Yes, lower control arm.
It will need to be adjusted for the alignment anyway.

 

I’ve got 2 inch vertex coilovers and rear shocks. 17X8.5 +25 wheels and 295/70/17 milestar Patagonia. No issues at all. Had a 2 inch puck spacer prior with no issues. When I put the vertex I also put on zone off-road UCAs

 

First post since aquiring a '19 STX Screw on Christmas Eve 2021. Getting around to leveling - was trying to decide on doing it myself, or paying a shop to install the Bilstein 5100 set. I have a jeep I work on but never needed or used a spring compressor. I'm a garage floor car-hobbyist, no lift, no buddy with a lift, etc. So, I checked with a reputable local repair shop and wanted to pass along their quote, in case there is someone else who is thinking about going retail on this with 2022 prices:

Parts: 200$ each front 5100's, $125 rears
Sub Total: $900 front incl. labor, (book rate 5 hours), $450 rears parts and labor
Grand Total $1350 parts and labor plus tax

*The manager told me the part prices are 25% over cost, the least he's allowed to charge.

After seeing this, I'm going to do it myself somehow, someway. I'm thinking about buying this spring compressor:


Option 2 is I may also just pony up with some tax return $ and get the assembled adjustable coilovers, Bilstein, Eibach, or Fox (whatever I can get!). I've read many posts about you all's experience with all of these, thank you! I'll update when I get something done...

 

Go back over your numbers and fix them so they make sense, and this post could be helpful.



Parts: 200$ each front 5100's, $125 rears = $525
Labor: $900 front, (book rate 5 hours), $450 rears -$1350
Total $1350 parts and labor ???

 

Myself, and I mean me, that 1350 is nuts. I wouldn't bother with anything but preassembled struts like Fox, and do it yourself, not a bad job.
If you live where winter is a real thing, the Fox would be good, they're aluminum body instead of steel. Those Bilsteins will look like crap thru a winter. Had Bilsteins on my last truck, one winter. Have Fox on my other truck for about 6 years, and zero corrosion.

 

"Go back over your numbers and fix them so they make sense, and this post could be helpful".

Thanks Phil48315, duh, what an idiot - can't read my own notes.

Corrected.

 

I paid $600 for a puck spacer install and that included mounting and balancing and TPMS sensors and alignment. I did the vertex myself, wasn’t bad but my buddy just put in a lift so that made it 100% easier

 

Reminder for folks concerned with installation - the Bilstein 6112 can be shiped fully assembled from Shock Surplus for not much more than their unassebled form. Majorly easier to install. Their customer service is excellent as well. I can't speak to the corrosion issues on the Bilsteins yet but I will once winter is over. I keep them rinsed well and often during these wintry months. Hopefully that will help.

 

I haven't read the whole 400+ pages of this thread, but just wanted to add my experience with the "Easy Method":

Last weekend I put in a Motofab 1.5" front spacer lift on my 2020 XLT 4WD.

By myself, on the floor of my garage. No lift, no spring compressor -- just jackstands, a floor jack and wrenches.

I did it the "easy" way and just removed:
* Lower Control Arm pivot bolts
* Tie rod end nut
* Sway bar link nut

That's it. No disconnecting any lines or other brackets. Since you are not disconnecting the ball joints or brake caliper, there is no danger of stretching any lines or cables, so they and their brackets can all be left in place. Likewise, there is no need to touch anything with the front axle or IWE.

Once you get those three things removed (LCA bolts, tie rod nut, sway bar link nut), and are to the point of actually getting the shock out, remove the upper and lower shock bolts of course. (Pro-Tip: disconnect the lower shock nuts 1st and have the top nuts *loosened* but still in place -- makes it much easier to separate the shock from the LCA with the top nuts still attached). Once you pop out the lower shock from the LCA with your prybar, the whole coilover comes out without additional drama.

For me, this "easy" process was MUCH easier than all the other vids I saw where they disconnect ball joints, sway bar, tie rod, axle nut, vacuum and separate the IWE, remove the caliper, remove the rotor, remove all the ABS sensor and line guides, etc etc etc etc etc etc.

Took me about 2 hours for the first side and about 1 hour 15 mins for the second side (had learned a bit by then). After you pull the LCA pivot bolts, tie rod end and sway link nut, the LCA moves down enough to pull the coilover out -- even with both ball joints still attached. There was a good amount of room when I did the reinstall too, but perhaps it would be more difficult if you were using a giant 3" spacer instead of my 1.5". Worst case, you could tap out the lower shock bolts from the shock before reinstall -- I would think that would give you all the space you'd ever need even if you were using huge spacers.

Notes:
* Yup, you need an alignment after pulling the LCA bolts, but you'll need that regardless of the install method you use.

* The LCA bolts are a pain, as they need to be torqued to 258 ft-lbs (!) After my install, I just tightened them as much as I could with a breaker bar, and then took it to the alignment shop -- where they will loosen and retorque them anyways as part of the alignment process. But you'll want to make sure you have a good breaker bar and breaker bar extension on hand to loosen/remove those LCA bolts during your install. They are on there TIGHT!

* I did have to shorten the OE top shock studs so that they would be flush with the tops of my 1.5" spacers. Only needed trimming by about 1/8" -- about 15 seconds with the grinder took care of it. (only applies to 1.5" spacers -- 2" would have no issues) Seems there is some differing experiences on whether you need to shorten them or not -- I did.

* Takes a little wrangling to get the LCA to line up with the pivot bolt holes for reinstall, but nothing too difficult -- maybe 5-10 minutes effort to get them aligned and the bolts back in. Mr. FloorJack will be your best friend in this endeavor.

* Don't forget to mark what is the outside of the OE shock before you remove it. Spacer leveling kits require that you rotate the shock assembly180 degrees before reinstallation. I was too eager with the 1st side I did, and removed the 1st one without marking it, so had to spend a little time of trial and error at reinstall. You'd THINK you'd have a 50/50 shot at getting it right, but lining up the studs with the holes isn't quite as easy as it looks, and so there was a bit of "Maybe it's backwards?" doubts as I struggled aligning that 1st one. Kind of like how plugging in a USB cable takes 3 tries, even though there are only 2 sides!

* Draw circles around the LCA nuts with a grease pen before you loosen them. And then during reinstall, try to get the nuts in those circles as much as practical. It won't be perfect, but will get you "in the ballpark" of alignment until you can get it to a shop.


(this "easy" method wasn't my invention -- I saw a YouTube on it and it looked so much more simple than the rest)

 

That's a good alternate way to do it, I think. Maybe next time I'll try that.
LOL, I've seen those videos of removing the caliper and rotor, I just sat watching, and wondering why.