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Howdy, y’all! Today, we’re gonna yak about gettin’ your car all jacked up – I mean, puttin’ on one of them car lift kits. Now, I ain’t no mechanic, but I’ve seen my fair share of folks fiddlin’ with their trucks and cars. So, lemme tell ya what I know, and we’ll see if we can’t make some sense of it. This ain’t gonna be fancy, mind you, just plain talk for plain folks.

First off, you gotta figure out what kinda lift kit you want. There’s body lifts and suspension lifts. Body lifts are like puttin’ spacers ‘tween the car frame and the body. Suspension lifts, well, they mess with the springs and shocks and all that stuff underneath. Suspension lifts are more work, but they give you more ground clearance for them big tires you’re dreamin’ about. Body lifts are cheaper and easier, but they don’t do much for how your car handles, you hear?

Anyways, once you got your kit, make sure you got all the tools you need. You’ll need a jack, some jack stands, wrenches, sockets, probably a big ol’ hammer, and maybe some other stuff. Better have a buddy helpin’ ya, ’cause liftin’ car parts is heavy work, and sometimes you need an extra pair of hands to hold things in place or fetch you a wrench.

• Jack
• Jack stands
• Wrenches
• Sockets
• Hammer

Now, before you start tearin’ into your car, read the instructions that come with the kit. I know, I know, nobody likes readin’ instructions, but trust me on this one. Them instructions tell you which bolts to loosen and which ones to tighten, and in what order. Mess that up, and you’ll be in a world of hurt.

Alright, so you got your car up on them jack stands, safe and sound, right? Now comes the fun part – takin’ stuff apart. You gotta take off the wheels, disconnect the shocks, maybe the brake lines, and all sorts of other things, depending on the type of lift kit you got. Just remember to keep track of all them bolts and nuts you take off. Nothin’ worse than havin’ a pile of parts left over and not knowin’ where they go. I like to use little containers or plastic bags to keep things organized.

Okay, so you got the old parts off. Now it’s time to put the new stuff on. This is where them instructions come in handy again. Just follow ’em step by step, and you should be alright. Make sure you tighten everything down good and tight. You don’t want nothin’ comin’ loose when you’re drivin’ down the road. That can be dangerous, real dangerous. So double check everything, you hear?

Once you got all the new parts installed, it’s time to put the wheels back on and lower the car back down. Now, before you go tearin’ off down the road, you need to get your car aligned. Liftin’ your car changes the way the wheels sit, and if you don’t get it aligned, your tires will wear out real fast, and your car won’t handle right. Take it to a shop and have ’em align it for you, it is worth the money. Don’t be a cheapskate on this part!

So there you have it, a quick and dirty rundown on how to install a car lift kit. It ain’t rocket science, but it ain’t exactly easy neither. If you ain’t comfortable workin’ on your own car, then take it to a professional. But if you’re handy with tools and you ain’t afraid to get a little dirty, then give it a shot. Just take your time, follow the instructions, and be careful. And remember, if you get stuck, there’s always YouTube, right? Them young folks sure do know how to make videos about anything and everything. They can probably show you better than I can explain. And before you spend a bunch of money, you might want to check places like eBay. Sometimes you can find what you’re lookin’ for at a good price. Just be careful who you buy from. You don’t want to end up with a bunch of junk.

And that’s about all I got to say about that. Now go on and get them cars lifted, y’all!

Tags: [car lift kit, installation, DIY, truck lift, body lift, suspension lift, off-road, tools, alignment, tires]