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Also interested. My Hellwig arrives this week, and I was considering a 2"/1000 lb AAL plus removing the rear block for an effective 3/4" raise in the rear. I have 200 lbs of permanent weight in the bed, and I want to add a cap to that, so it'd be nice to know if I'll need extended end links.
Just installed mine last night. I found holes in the outboard side of each frame rail that were relatively close to the mounting hole for the clevis. I'm not sure why people are having trouble getting the passenger side done, as mine was exactly the same as the driver's side.
I would suggest having a large crescent wrench available to keep the clevis aligned with the frame as you torque it to the specified 50 lb-ft. Mine wanted to turn with the wrench and that was the most difficult step in the installation.
It's also a bit of a challenge to keep the u-bolt saddles directly under the axle and aligned together as you tighten them, especially while trying to eye it laying on your back on the garage floor. I think I got them installed reasonably well.
You get two small packets of silicone grease. I used most of one to install the bushings and sleeves into the link arms. I split the other between the axle saddle bushings to grease the bar. As someone else mentioned, wear latex gloves as this stuff is difficult to remove from your skin. Alternatively, Simple Green at full strength works well to take it off.
The clevis mount holes in the frame are oblong. I tried to set the clevis bolts as far rearward as possible.
I got everything torqued to specification, setting the links to the middle bar position. BTW, the thin washers go on the link to bar connection, with one washer under the bolt head and another under the nut. There is no washer between the link and bar. The thick washers go under the u-bolt saddle nuts. Don't forget to tighten the link jam nut when you are done. I set my links to even length and just so happened to get the bar parallel to the ground by eye. Good enough.
Once everything is set to torque the bar has a very solid connection to the truck. I took it for a drive and there was a noticeable elimination of rear axle "quiver" over bumps. I wish Ford offered the rear bar as an option, especially for tow packages, but this fills that gap nicely.
BTW, the thin washers go on the link to bar connection, with one washer under the bolt head and another under the nut. There is no washer between the link and bar. The Thick washers go under the u-bolt saddle nuts.
appreciate your writeup, as i just adjusted my hellwig after a few hundred miles. was hearing an occational thud. found the jam nut on the link to bar was coming loose; i did not use a thin washer under the jam nut on the link to bar, and instead had it above on the link to frame connection, under the bolt head. tightened everything up, but now thinking i need a washer under jamnut on link to bar?
appreciate your writeup, as i just adjusted my hellwig after a few hundred miles. was hearing an occational thud. found the jam nut on the link to bar was coming loose; i did not use a thin washer under the jam nut on the link to bar, and instead had it above on the link to frame connection, under the bolt head. tightened everything up, but now thinking i need a washer under jamnut on link to bar?
I don't know why mfg don't include nyloks. Probaby to save a few cents. I suggest a nylok.
edit: they any much room there for a washer, even a nylock jam may not engage properly. Hard to tell in the picture but that may be a stover type jam nut. Are there any markings on the nut?
Last edited by crankinaway; 02-04-2017 at 09:13 AM.
01-02-2017, 06:24 AM
