Attention: TDR Forum Junkies Updated: 2wd lift kit DONE--impressions (long)
PART III
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Ok, lift is all done. I put the rear blocks on today. The blocks were 3" blocks from TSLiftKitstore.com.
Can I really say anything else worse about this place? Well, it does get worse. They claim the blocks they sent me are correct, but there are no way there were correct. First of all the extruded pins didn't match the bolt that held the leaf springs together. The block had a 1/2 inch pin, the leaf spring has a 3/4 inch pin, so I had to drill out the center and it still was off center. Also the bolts they sent were about 1/2 inch to wide so I had to squeeze to get them into the axle support. It was a real *****.
2nd side WAS easier in this case and all I have left to do at this point is install two new shocks (WHEN I get them) but until then I'm on the road and sitting high.
Final measurements:
Front Driver: 37. 5"
Front Pass : 38"
Rear Driver: 40"
Rear Pass : 41"
If everything holds up, I'll be happy, if not--I'm going somewhere else with my money. TSLIFTKITSTORE. COM is never getting another dime from me again.
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PART II
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I figure the driver side front would be easier now that I knew what I was doing. Of course, it was snowing now, so thats always fun. Everything was going smooth with removing the stock control arm and I was dissassembling it when -- errrrnngg, damn control arm shaft bolt sheared off. I checked with a billion junkers, a million parts stores, and finally found some obscure lil truck place that had an entire control arm for $50. Not bad considering the dealer wanted $48 for just the shaft.
Ran back home, continued to dissasemble and assemble. Notes for those who wish to do this with out a spring compressor--its is virtually impossible to raise the lower control arm enough to compress the spring in order to get the lower ball joint on. The trick is to NOT drop the ball joint from the bottom of the spindle and instead remove the top b/j.
I have to get the front end aligned tommorow but it is definitely sitting high and pretty. I can't find my damn tape measure but its at LEAST 3" taller. So 3" inches from a 2" spacer. I wonder if I can go higher.
EDIT--Found the tape measure:
Driver Side 38" from ground
Pass Side 37. 5" from ground
Before it used to be between 33-34 inches. So, give a half inch to settle and we have a 3. 5" lift for 2wd vehicles!!
I'll work on the rear blocks tommorow (hopefully that should be painless) and take photos.
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PART I
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Ok, so I finally got one corner lifted.
For a lil background, since nobody makes a 2wd lift for our HD Rams, I pieced my own together.
2" Daystar coil spacers was the no brainer.
Trick is finding a set of control arms to match.
I ended up ordering a set of Extended upper control arms from tsliftkitstore.com. Along with that I grabbed a set of shocks and rear lift blocks. Total price--$490, shipped, not a bad deal.
I received the package in a timely fashion. Control arms looked beefy and impressive and even had ball joints already press fitted into them--a nice touch. The next thing I noticed was they only sent me 1 front shock and 1 rear shock. I called them up and they told me that's all I ordered. I specifically mentioned that on their website they picture the shocks as a pair and even the description of the line item was 'shocks' plaural. Talk about misleading. In end the I had to order two more shocks.
I began the work yesterday, and as some of you may have noticed, I ran into a small snag with the control arms--no idea which was passenger side and which was driver side. Each arm had a lil bracket but it didn't make any sense to me. I picked one that seemed most likely to work and bolted it up and it looked good, but I decided not to tighten anything until I spoke to the company again.
After 3 phone calls and numerous transfers and enormously long hold times, they finally told me that those brackets should be placed towards the rear of the vehicle and they exist to relocated the brake lines. Ok, makes sense.
I get home and make the swap (cuz i had it the other way). Guess what--THEY DON'T FIT THAT WAY!! And the brake lines aren't even close anyway and don't need relocating.
I did the swap again and put the arms on the way I had it and am just ignoring the tab.
Bottom line about TSLIFTKITSTORE. COM--they have their heads up their asses and should be avoided like the plague. I will not be purchasing from them again.
Away, I digress, after the upper control arms was all torqued down, I hit the task of inserting the coil spring spacer. Dropped the lower control arm and got the coil out, but putting the coil back in with the spacer was not an easy task as the control arm would only drop so low. After some fiddling and using some tools and jacks in inappropriate manners (plus some swearing and yelling) I got the coil back in.
Now I have to jack the lower arm back up to allow the spindle to mate up with the ball joint. I jack and jack and jack and jack and jack and jack. Seems like for every inch the lower arm would raise (and compress the coil) the truck would also come up 9/10th of an inch. I had to place a 4x4 on the jack to get the extra height I needed and even then I had the truck WAY up in the air in a ridiculous manner.
Got the ball joint on, lowered it down, tightened all up, put on the new longer shock, greased up, put the wheel back on, dropped it to the ground and took measurement.
With out the passenger front done, my fender was between 3. 5"-4" higher than the driver's side. Sweet.
Hopefully, the driver's side will only take 1/2 as long as the passenger side. Then to toss on the 3" rear blocks and I think I'll have a reasonably priced 3" lift.
On a more technical note--The upper retainer for the coil spring has a extension on the front which has the bottom out bumper on it. When the suspension is allowed to fully extend the balljoint bolt/shaft hits this section and at one point actually put a crack in it. Is this an important piece of my suspension which I should have welded (ie-structural strength for coil spring retention) or is it just extra fluff for the bumper mount? I'll post some pics after I'm done of the truck and close ups of the suspension.
