2017 Lift Sanity Check

[Alexg308]

Hi all. I have been spending some time doing research here and elsewhere regarding a lift and new suspension. I am going to be "overlanding" and mountain biking mostly in Colorado from ~ mid July to some point in the Fall, camping at dispersed sites for basically the whole time. I have a 2017 EL Limited 4wd with 97,000 miles. I've done a substantial amount of work including 2 slide out drawers, a roof rack, and an electrical system with solar, alternator charging, and a shore input. I have wanted to do a writeup on this for a while and maybe once I have some good action shots after this trip I will finally do that.

I think I have figured out what I need suspension wise, and I was hoping to present my findings and make sure I am not going to either buy something that won't install or install something that is going to kill me. While I am relatively mechanically inclined, my vehicle knowledge doesn't extend beyond changing oil and brake pads, so all of the information I've been able to gather was from here over the past few days and I am very grateful for all of the extremely knowledgeable people that provide a lot of help here. Onto the subject matter:

Most (or likely all) of this work will be done by a mechanic I trust.

Spacer Lift: ReadyLift 69-2070 3.0'' Front with 2.0'' Rear SST Lift Kit - I know this fits with stock struts and springs, but compatibility with aftermarket is what I don't know for sure.

UCAs: ICON 2004-20 Ford 150 Tubular UCA/Delta Joint Kit (SKU-98500DJ) - I also know this fits with stock struts and springs

Struts and Springs - this is what I am not 100% on.
- Seeing some conflicting information here as to whether or not the springs on Bilstein 5100s will hit the Icon UCA at full extension, and whether or not they are usable with the Readylift kit. My current assessment is that I can use the Readylift kit with the 5100s at the lowest setting. Not sure on clearance with the Icon UCAs though. Also, am I correct that the front spring perches on the stock struts can be removed, but on EL vehicles they are welded in the rear if they are the NIVOMAT version so I will need to find a set of struts with removeable perches from a junkyard? There is only one junkyard reasonably close to where I live and it is not very big so I'd like to avoid this option if they are in fact welded on.

- Other than the Icon coil overs, what are my options for not needing to reuse the spring perches? The next best option for this seems to be KYB SR4456 (front) and KYB SR4515 (rear). I haven't read anything bad about these, aside from some stiffness complaints. I have at least 500 extra pounds in the back third of the vehicle, so maybe extra stiffness is not as big of an issue if true. I've seen multiple posts where people state that they have the KYB's installed with the Readylift kit, but can't find anybody who has these installed with the Icon UCAs so fitment is not confirmed. I think it will fit, but this is not based on anything other than me wanting that to be the case. Any advice on this? I am currently leaning towards the KYB SR4456 and SR4415, but am interested to hear other's opinions.

Thank you for reading my post and have a good day.

~Alex

 

[sandbuster]

Alex I find your post interesting as I have the identical vehicle - even the mileage is close. My former vehicle was a ‘19 TRD 4Runner which I built very similar to your Expedition but when it became clear my dreams of Moab were not going happen I opted for the Expedition which I have no regrets. I told myself I was not going make any mods to it - all my friends & family said “yeah, right!”. I hate it when their right….

So I’m in the “thinking stage” of adding a front 2” lift and replacing the OEM struts - at 90k+ they need it. I’ll likely freshen up the rear suspension also but I’m not interested in doing anything rad enough to where I have to replace the UCAs.

Now to the point of my post: If you’re going overlanding and especially if you’re going solo consider adding a winch to your mod list. I know what they say about the intercooler being an issue for a hidden winch - not exactly a deal killer. I just installed a 13K winch - most people in casual observance don’t even notice it. If you’re interested in the details get back to me - the engineering was the hard part so for you or your mechanic it should be pretty straightforward.

In my earlier life I was a Ford tech then 20 years in Navy aviation added to my skill set. Mike

 

[Alexg308]

Thanks for your reply. Even just a 3" front lift puts the ball joints at enough of an angle that replacing the UCAs is recommended from what I have read.

As for the winch, I have a hi-lift jack and the winch kit as a last resort, but that would be an utter PIA to use. I am interested in hearing more about how you mounted a winch. Is it something you built yourself or did you modify something for an F150?

