So I got my new wheels on and of course it does rub a little bit on turns. It's out of the queation to trim ot cut and found a method using a hydraulic kit to kinda push back the metal part that rubs a tad.. anyone ever try that?

 

We would need a picture but if you are talking about the front and rear crash bars yes. Some have used a porta power to gain an extra 1/2 or so of clearance. some remove the crash bars and some have been able to get just enough out the porta power method. It's actually a pretty heated debate on here, I just made sure I had the proper offset for the size tire I wanted. The crash bar is a safety improvement from ford... Just keep that in mind.

 

Is this your car?

 

It is not

 

The only feedback I came here to give is to suggest you make darn sure you understand the proper way to secure the vehicle in the air while you work on it. That does not include a floor jack only.

Then I see that nightmare above with the silly OEM scissor jack as the only method of support.

If you want to risk dropping the vehicle and damaging it (or worse) by all means go for it. But please do not attempt to modify your vehicle in a negative way while at the same time not properly securing it while raised. If the vehicle falls, the slight tire rub is the least of your concern.

The picture above should be banned from the internet.

 

shops raise vehicles all the time with just a floor jack. I wouldn't get under that and work on it without jack stands, but that's just me. As far as the crash bars go, I removed, flipped and replaced them with new hardware. It may not be factory, but better than not having them at all. It gives me all the clearance I need to put on 35's with a 2.25 spacer. Good Luck!

 

Thanks for all the feedback, really appreciate it, I'm still figuring out what to do.

 

I agree with what you say.

However I do not know the OP and for me to tell OP it's safe to get under a vehicle supported by a scissor jack would be silly. A shop who knows their equipment understands what they are dealing with. And they understand the risk.
My dad taught me to neve get under a vehicle without a jack stand as necessary. One because he's been a laborer his whole life but also because he knows of a person who died as a result of the car falling on him.

That scissor jack is not as stable in one direction as it is the other. That is neither here nor there.


I do have one thought though about the crash bars:
If Ford designed the system to work in a certain way, and I in my infinite wisdom decided to put them on in revere (swapping sides from left to right), how can I honestly say that my design is better than not having them installed at all?

I get it, many have done it. Some shops even remove them (posted a while back that a Ford dealership removes to to accommodate a lift they install and sell on the lot as "lifted truck".) I'm not trying to start an argument. Just really curious how we rationalize "I put them back on so it's probably really really safe still" when anybody outside of a structural engineer understands how and when the crash bars work optimally.
You are probably right. I am sure it adds rigidity, but I don't think it treats the crumple zone identically to how it was designed. I'm saying it's 50/50 safer than no bar installed/installed incorrectly.

I'm not the person to tell anybody that it is safe to remove or install backwards the crash bar nor can I tell OP to sit under the wheel well with a scissor jack in the middle of the vehicle without wheels chocked and it will be okay.

 

The person using the scissor jack didn't need to get under the vehicle, and wasn't hammering or tugging on it as they used a power ram.

THAT said, I don't use scissor jacks to work on vehicles because they are a pain to get started and don't last very long. but for someone doing a one-time DIY and not getting under the vehicle, their day will be uneventful.

 

Use jack stands and/or solid wood blocks to support the vehicle before doing work. Jacking up a truck and even working in the wheel well without crawling "under" the truck can be a very bad place to be if the jack fails. And jacks do fail. Especially things like OEM behind the seat quality scissor jacks. Oh, and chock the tires.

You/we can't know if having them in flipped is better than not having them. Systems like that, the interactions and ramifications can be complex and even engineers can't necessarily predict how things will work until they actually go out and test. I'm not aware of any controlled and well organized tests being done with crash bars in backwards to know that it doesn't somehow make things worse. It probably doesn't make things worse, it maybe or probably is better than none at all...or it could be the other way?



Anyway, OP, look at this thread before deciding you want to mess with the crash bars

https://www.f150forum.com/f118/holy-...batman-483792/