The add-a-leafs are sitting at my house. I'm hooking up the camper and going for the weekend. I would like to get at least the rears on before the trip, but I only have evenings to do it. I've read plenty on what to do, just wondering about how long it would take to do the rears. If the job is to big, I'll save it for a weekend. I would guess that doing only the rears would take but a couple of hours, but I've onlly read about it. The plan is to not remove the whole pack from the truck. Got new u bolts but not bushings/pins, so I'll just cut the ubolts and centering pin, remove and clean up the leafs, squirt some grease on them and put it all back together. Can it be done in an evening?
About how much time to install MAF aal's?
- Thread starter Ryan S.
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As long as you are not replacing shackles are spring pins I would say give yourself a sat. But if you are the least bit handy you will be done by lunch.
Or give yourself 2 evenings if thats all you have.
Or give yourself 2 evenings if thats all you have.
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- #5
Thanks for the input. Going to Harbor Freight to buy some C clamps, then get some beer, then get it done tonight.
- Thread starter
- #7
Should have had more drinks. Maybe they would have helped me think better. I have to finish the other side tonight. The center pin kicked my ass.
Ryan S. said:
clamp your spring pak, get a breaker bar and snap the bolt off (or cut it off with a cut off disc on a grinder)
spray rust penetrant on the pins or something similar.
the set of 62 springs i just took apart, the center pin wouldnt just drop out, i had to spray the pin,let it sit and pry each leave apart.
it worked, put was a pain
- Thread starter
- #9
2badfjs, having taken everyone's advice, I squirted all the bolts with PB a few days before the job, so it all came apart real nice. What kicked my ass was getting the pin lined up in such a way that I could get the ubolts back in the plate. The pin was slightly skewed and would not allow things to center back up. After fighting it for about an hour I finally THOUGHT about it rather than trying to muscle and curse it in. Turns out I had too much tension on the springs. Once I slightly backed off the clamps, everything lined up perfect. By the time that side was done (9:00pm) my F-I-L had enough, and so did I, 5:00am comes early. Without my setback the job would have taken less than two hours for one aal.
- Thread starter
- #11
2badfjs said:the other side should be a breeeeeze
are you doing this on the rig or with the springs removed?
On the rig. I didn't order new pins or bushings, and it sounds like there's a good chance the pins will get screwed up when they are removed. I cheaped out, I know, but the reality is the aals are just a band aid until the inevitable spring upgrade, so I did not want to spend the extra bucks.
- Thread starter
- #13
Success!
Sorry so vague. What I meant by pins was shackle pins. Last night on the other side, I put everything back together with less tension on the system, and it went back together with no problems. Took about an hour and a half. Was done by dinner. For some reason there is now a pronounced drivers side sag, whereas before there was not. I forgot about comparing the leafs for arch height, and installing the tallest spring on the rear drivers side. The drivers side gained about 2" in height and the passenger side is 1" taller than the drivers. We'll see how much the trailer pushes the springs down tommorrow. There is a noticeable improvement in ride. I think that this is a cheap mod with great results.
Sorry so vague. What I meant by pins was shackle pins. Last night on the other side, I put everything back together with less tension on the system, and it went back together with no problems. Took about an hour and a half. Was done by dinner. For some reason there is now a pronounced drivers side sag, whereas before there was not. I forgot about comparing the leafs for arch height, and installing the tallest spring on the rear drivers side. The drivers side gained about 2" in height and the passenger side is 1" taller than the drivers. We'll see how much the trailer pushes the springs down tommorrow. There is a noticeable improvement in ride. I think that this is a cheap mod with great results.