Ruger
FRF Addict
A short commentary on the installation of the SDHQ Ford Raptor Frame Reinforcement Kit, Item Number SDHQ-13-1404. Price is $100.00, with a $12 charge for shipping.
What you get: Two frame bolsters that bolt to the inside of the outer frame rails, and two frame cut-out plugs that bolt to the frame cut-outs on the inner frame rails just over the bump-stop. The kit comes with grade 8 bolts. (Why Ford put a cut-out right above the bump-stops is a real head-scratcher, but this kit addresses that shortcoming.) First photo shows the kit.
What you will need: A ratchet, a 3/4" socket, a 9/16" socket, and a 9/16" box end wrench. You'll also need light, some finger dexterity, and a little patience.
What you won't need is to jack up the truck or remove the rear wheels. I did this on the floor of the garage without recourse to a jack.
The long frame bolsters are inserted into the frame through the cut-out, so of course they need to be installed first. SDHQ helps you orient the bolsters correctly by cutting an arrow into them. The arrow points forward and the flat side of the bolster goes on the bottom. With that information it's pretty hard to install them incorrectly.
There are obstructions that you have to deal with in feeding the bolsters through the frame cut-outs. On the left side there are a couple of brake lines that you need to pull out of the rubber holder and flex a bit to get the left side bolster through the cut-out. On the right side the obstruction is the exhaust system. (Don't do this installation with a hot exhaust system. You'll only burn yourself and have to wait until the exhaust cools off.)
It may take a little trial and error to get the bolsters through the frame cut-outs. There are probably 20 ways to fail and two ways to get it right. Once the bolsters are inside the frame rails, you'll need to position them so that the bolt holes orient to the diagonal slots in the outer surface of the frame. You can do this pretty readily by feel, as the bolsters use pretty big bolts and the bolt holes are easy to feel with your fingertips.
Once you've got the orientation, thread one bolt part-way in. (second photo) It's now your handle to hold the bolster in place. I used some Lock Tite on all six bolts. I applied it to the second bolt, fed it all the way in until it was finger tight, and then backed out the first bolt, put the Lock Tite on its threads, and then fed it until it was finger tight. Snug both bolts down with a 3/4" socket on your ratchet, and that's how to install the outer frame bolsters.
The frame cut-out plugs need a little finesse, too. The inner part is very hard to orient properly once you've got it inside the frame rail. The way I did it was to keep it bolted to the plug so that I could use the bolt connecting the inner and outer pieces as a handle. Again, it takes a little dexterity and patience to get the inner piece inside the rail this way, but it can be done. Once the inner piece is inside, a pinky finger can flip it around to the correct orientation. Then a 9/16" tool is all you need to tighten her up. Due to clearance issues with the exhaust on the right side, a ratchet and socket won't fit. That's what the 9/16" end wrench is for. The third photo shows the frame plug installed with the shiney bolt in the middle. That's the bump-stop at the bottom of the frame, and the exhaust at the top of the frame.
If you were really coordinated and had marvelous dexterity, you might be able to finish this installation in a half-hour. If you have only normal skills, 45 minutes. So naturally it took me an hour. (I was taking photos, though.) Don't forget to put the brake lines back in their little rubber keeper on the left side.
This is a cleverly engineered kit, and the quality of design and manufacture is plain to see. I think it does a very good job of addressing the peculiar design of the rear frame at the bump-stop, and might even reduce frame damage in the event of a heavy rear-end collision. Recommended? You betcha!
What you get: Two frame bolsters that bolt to the inside of the outer frame rails, and two frame cut-out plugs that bolt to the frame cut-outs on the inner frame rails just over the bump-stop. The kit comes with grade 8 bolts. (Why Ford put a cut-out right above the bump-stops is a real head-scratcher, but this kit addresses that shortcoming.) First photo shows the kit.
What you will need: A ratchet, a 3/4" socket, a 9/16" socket, and a 9/16" box end wrench. You'll also need light, some finger dexterity, and a little patience.
What you won't need is to jack up the truck or remove the rear wheels. I did this on the floor of the garage without recourse to a jack.
The long frame bolsters are inserted into the frame through the cut-out, so of course they need to be installed first. SDHQ helps you orient the bolsters correctly by cutting an arrow into them. The arrow points forward and the flat side of the bolster goes on the bottom. With that information it's pretty hard to install them incorrectly.
There are obstructions that you have to deal with in feeding the bolsters through the frame cut-outs. On the left side there are a couple of brake lines that you need to pull out of the rubber holder and flex a bit to get the left side bolster through the cut-out. On the right side the obstruction is the exhaust system. (Don't do this installation with a hot exhaust system. You'll only burn yourself and have to wait until the exhaust cools off.)
It may take a little trial and error to get the bolsters through the frame cut-outs. There are probably 20 ways to fail and two ways to get it right. Once the bolsters are inside the frame rails, you'll need to position them so that the bolt holes orient to the diagonal slots in the outer surface of the frame. You can do this pretty readily by feel, as the bolsters use pretty big bolts and the bolt holes are easy to feel with your fingertips.
Once you've got the orientation, thread one bolt part-way in. (second photo) It's now your handle to hold the bolster in place. I used some Lock Tite on all six bolts. I applied it to the second bolt, fed it all the way in until it was finger tight, and then backed out the first bolt, put the Lock Tite on its threads, and then fed it until it was finger tight. Snug both bolts down with a 3/4" socket on your ratchet, and that's how to install the outer frame bolsters.
The frame cut-out plugs need a little finesse, too. The inner part is very hard to orient properly once you've got it inside the frame rail. The way I did it was to keep it bolted to the plug so that I could use the bolt connecting the inner and outer pieces as a handle. Again, it takes a little dexterity and patience to get the inner piece inside the rail this way, but it can be done. Once the inner piece is inside, a pinky finger can flip it around to the correct orientation. Then a 9/16" tool is all you need to tighten her up. Due to clearance issues with the exhaust on the right side, a ratchet and socket won't fit. That's what the 9/16" end wrench is for. The third photo shows the frame plug installed with the shiney bolt in the middle. That's the bump-stop at the bottom of the frame, and the exhaust at the top of the frame.
If you were really coordinated and had marvelous dexterity, you might be able to finish this installation in a half-hour. If you have only normal skills, 45 minutes. So naturally it took me an hour. (I was taking photos, though.) Don't forget to put the brake lines back in their little rubber keeper on the left side.
This is a cleverly engineered kit, and the quality of design and manufacture is plain to see. I think it does a very good job of addressing the peculiar design of the rear frame at the bump-stop, and might even reduce frame damage in the event of a heavy rear-end collision. Recommended? You betcha!
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