Full Tilt Boogie box is here!

[TimKonaGT500]

Excited to start on my winter project soon. Full Tilt Boogie IRS treatment and full suspension redo. Lots of cleaning And powder coating along the way!

Any tips/tricks from anyone that has done it before?? Thanks!

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[olgreydog7]

Make sure you mark the spots you will drill for the grease fittings with the arms attached to the car so you know you can access them. Also, make sure that you get the car as level side to side as possible, it will help with dropping and reinstalling the subframe. It doesn't hurt to skip the gym that day either. Even with the tools, you'll need a breaker bar and some effort to get those old bushings out. It's all worth it though.

 

[01yellercobra]

If you have a friend with a torch bribe him to bring it over. Makes getting the old bushings out a breeze.

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[BigFatMatt]

If you have a friend with a torch bribe him to bring it over. Makes getting the old bushings out a breeze.

More details on this method please. Are you talking oxyacetylene torch? Would something like a MAPP gas torch work?

And are you completely burning the bushings out, or do you just burn them enough to free them up?

Thanks.

 

[01yellercobra]

More details on this method please. Are you talking oxyacetylene torch? Would something like a MAPP gas torch work?

And are you completely burning the bushings out, or do you just burn them enough to free them up?

Thanks.

We used the oxyacetylene torch on mine. Heated them up until they sizzled then pushed them out. For the cradle we used a wire brush on a drill to clean out the bores. For the control arms we carefully cut the sleeves then knocked them out with a hammer and chisel.

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[scottydsntknow]

For the control arms the bushings came right out for me. I didn't even break a sweat with the lowers. I think I may be the only person this has ever happened to tho... I know its not normal. I used the FTBR removal tools. Legit the uppers were harder than the lowers, I had the 4 old rubber LCA bushings out in 20 minutes, no heat or anything I was floored. The subframes were already done with prothane ones when I got it.

Dropping it out is easy, putting it back up was a total bitch and a half to get the front subframe bolts to go in because no car is 100% straight.

SPREAD THE ATTACH POINTS OUT ON THE BODY OF THE CAR BEFORE YOU TRY PUTTING THE IRS BACK IN! This helps a LOT...

What else... Use a drill press or borrow one for the subframe grease fittings. Do NOT tap them all the way with the supplied tap, you tap it only as far as you need to for the fitting to bottom out when the thread ends in the correct orientation. Use the orientation recommended by FTBR. I put the grease fittings on without marking anything beforehand using the FTBR instructions and I can service them just fine. Make sure you use a shitload of cutting oil when drilling/tapping buy some from Amazon if you don't have any. The lowers are easy to drill/tap but the uppers are a HARD metal and much much tougher. Also you need to make sure you are DEAD center and drilling straight in on the uppers since there is not a lot of "meat" on them. Why I recommend a press.

Um... bolts... If you are not using the OEM or FTBR supplied bolts, make DAMN sure you are using metric grade 10.9 bolts. When I got my IRS the dude who had it gave me all the hardware too and it was all metric 8.8 stuff... that is a very bad idea since 8.8 is "grade 5". I had to order a lot of stuff from Fastenal since the local hardware stores don't exactly carry a lot of metric 10.9 stuff.

What else...

Put all the new FTBR bushings in the freezer overnight, makes them much much easier to install. I tapped mine right in with a BFH and a block of wood.

CROSS AXIS LINKS! Inspect yours. Mine were shot to hell, they need to be done if you didn't buy them, a lot of ppl miss them or just choose not to. Its pricey but... it is what it is.

Make sure you are CAREFUL not to booger up the rear diff mounting bracket, the person who I got mine from didn't tell me he crossthreaded it and that was fun to find out. Lucky for me the FTBR rear mount is amazing and available.

Speaking of the rear diff mount... get a brace now if you don't already. The Steeda unit is like $160 shipped on Jegs and works great.

Now would also be a good time to do the swaybar bushings/end links if not already done as well. Everything is easy to get at now, you'll never have a better chance to do maintenance.

Oh also... torque wrench, torque wrench TORQUE WRENCH!!! All values are on the FTBR site. If you don't use them you WILL have problems. You need one that goes to 250 anyway for the nuts on the halfshafts so hopefully you already have one that goes to 250 (and the 184 for the lower control arms). If not, get one from Harbor Freight or order one from Amazon that does.

 

[omj]

Diff braces are junk. The just hold the guts in when the diff blows. I busted two of them before I got an LPW diff cover and haven't had any problems since.

 

[01yellercobra]

I have the FRPP cover on mine. Like that it has then bearing cap supports. I don't know if it actuslly helps but I feel better about it.

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[TimKonaGT500]

Thanks for all the detailed tips! Some great lessons to be heeded there.

- I did get the cross axis joints as well. I had 4.10s installed a few weeks ago, and found out then they were junk too. At that time I had a Ford Racing Diff Cover installed as well.

- I also ordered the Ford front differential torque brace as well.

- I will take a look at the sway bar links and bushings.

 

[wheelhopper]

I remember doing this. I was glad I did it but even happier that I was done. Don't look forward to ever doing that again.

 

[01yellercobra]

I remember doing this. I was glad I did it but even happier that I was done. Don't look forward to ever doing that again.

After I did mine a buddy asked what it would take to get me to do his. I told him he couldn't afford the amount of Monster it would take.

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[scottydsntknow]

I guess I didn't have a huge issue doing mine lol. Probably because the subframes were already done and the LCAs were oddly easy to do.

 

[shurur]

It would be an excellent time to install lowering springs and koni/bilstein sport shocks while you have it apart.

Sway bay links and bushings are a must-do-now IMO.
Even consider the eibach rear swaybar while you are at it.

 

[TimKonaGT500]

It would be an excellent time to install lowering springs and koni/bilstein sport shocks while you have it apart.

Sway bay links and bushings are a must-do-now IMO.
Even consider the eibach rear swaybar while you are at it.

Oh yes.... full suspension getting done as well, shocks, springs, bushings, etc.


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