Perch Mod Discussion

[Raptor911]

Have you had an alignment yet?

Front wheels moved inward (straight in) 1" total, 1/2" on each side. So, the front wheels now "track" 1/2" further inside compared to the rear.

Think of it like this: if you put a jack under the front of the truck and jacked it up, the vehicle goes up, the suspension rebounds / extends, moving the tires inward.

Mid-perch stiffened the front suspension, causing the front of the truck to lift and moved the tires inward 1/2" on each side.

NOW, 1/2" does not seem like much but noticeable enough.

 

[JDUB]

Have you had an alignment yet?

No. I am not convinced it needs it because it tracks straight and the caster/camber looks similar stock. Although, reading further back in the thread, everyone else is getting theirs aligned.

I don't think an alignment will adjust for the 1/2" on each side??? On a stock setup, only the lower control arm moves in and out to adjust for caster/camber, right? To make up the 1/2" difference the upper control arm would have to have adjustments as well??? Isn't the upper control arm "set" and doesn't adjust? Am I thinking right or not??

 

[Nando Svt]

is alignment needed after mid perch setting? will it need new cam bolt ?

 

[jrodrg]

If your tires are looking a bit inward or out and no alignment then I'd assume that your toe or camber is off. Get that Alignment done. Had my done and I was off 1/2 degree on the left. It wasn't much but decided to get her done anyways.

 

[The Car Stereo Company]

you should always get an alignment after a perch adjustment. just because it looks ok doesnt mean that it is.

 

[Wilson]

I get an alignment after a hard romping

 

[jrodrg]

I get an alignment after a hard romping

Too much information there Wilson...

 

[Red]

Alignment is needed when the geometry of the front end is changed.

 

[Moridin]

Does anybody know where this adjustment can be made (correctly) in the Sacramento area?

A guy I first talked to when I joined the forum had his done at Central 4wd. I think he said around $350 for perch and alignment. But, I'll give you my experience today and you can go from there.

First, though, add me to the list of mid-perch believers. Had it done today and have so far only put about 25 miles on it but I'm liking it. Just the level stance alone would almost be enough, but the ride is more "stout" and it just feels more like a truck, while still having 95% of the nice road mannerisms, if that makes sense.

I saw someone else mention the truck feels a little more floaty, and I'd agree with that. It's not bad, just a subtle change from stock setting. The stouter feel and look far outweigh this. And even though it's apparently only a 1 1/4 inch raise, the view from the cab seriously feels like I put a lift kit on it. I love it, it's definitely enough to notice which surprised me.

Now, for how I got it done I just took the easy approach and went to my local Les Schwab. They like to pretend they're the place to go for lift kits and whatnot, so I walked in and said I wanted to talk to their 'suspension guy' about my truck. They paged somebody, and when he came out I just told him I had an F-150 Raptor and needed the front shocks taken off and an adjustment made. I had printed out a picture of the shock with the SVT ring off and the clip with the stock, mid, and top grooves visible (from a how-to thread on this forum) and told him I just wanted it moved up to the middle. We walked out to the truck and he looked and said an hour labor or so for the shocks, and only then did I say that doing this was going to raise the truck's front end a bit and I'd also like an alignment. Grand total $140.

I think approaching it from an "aw shucks how much labor to take off these shocks and move this clip" got me a much cheaper price than "I want you to do a mod that will raise my truck's height and require an alignment".

I see from this thread a video has been posted to do the perch in the driveway, so of course that'd be cheaper still.

 

[BramageDained]

I moved mine to mid perch today following RPG's video. It's really straight forward to do yourself. Took me just over an hour/side counting pulling the wheels. Largely due to the fact that the compressor kit I borrowed fit so I could only use an open end wrench to get at it and not my cordless impact. With a compact pneumatic impact it would have gone much faster.

I have some wheeling planned for this weekend at a place I've been to before. I will say I like how it sits better already.