Tuff Country 24862 - Ford 83-97 Ranger/Explorer 4 box kit (performance kit) - Manual (Page 13)

62. Locate the new rear add-a-leafs and 3/8” centering bolts
from box kit part # 85250. Special note: Part # 24862 does
not include the rear add-a-leafs to lift the rear end. Part #
85250 is the part # for the rear add-a-leafs. If you have
not already ordered the rear add-a-leafs, please contact
Tuff Country or your local Tuff Country dealer and order
the rear add-a-leafs. Working on the driver side, install the
new add-a-leaf between the stock spring and the stock over-
load. Secure using the new 3/8” centering bolt and nuts.
Tighten the new centering bolt until all the springs come
together and torque to 40 ft lbs. Special note: Tuff Country
does not recommend using an air gun to tighten the nut
all the way down. Once the springs are starting to come
together, Tuff Country recommends using a hand
wrench to finish tightening the nut. If an air gun is used
to tighten the centering bolt all the way down, the cen-
tering bolt may strip causing the springs to come apart.
Repeat procedure on the passenger side.
63. Working on the driver side and using a die grinder, care-
fully cut off the excess thread from the new centering bolt.
Repeat procedure on the passenger side.
64. Carefully raise up on both hydraulic floor jacks that are
holding the rear axle until the axle make contact with the
modified stock springs.
65. Locate (4) 1/2” x 2 3/4” x 10” round u-bolts. Locate (8)
1/2” u-bolt high nuts and (8) 1/2” u-bolt harden washers from
hardware bag 12NW. Also, locate the stock upper u-bolt
plate. Working on the driver side, secure the axle to the stock
spring using the new u-bolts, u-bolt hardware and stock u-
bolts plates. Torque to 85 ft lbs. Repeat procedure on the
passenger side.
66. Locate the new rear shocks. New longer rear shocks
are needed after this suspension system has been
installed and the rear shocks need to be ordered as a
separate part #. If you have not already ordered your rear
shocks, please feel free to contact Tuff Country or your
local Tuff Country dealer and order your rear shocks.
Tuff Country recommends installing a 26” fully extended
nitrogen gas shock in the rear. Working on the new
shocks, install the new bushings and proper sleeves that are
packaged with the new shocks into each eyelet of the new
shocks. Special note: Make sure to use a lithium or moly
base grease prior to installing the new bushings and
sleeves into the eyelets of the new shocks. This will help
with the life of the bushings as well as prevent squeak-
ing.
67. Locate the stock upper and lower shock mounting hard-
ware. Working on the driver side, install the new shocks into
the stock location using the stock upper and lower hardware.
Make sure to use thread locker or loctite and torque both the
upper and lower hardware to 65 ft lbs. Repeat procedure on
the passenger side. Special note: Tuff Country highly rec-
ommends installing shock boots onto the new shocks. If
shocks boots are not installed, damage may occur to the
piston of the new shock. If you have not already ordered
your new shocks boots, please contact Tuff Country or
your local Tuff Country dealer and order some new
shock boots. Tuff Country offers, dark blue, light blue,
gray, black, red or yellow shock boots.
68. Remove both hydraulic floor jacks from under the vehi-
cle.
Special note: This kit comes with a front and rear brake
line relocation kit. Sometimes the brake line relocation
kit is not needed. Check the stock brake lines and if they
are too tight, then the new front and rear brake line relo-
cation kit will need to be installed. If the brake line relo-
cation kit does not need to be installed, please skip to
step # 72. Also, the following pictures are used from a
F150 which uses the same style brake line and brake
line relocation brackets.
69. Working on the driver side, remove the stock e-clip that
is holding the stock brake line to the stock location. The
stock e-clip may be discarded.
70. Carefully pull the stock brake line downward, pulling the
line through the stock hole.
71. Locate the new rear brake line relocation bracket, (1)
5/16” x 1” bolt (2) 1/4” USS flat washers, (1) 5/16” unitorque
nut and (1) e-clip from hardware bag FBLNB2. Slide the
open end of the new brake line over the stock brake line.
Push the new bracket up on the cross member and careful-
ly drill a 5/16” hole into the cross member. Secure the new
brake line into the previously drilled hole and secure using
the new 5/16” x 1” bolt and hardware. Make sure to use
thread locker or loctite and torque to 12 ft lbs. Now install
the new e-clip into the stock location.
72. Check and double check to make sure that all steps
were performed properly and check again.
If installing this kit on a Ranger, please skip to step # 90