same lift. Wheel backspacing will be the biggest determinant; more on that later.



3. Don't bother with the intake; horsepower gains are only in the high RPMs. You won't want to be in those RPMs on 35s, trust me. Regear to 4.88s or 4.56s (some debate as to fitting 4.88s but I've seen it done). Don't know anything about Livewire but the SCT tuner is the apparent Godsend around these parts. Check that out before deciding.



4. If gas mileage isn't a concern, not a bad plan. You won't want to use the sunroof, though.



5. I got used to the gap but still planning to tuck the hitch tighter. Good plan.



6. No audio experience here.



7. I'd recommend an 8" wide wheel to hold your bead better and give you more height than width. Another issue with 10" wide wheels, maybe not necessarily the one you're looking at, is that they typically have deeper backspacing. You won't be able to do any more backspacing than 4.25" (maybe 4.5" but not proven). Most guys have 3.75" to 4". The lower the bs, the more trimming you'll need to do. I'm not sure you'll find Bushwacker flares specifically for the ST anymore. Pretty sure they're discontinued and only available used. Someone chime in if I remember that wrong.



Here's what I got:



<a href="http://s1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa332/hughdarnley/Sport%20Trac/?action=viewt=IMG_3613.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa332/hughdarnley/Sport%20Trac/IMG_3613.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://s1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa332/hughdarnley/Sport%20Trac/?action=viewt=photobucket-1024-1342300729159.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa332/hughdarnley/Sport%20Trac/photobucket-1024-1342300729159.jpg" border="0" alt="IMG_20120714_142133."></a>

<a href="http://s1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa332/hughdarnley/Sport%20Trac/?action=viewt=photobucket-13209-1342300773472.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa332/hughdarnley/Sport%20Trac/photobucket-13209-1342300773472.jpg" border="0" alt="IMG_20120714_143107."></a>



3" body lift

Pro Comp Add-a-Leaf 13120 for about 2"

1.75" torsion twist

35x12.5 KM2s

17x8 Pro Comp Rock Crawler wheels with 4.25" backspacing

 

[Jim Upton]

Jerry, LOL!! You seem like a hell of a guy always willing to help and share information!!! I have the gen2 adrenalin, but i am so impressed watching you guys build these tracs taller!! Hugh very sharp truck!!

 

[Benjamin Hobson]

@Jerry:



Hopefully the pictures of my old white sport trac loaded as I did everything to that truck myself... so mechanical skills and money are not an issue.



@Hugh:



1. I've already ordered the body lift and I did the body lift on my last ST so that's no problem. My main goal is to just get some height out of it and stuff 35"s under it. Is the Superlift kit that bad or are there other options??



2. I had to do plenty of trimming to my front bumper and side skirts on my last setup with 33s, but they were 15x10" though... not sure what my back spacing was.



3. So spend the money on having 4.56s installed front and rear instead of an intake? What's something like that run and how will that effect my highway speed/rpm at 70mph? I'll check out any option for a tuner/programmer.



4. The sunroof is only for a little more air on summer days and gas mileage is definitely not a concern, otherwise I would not be going 35s



5. I fabbed up the brackets on my last ST and it turned out clean and solid. The gap does not bother me one bit.



6. Well if you ever need any audio info, I'm the one to ask



7. I'm not going to be doing much mudding or rock climbing honestly... I just want the height so I can make it through these brutal winters. The reason I want to run 10" wheels is because I figured with a 3" BL and 4" susp lift I would need all the width I can get to ward off roll over. DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE I CAN GET A SET OF BUSHWACKER FLARES ANYMORE? new or used



As for offsets/backspacing, I'm looking to pick up a set of 18x10 wheels that come in either 0 offset or -25. Which one do I want to run? I guess 0 offset is equal to 5" backspacing and -25 is 4" backspacing correct?



Thanks again guys!

 

[Travis Stevens]

My trac has a 3 inch body lift a 4 inch suspension lift warrior products shackles and a torsion twist and 35 inch tires on 15x10 procomp 98s with a 3.75" back space for a total of 12.5 inches of lift over stock height... I will be doing a spring over axle conversion in the next few weeks to raise the rear end up to match the front... then I will regear the axles to 4.56. to help turn those big meats

Stock

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Body lift tt and shackles with 32 inch tires



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[Travis Stevens]

Fully lifted

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[Benjamin Hobson]

@Travis



THAT IS EXACTLY THE LOOK I WANT!! What suspension lift kit did you go with and do you have any rubbing issues? Let me know your secrets and ways as I plan on doing the same modifications!

 

[H D]

The real issue with the Superlift is that you're wanting to be more capable in snow. The drop brackets would just create a giant snow plow on the front for snow to pile up in front of. You won't actually gain any height where you need it, before the wheels get over the obstacle (snow in your case). It's not that bad per se, but I think it would be more of a burden than help for your goals. You can still fit 35s without it, so there's really little need for it IMO since tires are really the only true way to gain lift no matter what you do. The Superlift will get your roof sitting higher if that's a goal as well, but it won't do a thing for ground clearance.



The only other options besides Superlift are solid axle or a long travel. If money truly is no concern, go solid axle. Hoping to get my 1 tons under the ST next year, but funds are an issue until I'm finished with grad school and save for a house next year. Long travel kits are popular with the desert trucks but I'm not very familiar with the setups or what advantages/disadvantages it would give you for the driving you'll need to do. Check the desertrangers forum for good info on long travel on our suspensions.



Good thing you're not afraid of trimming. Mine wasn't too bad but like I said, it'll depend on the wheels you choose. Here's my trimming. I have a thread detailing it if you're interested.



