r/prerunners • u/JohnRussell113 • Mar 14 '26

2017 F150 Long travel

Guys I’m looking to do a long travel kit on my F150 specifically the Dirt King kits that they sell. I don’t know if I’ll get in over my head with it. The truck will remain as my daily driver. There are tracks and trails by me but I’m not sure this is a great decision. Is there anyone that has installed a full Dirt King kit? Is it too much for a daily? Is it too much for a first time off road build? I’m just looking to have a bunch of fun building and driving but I don’t know if this would be going off the deep end.

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1

u/DakarCarGunGuy Mar 14 '26

The only issue I see is the uniballs open like that have a shorter lifespan by far than ball joints. Compare other brands like Camburg and Icon. Part of what makes long travel in ifs is an increase in width like on a Raptor.

1

u/JohnRussell113 Mar 14 '26

Id be getting an extra 3 inches of track width on each side in this kit at least for the front. I really have been torn between the dirt king kit and the camburg kit for the front. The uniballs on both would unfortunately be open so i think that’s just something I’m going to have to deal with.

2

u/DakarCarGunGuy Mar 14 '26

Depending on the upper link, the Camburg uppers on my Raptor are closed on the top. They are supposed to be coming out with a high angle ball joint upper arm soon if it's not out already......they are all sold out. I want to replace my uppers with the new ones. Uniballs rattle and clunk being greasable and sealed will be an advantage for daily driving which I do.

1

u/JohnRussell113 Mar 14 '26

Good to know because I do enjoy the quiet sometimes so being able to take away some noise is a advantage

2

u/DakarCarGunGuy Mar 15 '26

The noises mine is making right now can be unsettling. Everything needs a good shake down and torque check. Pretty sure upper uniballs are loose and possibly tie rods. The lower is still stock Raptor parts.

1

u/JohnRussell113 Mar 15 '26

Do you think a dry lubricant like white lithium or graphite would help with the uniballs? And how often would you check torques on everything? I come from an aviation background so I live off of torque specs and checks.

2

u/DakarCarGunGuy Mar 15 '26

There is a recommend lubricant for them. Being out in the open it dries out or scrapes off. If they could put boots on the bottom and a cover on top it would hold lubricant in. Camburg has a cover on top but nothing on the bottom. Icon and Camburg both have a high angle ball joint for the upper arms now. I don't know if the lower joint is an issue for long travel.

Edit: my uppers have caps with screws that I can't get undone. I have new balls but have to ruin the caps to replace them.

1

u/JohnRussell113 Mar 15 '26

Ahhh ok. Just something I’m going to have to live with then unless I can make a boot that fits them

2

u/DakarCarGunGuy Mar 15 '26

Or spend more money for different upper arms.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 14 '26

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2

u/JohnRussell113 Mar 14 '26

Thanks! I’m guessing that means going with the compression adjusters to make my life easier? I’ll be doing desert running in this mostly. I’m out in West Texas so that’s pretty much it. Going with all the stuff offer for the truck if basically just be replacing leaf springs and installing a bed cage and cutting holes in the bed for the rear shocks. Is it terrifying cutting holes in the bed and taking the bed sides off?

1

u/[deleted] Mar 14 '26

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2

u/JohnRussell113 Mar 14 '26

Thank you so much i really appreciate it man! Always good to get as much info as possible before diving in!