This AI-generated draft has not been independently verified for your vehicle. Confirm engine, trim, build date, tool fitment and torque specifications against the relevant service information before buying tools or starting work.
On the 14th-gen F-150 the front strut is a coil-over that bolts to a frame bracket up top with three nuts and to the lower control arm at the bottom with one long through-bolt. If you buy complete pre-assembled struts you never touch a spring compressor, which makes this one of the friendlier suspension jobs on a modern half-ton. Everything is reached from the wheel well and the engine bay — no subframe drops, no ball joint separation.
The part that bites people is the lower through-bolt. It corrodes into the control arm bores, so soak it, and when you put the new strut in, jack the lower arm up to line the holes up instead of trying to muscle the bolt through. The other common mistake is torquing the lower bolt with the suspension hanging free; hold the arm at ride height on a jack when you final-torque it, then get an alignment.
| Item | Type | Product search |
|---|---|---|
| Floor jack 2.5 ton minimum, low profile Lifts the truck at the frame and later supports the lower control arm. | Required | search retailer |
| Jack stands 3 ton pair Holds the truck on the frame rails while the front wheels hang. | Safety | search retailer |
| Wheel chocks Blocks the rear wheels before lifting the front. | Safety | search retailer |
| Impact wrench or breaker bar 1/2 in drive Breaks loose lug nuts and the lower strut through-bolt. | Required | search retailer |
| Lug nut socket 22 mm, 1/2 in drive, thin wall/impact Removes the front wheels; 14th-gen F-150 uses 22 mm lug nuts. | Required | search retailer |
| Socket set 3/8 in drive, 8-19 mm Brake hose and ABS harness brackets, splash shield fasteners, airbox bolts. | Required | search retailer |
| Deep socket 15 mm, 3/8 in drive Removes the three upper strut mount nuts from inside the engine bay. | Required | search retailer |
| Extensions and swivel/wobble adapter 3/8 in drive, 6 in and 10 in Reaches the upper mount nuts tucked beside the inner fender. | Required | search retailer |
| Socket 21 mm, 1/2 in drive, 6-point Turns the lower strut-to-lower-control-arm through-bolt head. | Required | search retailer |
| Combination or box wrench 21 mm Holds the nut on the far side of the lower through-bolt. | Required | search retailer |
| Socket 18 mm, 3/8 in drive Stabilizer bar link nut if you need to drop the link for clearance. | Recommended | search retailer |
| Hex key set Metric, 5-8 mm Holds the stabilizer link stud from spinning while loosening the nut. | Recommended | search retailer |
| Torque wrench 1/2 in drive, 30-250 ft-lb Sets lower strut bolt and lug nuts to spec. | Required | search retailer |
| Torque wrench 3/8 in drive, 10-80 ft-lb Sets the three upper mount nuts accurately. | Required | search retailer |
| Pry bar 12-18 in Levers the control arm and strut eye into alignment for the bolt. | Required | search retailer |
| Dead blow or brass hammer 2 lb Drives the long lower bolt out without damaging threads. | Recommended | search retailer |
| Punch or drift Long tapered alignment punch Lines up the lower strut eye with the control arm ears. | Recommended | search retailer |
| Penetrating oil Soaks the lower through-bolt, which corrodes in the arm. | Consumables | search retailer |
| Wire brush Cleans rust off the bolt shank and control arm bores. | Consumables | search retailer |
| Anti-seize Nickel or copper Light film on the lower bolt shank, not the threads, for future removal. | Consumables | search retailer |
| Front strut assemblies Complete coil-over, matched to cab/engine/trim (2.7/3.5 EB, 5.0, PowerBoost, Tremor, Raptor all differ) The replacement units, sold pre-assembled with spring and upper mount. | Parts | search retailer |
| Lower strut bolt and nut New OE bolt/nut if old ones are corroded Cheap insurance; the long bolt often galls on removal. | Parts | search retailer |
| Safety glasses Rust and debris fall from the wheel well when driving the bolt out. | Safety | search retailer |
| Mechanic's gloves Protects hands during prying and hammering. | Safety | search retailer |
Socket sizes are the same across 2.7/3.5 EcoBoost, 5.0 V8 and PowerBoost — only the strut part number changes with spring rate (PowerBoost and FX4/off-road packages are specific). Raptor and Tremor use Fox shocks with different hardware and, on Raptor live-valve, an electrical connector at the shock body that must be unplugged and transferred. Driver-side upper nut access is tightest on the 3.5 EcoBoost and PowerBoost because of airbox and harness routing.
| Front wheel lug nuts | 150 ft-lb (204 Nm) |
| Upper strut mount nuts (3) | verify in the service manual (commonly quoted near 35 ft-lb / 48 Nm) |
| Lower strut-to-lower-control-arm bolt/nut | verify in the service manual (high, typically over 100 ft-lb) |
| Stabilizer bar link nut | verify in the service manual |
| Brake hose / ABS harness bracket bolts | verify in the service manual |
No, if you buy complete strut assemblies with the spring and upper mount already installed. You only need a compressor if you are reusing your original spring on a bare strut, which is not worth the risk on this truck.
The three upper mount nuts take a 15 mm deep socket from inside the engine bay, and the lower control arm through-bolt uses a 21 mm socket on the head with a 21 mm wrench on the nut. Lug nuts are 22 mm at 150 ft-lb.
Yes. New struts restore ride height and change camber slightly, so book a front-end alignment afterward or you will wear the inner or outer tire edges quickly.
You can, but you shouldn't. Mismatched damping and spring height side to side causes a pull and uneven tire wear, so replace both fronts as a pair.