King Shocks DIY install underway UPDATED WITH NEW PICS

[fordguru]

Update all done
pretty straight forward installing had to tweak a couple of the reservoir brackets
it all good rides soooooo awesome
about 2” front gain and 1.5 rear
i have methods beadlocks and 37 bfg km3 going on in the next few days

Sponsored

 

[Dom]

Looks good. Looks like you got a front set with the long hoses, so you should be good.

The rear was a PITA to get the lower bolt out. OEM Specs say 350 ft-lb and I believe it. My impact wouldn't budge it.

How did you get it back to torque spec when you were finished?

 

[Evolkidbell]

How did you get it back to torque spec when you were finished?

I did not. Took it to 250.
I guarantee most others did not either. Most torque wrenches go to 250 max. My work has big ones that go to just under 1000 with doublers and they're literally 8 feet long.

I would be curious if others were able to source a high enough wrench.

@fordguru what did you torque the rear bolts back to?

 

[Dom]

I did not. Took it to 250.
I guarantee most others did not either. Most torque wrenches go to 250 max. My work has big ones that go to just under 1000 with doublers and they're literally 8 feet long.

I would be curious if others were able to source a high enough wrench.

@fordguru what did you torque the rear bolts back to?

Thanks for the reply. Makes me wonder what the shops out there doing installs would torque to. 350ftlbs is A LOT!

 

[Evolkidbell]

Thanks for the reply. Makes me wonder what the shops out there doing installs would torque to. 350ftlbs is A LOT!

Likely a few Ugga-Duggas.

 

[0ne]

I have a 4 door 2.7l BL that came with Sasquatch package (35's). My confidence around turns was allot less with my OEM suspention and the body roll was a lot more noticeable. I frequently drive in our local mountains. With the King's the Bronco feels more planted and predictable. Off road I am familiar with the Kings and they have been great. I was just pleasantly surprised how they helped the ride on road... That's my long winded point....

Thanks for your detailed reply, I like the same kind of driving as you but I have a two door base Sasquatch 2.7 and while fairly stable I would experience wicked brake dive so I added a factory rear sway bar and it is pretty rad now.

 

[Aztec1382]

I wonder if theres a different way to mount the reservoir in the front
For those of us that cut the crash bar off

 

[Johnny Rebel]

I did not. Took it to 250.
I guarantee most others did not either. Most torque wrenches go to 250 max. My work has big ones that go to just under 1000 with doublers and they're literally 8 feet long.

I would be curious if others were able to source a high enough wrench.

@fordguru what did you torque the rear bolts back to?

Like a genius, I decided to just do it in the driveway instead of taking it to my shop at work and putting it on the 2-post lift. Took me a LOT longer than normal to install them!

When it came time to torque these bolts, I tightened them to 250 ft-lbs with my 1/2” torque wrench at home then waited until the 2-post lift at work was free one afternoon the following week and re-torqued all the bolts in the suspension system. It took a 3/4” torque wrench to get those bolts to 350 ft-lbs. That wrench is about 48” long, so it would be HARD to use if the Bronco wasn’t up on the lift!

My guess is that a lot of people use either a 1/2” impact or a long break-over handle to get them “tight AF” and call it good without ever putting a torque wrench on them.

 

[Johnny Rebel]

Forgot to mention - @fordguru, you’ve got great taste in both color and suspension as well as your wheel & tire selection! Can’t wait to see your beadlocks with the 37” KM3’s. I really like mine so far and look forward to hearing your impression of the King/KM3 combo.

 

[fordguru]

Forgot to mention - @fordguru, you’ve got great taste in both color and suspension as well as your wheel & tire selection! Can’t wait to see your beadlocks with the 37” KM3’s. I really like mine so far and look forward to hearing your impression of the King/KM3 combo.

Thanks! I’ll keep you posted

 

[kodiakisland]

I did not. Took it to 250.
I guarantee most others did not either. Most torque wrenches go to 250 max. My work has big ones that go to just under 1000 with doublers and they're literally 8 feet long.

I would be curious if others were able to source a high enough wrench.

@fordguru what did you torque the rear bolts back to?

Yeah, have no idea what mine is torqued to. 36 inch breaker bar and put my back into it. It's not going anywhere.

 

[0ne]

There’s a reason that torque spec is so high, wonder what it is?

 

[Evolkidbell]

There’s a reason that torque spec is so high, wonder what it is?

Likely clamping force. Just like wheels, if you get the clamping force high enough the bolt shouldn't be in shear. Someone likely picked the bolt size for worst case shear loads, and then added a pre-load torque to clamp it up.

Same size bolt on the lower front shock on my 2013 F-150. It also has a really high torque load. For reference, it's listed at 406 ft-lb!!!

 

[Johnny Rebel]

Likely clamping force. Just like wheels, if you get the clamping force high enough the bolt shouldn't be in shear. Someone likely picked the bolt size for worst case shear loads, and then added a pre-load torque to clamp it up.

Same size bolt on the lower front shock on my 2013 F-150. It also has a really high torque load. For reference, it's listed at 406 ft-lb!!!

Those wouldn’t happen to be Fox shocks on that F-150 would they? If so, we have very similar tastes in vehicles!

 

[Evolkidbell]

Those wouldn’t happen to be Fox shocks on that F-150 would they? If so, we have very similar tastes in vehicles!

Nope. Team Red.
Last project before I left.

Sponsored