~Alex

 

[sandbuster]

I purchased a universal winch mounting plate from Harbor Freight for $50 with the idea of returning it if it looked I doable - you don’t know till you have a starting point. So after removing the plastics from above the radiator I saw that the intercooler could be moved easily by removing the crossbar then I installed a ratchet strap and slowly ratchet back the inter-cooler to gain clearance for the winch. I removed the grill (not the bumper) to make final determination that the winch rack (bar whatever) would fit the frame okay. It looked close enough that I ordered a 13k Stegodon winch with synthetic rope. Now back to the inter-cooler. To keep it at it’s current new angle I cut the previously removed crossbar about a 1.5” on the outside of each grommet hole (the cooler is held in place by upper & lower rubber grommets). Now re-install the brackets to original location only add an extra bolt to each bracket to lock it in place - you don’t want it to work its way back to original location otherwise you’ll have a conflict with the winch. Now you need to come up with a 2” spacer for each side of the winch tray. Remove the “J” hooks on both sides as this is where the tray mounts to the frame.

Have I lost you yet?

 

[Mark Buckner]

Alex. I am most interested in your findings about the ICON UCAs. I have a 2012, but I think the suspension is very similar, if not identical, to your 2017. I have the ReadyLift 3/2 Leveling Lift, which they assure me works with all of the OEM (or equivalent geometry) suspension parts. However, I am beginning to doubt that, as I seem to need upper ball joints about every two years since installing the ReadyLift kit. I have lifetime warranty parts on the UCAs, but of course I am paying for labor to change them every two years. I hate to spend the $$$ on ICON, but it may be necessary.

As for the winch, I put on an Iron Bull bumper which allowed me to easily install a Warn 12k Zeon Platinum. The bumper saved me from having the Expedition totaled a couple of years ago when a State of Colorado Mack dump truck turned into the front driver side corner and pushed us off the road. Thankfully at very low speed! (PS: The photo of the Expedition on the Iron Bull site is my truck)

 

[Alexg308]

I purchased a universal winch mounting plate from Harbor Freight for $50 with the idea of returning it if it looked I doable - you don’t know till you have a starting point. So after removing the plastics from above the radiator I saw that the intercooler could be moved easily by removing the crossbar then I installed a ratchet strap and slowly ratchet back the inter-cooler to gain clearance for the winch. I removed the grill (not the bumper) to make final determination that the winch rack (bar whatever) would fit the frame okay. It looked close enough that I ordered a 13k Stegodon winch with synthetic rope. Now back to the inter-cooler. To keep it at it’s current new angle I cut the previously removed crossbar about a 1.5” on the outside of each grommet hole (the cooler is held in place by upper & lower rubber grommets). Now re-install the brackets to original location only add an extra bolt to each bracket to lock it in place - you don’t want it to work its way back to original location otherwise you’ll have a conflict with the winch. Now you need to come up with a 2” spacer for each side of the winch tray. Remove the “J” hooks on both sides as this is where the tray mounts to the frame.

Have I lost you yet?

This seems doable. Maybe tomorrow I will pull off the requisite parts to hopefully get a better idea of what you are talking about. Do you think the winch impacts intercooler performance at all? I guess I will find out tomorrow, but if it is only passively cooled I don't know that I would want to put something like a winch in front of it. If there is a fan, I am nowhere near as worried about cooling.

Alex. I am most interested in your findings about the ICON UCAs. I have a 2012, but I think the suspension is very similar, if not identical, to your 2017. I have the ReadyLift 3/2 Leveling Lift, which they assure me works with all of the OEM (or equivalent geometry) suspension parts. However, I am beginning to doubt that, as I seem to need upper ball joints about every two years since installing the ReadyLift kit. I have lifetime warranty parts on the UCAs, but of course I am paying for labor to change them every two years. I hate to spend the $$$ on ICON, but it may be necessary.

As for the winch, I put on an Iron Bull bumper which allowed me to easily install a Warn 12k Zeon Platinum. The bumper saved me from having the Expedition totaled a couple of years ago when a State of Colorado Mack dump truck turned into the front driver side corner and pushed us off the road. Thankfully at very low speed! (PS: The photo of the Expedition on the Iron Bull site is my truck)

I went ahead and ordered the ReadyLift kit, ICON UCAs and KYB shocks, since I figured the odds of getting a response confirming fitment within the timeframe I'm on are low at best. I will report back on fitment once everything arrives. Lets hope it all fits.

I have been looking at the Iron Bull bumper for a while. The thing that is preventing me from purchasing it is that my brother who is an engineer at an auto manufacturer is very against me doing anything that would affect the airbag deployment calibration which made me think the same. Probably not a huge issue, but if I can mount the winch without a bumper I'd rather do that. I will probably do some trimming of the factory bumper to get better approach angles though. Your truck looks very good!

 

[Alexg308]

Sandbuster, I just found your thread on the winch install. Very good information. Do you have any more pictures?

 

[Alexg308]

Just want to provide an update: it all fits. I do need the lengthen the rear brake lines, however.