XPLORx4

Why is that?

If you want a mild 2" lift, you must purchase new coil springs and new rear shocks. You can purchase new 2" lift coil springs only from 4x4parts.com (aka "AC" or "Automotive Customizers") in Florida. If you want a more substantial 4" lift, you can get the subframe drop system from krfabs, which will properly lift the front suspension, and purchase different 4" lift rear springs from a US vendor. If you want 6" of lift, you get the front 2" springs from AC, the krfabs subframe drop, and 6" lift springs and new rear shocks from a US vendor.

kcs...??? Do you mean KC auxiliary lights? 8 KC lights @ 55 watts = 36 amps. That leaves lots of extra capacity on a 160a alternator (which will provide up to 1920 watts of power).

160 amps isn't enough? What electrical loads are you planning on running?

If you don't use the correct gear oil (with the friction-modifying LSD additives) then the effectiveness of the LSD clutches will be reduced. Nevertheless, the stock LSD isn't very effective anyway.

Try this place: http://www.qualitypowerauto.com/catalog.php?item=355

Do this while the the vehicle is on its tires on level ground:

The front speakers are also individually amped and have built-in crossovers for the tweeters. The amp behind the rear cargo panel is only for the rear speakers.

I would advise purchasing a longer length of rubber tubing to replace your differential breather hose, which appears to have become disconnected, before you attempt driving in deep liquids.

LOL! Yeah, I know Sonny. I just helped him install a new CV axle and some wheel studs on his Pathy a few weeks ago! He mentioned he'd sold his lift and gone back to stock suspension. Welcome to the R50 Pathy community!

To test the condition of the rear trailing arm bushings, you put the tranny in park (or 1st gear on a manual) with the parking brake released, then roll the rear tires forward and back while watching the position of the link relative to a part of the body (such as the wheel well). If you see the link move forward/backward relative to the body, the bushings are worn should be replaced.

Have you had alignment problems? Suspension clunking? Uneven tire wear? After the tires are in the air, try wiggling the tires in/out, left/right, back/forward and watch for any movement in the lower ball joint. If there isn't any, you're probably still good.

Awesome deal! Your ride looks good. You should come out to Hollister on 3/30 with me for a test run!

Looks good!

The pipe is usually welded on, otherwise you can't adjust the tie-rods. Locked or open front diff shouldn't have any effect on whether tie-rods bend or not. If you're bending tie rods, you're using way too much skinny pedal.

It means installing a larger-diameter pipe tube around the tie-rod to give it more strength and prevent it from bending. Probably suggested because of the huge tires.

To remove the ball joint, you don't need a pickle fork, nor do you need to remove the brakes or unbolt the knuckle/spindle from the strut. However, you do need to partially remove the CV axle. PREPARATION 1. Jack up the front of the truck and support its weight using jackstands. 2. Remove the front left wheel. REMOVAL 1. Remove the safety pin (by straightening it with pliers) from the ball joint castle nut and remove the nut. 2. Put some hearing protection on. Seriously. What you're about to do is really REALLY loud and could cause hearing loss. 3. Using a BFH (such as a 2-lb sledgehammer; a regular hammer won't have enough impact), repeatedly whack the side of the knuckle really hard where the ball joint inserts. Don't be timid. If you don't have enough clearance to do this, rotate the steering wheel full left. Be careful not to whack your brake rotor! The repeated impacts will cause the ball joint to pop loose from the knuckle - without the use of a pickle fork. You can also try partially threading the castle nut back onto the ball joint and whacking the bottom of it, but that is sometimes not as effective, and if your new ball joint didn't come with a new castle nut, don't do this. 4. Using a 17mm socket, remove the 3 nuts securing the ball joint to the A-arm. 5. While applying downward force on the A-arm, wiggle the ball joint studs out of the A-arm. 6. At this point, the ball joint should be loose in the knuckle and free from the A-arm, but you'll note that you cannot pull it out because the CV axle is in the way. 7. Pry or twist off the outer hub cap (if you have stock hubs). You can use vise-grips to apply rotational force to the hub while you use a putty knife or large flathead screwdriver to pry off the cap. Insert a screwdriver through the brake caliper and rotor vents to keep the hub from rotating while you remove the cap. 8. Using snap-ring pliers, remove the snap ring securing the CV axle to the hub. 9. Tap the outer end of the CV axle with a hammer as you pull the knuckle/hub/brake assembly away from the vehicle. This will cause the CV axle to partially slide out of the hub and give you enough clearance to fully remove the ball joint. INSTALLATION 1. Place the new ball joint into the knuckle and hand-thread the castle nut onto it. 2. Re-insert the CV axle all the way into the drive flange, and reinstall the snap ring. 3. Place the ball joint bracket (the part with the three studs on it) into the ball joint and insert the ball joint into the A-arm. 4. Place the three 17mm nuts on ball joint and torque to 18-25 ft-lbs. 5. Tighten the castle nut to 45 ft lbs, then tighten a little more so as to allow the safety pin to be inserted. 6. Replace the hub cap. 7. Re-mount the wheel. 8. Lower the truck to the ground. You're done!

I recall doing something like this, but I can't remember if I replaced the bulbs in the AC and recirc buttons or another switch. Try some of the links here: http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=12v+3mm+micro+bulb I may have actually replaced them with 3mm LEDs (courtesy of Radio Shack).

Can you rotate your wheels without the CV axles binding when they're in that position?

You can always relocate the plate to the center of the spare tire

Hey all, I've been running without any swaybars for a very long time (actually about 10 years), and I think I would like to put the front back on for a few upcoming trips which would benefit from less body-roll, so I'm going to reinstall it. Though I still have my front sway bar, I no longer have the end-links or bushings, so I need to acquire some new ones. Rockauto has some MOOG bushings for $8 per pair, but does anyone know if there are polyurethane front swaybar bushings available? 4x4parts doesn't seem to have poly swaybar bushings. Rockauto has some Raybestos links for $11 and some MOOG links for $16, which are cheap enough (about half of what my local auto parts store wants for the same part). Do you guys have any other recommendations for decent replacement front swaybar endlinks?

The temp gauge doesn't start moving from "middle" until about 216°F

Nominal operating voltage for a "12V" automotive system is actually about 13.7VDC, plus or minus 0.1VDC. This measurement should be made on a running engine with a FULLY (re)charged battery. When a vehicle first starts the voltage at the battery will rise from the original 12.5-12.7 VDC to AT LEAST 14.1VDC. Then, as battery charge completes, the voltage will drop back to about 13.6-13.8 VDC. This usually happens within 5-10 minutes, assuming the battery was fully charged prior to the starting cycle, and the starting happened quickly (5 seconds or so of cranking).

That spare tire carrier is a factory option.

The positive battery terminal has three cables attached to it: the largest cable goes to the starter motor, and the two smaller cables attached to the "red harness" go to the main fusebox (that is, the rest of your truck's electrical system).