Took another day to finish installing the rest of the Cdan care package. Tips:
Fresh factory shocks - I've hit the upper shock bolts 3 times with PB Blaster over the last month or so. Get a long piece of the spray tube from a hardware store and you physically put your hand up there with the business end of the tube so it's against the bolt and give it a soaker. Messy but worth it on shock day, believe me.
This is my second go around with new factory shocks. I jack the truck with about 10" of wood under the trailer hitch so I can get enough lift to absorb the suspension droop, plus lift the rear tires an inch. If you run out of jack, lower it again and put a jackstand under the most forward part of the frame as the front is sagging and absorbing some of your jack travel. Pull the rear wheels, support the axle end you're working on with the truck's bottle jack and pull the shock starting with the lower eye.
When installing the rears, loosely attach the uppers, then use the truck's bottle jack to line up the lower eye so you're not fighting it. Once the lower eye is secure (not yet torqued), tighten and torque the upper two then torque the lower. This way the lower bushing is not under tension. Be sure to point the gravel guards forward before securing the lower eye.
On the fronts, just jack the axle up an inch and pull the tire. Pop only the rear clip on the rubber skirt that covers the shock in the wheel well and fold it forward out of the way. Find a way to secure a wrench on the upper bolt with duct tape or whatever, and use a pipe wrench on the upper half of the shock body. This one was so tight, I was simply distorting the shock body (this part is just a cover so it's flexy) and running out of swing room with the pipe wrench. Jamming a pair of flat screwdrivers under the shock body where the wrench grips it (you've now left marks) will prevent this and means now when the pipe wrench moves you're applying rotation instead of just bending it. The screwdrivers simply keep this outer cover from flexing.
The truck feels noticeably more stiff legged and in firm control over bumps. Major reduction in sway, and entering a store driveway hump at speed no longer makes it buck - just a single motion. Not bad for $100 beans.
I also installed AirLift rear springs in the rear coils for towing. Once the rear shock lower eye is removed, you can put the bottle jack on TOP of the axle under the bump stop and push the axle down enough to dislodge the spring. Before it comes loose, use a 12mm socket and extension to remove the large rubber bump stop inside the spring with a single center bolt. Then shove the AirlLift spring in the spring with the nipple pointed down. Replace the coil spring taking care to match up the marks so it's in the exact same spot. Install the air line and clamp so the air line goes out the hole in the center of the bottom spring perch. Repeat for the other side. I run the air lines to the axle center and straight back over the spare tire to the lower edge of the rear bumper. There, I used a piece of aluminum angle to mount the two air valves for easy access. They're in the little gap between the hitch and bottom of the bumper so a parking lot nudge can't get them.
My right arm is lightly scuffed from elbow to wrist from yesterday's PHH extravaganza...
Later,
DougM
Fresh factory shocks - I've hit the upper shock bolts 3 times with PB Blaster over the last month or so. Get a long piece of the spray tube from a hardware store and you physically put your hand up there with the business end of the tube so it's against the bolt and give it a soaker. Messy but worth it on shock day, believe me.
This is my second go around with new factory shocks. I jack the truck with about 10" of wood under the trailer hitch so I can get enough lift to absorb the suspension droop, plus lift the rear tires an inch. If you run out of jack, lower it again and put a jackstand under the most forward part of the frame as the front is sagging and absorbing some of your jack travel. Pull the rear wheels, support the axle end you're working on with the truck's bottle jack and pull the shock starting with the lower eye.
When installing the rears, loosely attach the uppers, then use the truck's bottle jack to line up the lower eye so you're not fighting it. Once the lower eye is secure (not yet torqued), tighten and torque the upper two then torque the lower. This way the lower bushing is not under tension. Be sure to point the gravel guards forward before securing the lower eye.
On the fronts, just jack the axle up an inch and pull the tire. Pop only the rear clip on the rubber skirt that covers the shock in the wheel well and fold it forward out of the way. Find a way to secure a wrench on the upper bolt with duct tape or whatever, and use a pipe wrench on the upper half of the shock body. This one was so tight, I was simply distorting the shock body (this part is just a cover so it's flexy) and running out of swing room with the pipe wrench. Jamming a pair of flat screwdrivers under the shock body where the wrench grips it (you've now left marks) will prevent this and means now when the pipe wrench moves you're applying rotation instead of just bending it. The screwdrivers simply keep this outer cover from flexing.
The truck feels noticeably more stiff legged and in firm control over bumps. Major reduction in sway, and entering a store driveway hump at speed no longer makes it buck - just a single motion. Not bad for $100 beans.
I also installed AirLift rear springs in the rear coils for towing. Once the rear shock lower eye is removed, you can put the bottle jack on TOP of the axle under the bump stop and push the axle down enough to dislodge the spring. Before it comes loose, use a 12mm socket and extension to remove the large rubber bump stop inside the spring with a single center bolt. Then shove the AirlLift spring in the spring with the nipple pointed down. Replace the coil spring taking care to match up the marks so it's in the exact same spot. Install the air line and clamp so the air line goes out the hole in the center of the bottom spring perch. Repeat for the other side. I run the air lines to the axle center and straight back over the spare tire to the lower edge of the rear bumper. There, I used a piece of aluminum angle to mount the two air valves for easy access. They're in the little gap between the hitch and bottom of the bumper so a parking lot nudge can't get them.
My right arm is lightly scuffed from elbow to wrist from yesterday's PHH extravaganza...
Later,
DougM