PART III
----------------------------------------------
Ok, lift is all done. I put the rear blocks on today. The blocks were 3" blocks from TSLiftKitstore.com.
Can I really say anything else worse about this place? Well, it does get worse. They claim the blocks they sent me are correct, but there are no way there were correct. First of all the extruded pins didn't match the bolt that held the leaf springs together. The block had a 1/2 inch pin, the leaf spring has a 3/4 inch pin, so I had to drill out the center and it still was off center. Also the bolts they sent were about 1/2 inch to wide so I had to squeeze to get them into the axle support. It was a real *****.
2nd side WAS easier in this case and all I have left to do at this point is install two new shocks (WHEN I get them) but until then I'm on the road and sitting high.
Final measurements:
Front Driver: 37. 5"
Front Pass : 38"
Rear Driver: 40"
Rear Pass : 41"
If everything holds up, I'll be happy, if not--I'm going somewhere else with my money. TSLIFTKITSTORE. COM is never getting another dime from me again.
----------------------------------------------
PART II
----------------------------------------------
I figure the driver side front would be easier now that I knew what I was doing. Of course, it was snowing now, so thats always fun. Everything was going smooth with removing the stock control arm and I was dissassembling it when -- errrrnngg, damn control arm shaft bolt sheared off. I checked with a billion junkers, a million parts stores, and finally found some obscure lil truck place that had an entire control arm for $50. Not bad considering the dealer wanted $48 for just the shaft.
Ran back home, continued to dissasemble and assemble. Notes for those who wish to do this with out a spring compressor--its is virtually impossible to raise the lower control arm enough to compress the spring in order to get the lower ball joint on. The trick is to NOT drop the ball joint from the bottom of the spindle and instead remove the top b/j.
I have to get the front end aligned tommorow but it is definitely sitting high and pretty. I can't find my damn tape measure but its at LEAST 3" taller. So 3" inches from a 2" spacer. I wonder if I can go higher.
EDIT--Found the tape measure:
Driver Side 38" from ground
Pass Side 37. 5" from ground
Before it used to be between 33-34 inches. So, give a half inch to settle and we have a 3. 5" lift for 2wd vehicles!!
I'll work on the rear blocks tommorow (hopefully that should be painless) and take photos.
----------------------------------------------
PART I
----------------------------------------------
Ok, so I finally got one corner lifted.
For a lil background, since nobody makes a 2wd lift for our HD Rams, I pieced my own together.
2" Daystar coil spacers was the no brainer.
Trick is finding a set of control arms to match.
I ended up ordering a set of Extended upper control arms from tsliftkitstore.com. Along with that I grabbed a set of shocks and rear lift blocks. Total price--$490, shipped, not a bad deal.
I received the package in a timely fashion. Control arms looked beefy and impressive and even had ball joints already press fitted into them--a nice touch. The next thing I noticed was they only sent me 1 front shock and 1 rear shock. I called them up and they told me that's all I ordered. I specifically mentioned that on their website they picture the shocks as a pair and even the description of the line item was 'shocks' plaural. Talk about misleading. In end the I had to order two more shocks.
I began the work yesterday, and as some of you may have noticed, I ran into a small snag with the control arms--no idea which was passenger side and which was driver side. Each arm had a lil bracket but it didn't make any sense to me. I picked one that seemed most likely to work and bolted it up and it looked good, but I decided not to tighten anything until I spoke to the company again.
After 3 phone calls and numerous transfers and enormously long hold times, they finally told me that those brackets should be placed towards the rear of the vehicle and they exist to relocated the brake lines. Ok, makes sense.
I get home and make the swap (cuz i had it the other way). Guess what--THEY DON'T FIT THAT WAY!! And the brake lines aren't even close anyway and don't need relocating.
I did the swap again and put the arms on the way I had it and am just ignoring the tab.
Bottom line about TSLIFTKITSTORE. COM--they have their heads up their asses and should be avoided like the plague. I will not be purchasing from them again.
Away, I digress, after the upper control arms was all torqued down, I hit the task of inserting the coil spring spacer. Dropped the lower control arm and got the coil out, but putting the coil back in with the spacer was not an easy task as the control arm would only drop so low. After some fiddling and using some tools and jacks in inappropriate manners (plus some swearing and yelling) I got the coil back in.
Now I have to jack the lower arm back up to allow the spindle to mate up with the ball joint. I jack and jack and jack and jack and jack and jack. Seems like for every inch the lower arm would raise (and compress the coil) the truck would also come up 9/10th of an inch. I had to place a 4x4 on the jack to get the extra height I needed and even then I had the truck WAY up in the air in a ridiculous manner.
Got the ball joint on, lowered it down, tightened all up, put on the new longer shock, greased up, put the wheel back on, dropped it to the ground and took measurement.
With out the passenger front done, my fender was between 3. 5"-4" higher than the driver's side. Sweet.
Hopefully, the driver's side will only take 1/2 as long as the passenger side. Then to toss on the 3" rear blocks and I think I'll have a reasonably priced 3" lift.
On a more technical note--The upper retainer for the coil spring has a extension on the front which has the bottom out bumper on it. When the suspension is allowed to fully extend the balljoint bolt/shaft hits this section and at one point actually put a crack in it. Is this an important piece of my suspension which I should have welded (ie-structural strength for coil spring retention) or is it just extra fluff for the bumper mount? I'll post some pics after I'm done of the truck and close ups of the suspension.
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