<a href="http://s1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa332/hughdarnley/Sport%20Trac/?action=view&current=IMG_3470.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa332/hughdarnley/Sport%20Trac/IMG_3470.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>



I haven't been convinced by anyone that the intakes are worth it. Personally, I wouldn't take the time to install one if it was given to me. Ford engineers work for Ford instead of an aftermarket company for a reason. Many have shown proof that the intake temperatures are lower with the stock air box on the ST.



Regear for sure. Again, only reason I haven't is that' I'm done putting money into the truck until it's solid axle. This is one job I would definitely let a pro do. I am confident I could do it myself but the little extra labor cost is worth the peace of mind and labor warranty. If they do it wrong, you'll definitely know within the warranty period and fixing it will be covered. If you do it wrong, you're out new parts and doing it all over again, hoping you learned something and not making a mistake again. Been awhile since I looked at the cost of gears and I don't remember. Labor should only be a couple hundred dollars I would imagine.



Regearing would raise your RPMs at highway speeds. With 4.10s, I run about 2,100 to 2,200 RPMs at 70. I don't know the math, but there are calculators that would figure it for you. I think desertrangers has one on their site.



You'd be fine with 10" wide wheels as long as the backspacing is right. I understand backspacing a lot better than offset because backspacing doesn't change regardless of wheel width. 0 offset on a 10" wheel is 5", though, and you cannot put those on the ST. Assuming you're right about the -25 offset, that'd be fine. I'd check it to make sure, though. Too late for math for me (and I'm supposed to be working on a resume).



BTW, the white Trac looked great. Can't wait to see what you do with the black 4x4.

 

[H D]

BTW, to compete for baddest ST, you're still going to have to compete with Chad's.



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[Travis Stevens]

I went with the superlift because I will mainly see pavement with minor trailing... chad is the godfather of the SAS and is truly the most capable trac I've ever seen...its all in what you want or need... ill get pics of my trimming later but I didn't need to trin much at all.

 

[H D]

FWIW, I regularly check Craigslist for a steal on a used Superlift and have the Superlift kit on my Amazon wish list so I can see if there's ever a huge sale on it. If I find one really cheap, I'll consider it as a hold-over until I can get the 1-tons installed.

 

[Bernard Olsen]

Damn...that white ST looks like my old Adrenalin. Kinda miss it.

 

[George T]

Ben,



Is that a custom bull bar? Or where did you get it? I freaking love it!!!:grin:

 

[Jerry Gerner 2]

Bernard, I thought it was your old Trac. How's the Avalanche treating you?

 

[Benjamin Hobson]

@Hugh



Hmmm... I really want to sit as high and big as possible, but I definitely don't want to be plowing the roads for other cars. Let me think about this one. As for trimming, it's no issue... I'm having the bumpers/skirts painted to match so I'll just test fit the wheels and trim before paint.



I'll check into getting regeared and see what it does to the RPMs. The only thing holding me back is that I have about 5 minutes of highway driving to/from work and I don't need it running 4k @ 70mph :driving:



Yeah you're right, backspacing is easier to figure, but I'm decent at offsets from years of autox building and wide wheels. If the wheels I want truely are 10" wide, then zero offset should be the center which makes a 5" back space correct? So if you lower the offset by one inch or 25.4mm, then the backspacing drops to 4" and that can work correct?



and if that's the case, the wheel just sticks out an inch more which means I REALLY NEED A SET OF BUSHWACKER FLARES!!! NEW OR USED, WHO HAS A SET???



Hope you got that resume done, but thanks for the kind words. I really enjoyed my white one so I hope I have the same luck with the new one.



p.s. Chad's may run circles around mine, but I guarantee mine will look 10x better/cleaner.





@Travis



Definitely get me pictures of your trimming when you get a chance. My only question is How does Hugh run 35s with minimal trimming, but you have 4"+ more lift and you still had to do trimming??



@Bernard



Which white ST? Mine or Chads?



@George T



Yes it is a custom bull bar. Not sure what the bar was originally meant for, but I liked the look so I fab'd up some brackets so it would work with my body lift. I actually took it off my white truck before selling so I'm going to do a little more work to it and stuff a wench behind that lower opening :grin:

 

[Johnny O]

The only suspension lift kit other than Superlift (about $2000 plus install) is the Dixon Brothers long-travel desert race coil-over setup that costs about $4500 plus install plus wider fiberglass front fenders plus paint, so call it about $6500 total.



The main problem with the Superlift kit is that it has drop brackets for the front crossmember which negates some (but not all) of the lift you gain with the kit and taller tires.



Just my .02 but you won't really need 35's to get around in snow, 33's will be fine. Also A/T's are better than M/T's on-road in snow and narrower is better than wider. I'd just go with a body lift and 33x10.50-15's. I lived in Upstate NY for a while just across the St. Lawrence River from Canada for a while and know whereof I speak. BFG A/T's were the tire of choice even on beaters that probably weren't worth what the set of tires cost. Then I'd put a Powertrax No-Slip or Detroit True Trac in the rear.

 

[Benjamin Hobson]

@JohnnyO



Thanks for the feedback! I know you're right... I ran 33" BFG A/Ts on my white 2WD truck and it did fine in the Kansas snow (6-8"). Let me clarify that my new truck will also be my big toy/daily baby and I want it to look sort of ridiculous both in the summer and winter (10-18"). Decisions... decisions...

 

[Travis Stevens]

I wouldn't exactly say hughs Trimming was minimal I would say mine is minimal where the cladding comes up into the wheel well it goes half way into the wheel well that section needs to be trimmed out... I only trimmed where the tire would rub and there really wasn't much to cut out since it only rubbed on the lower edge of the cladding... I wish I didn't have to trim but with what I had to do I can live with that

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