2.5" front suspension lift..........now to press on.

[Firstgenfanantic]

Ok folks, I finally did it! I went to my local spring company and had them overhaul my front leaf springs. Upon initial inspection, we found that all the spring bushings were shot and one of the hangers was in need of repair. Long story short & 4 hours later... ... ... ... . I got 2. 5" suspension re-arch with a new added in support leaf, along with all new bushings. The truck now sits pretty level and looks way better! The bumpstop is now far from ever hitting the top of the leaf spring. :-laf On to the bad stuff... ... ... ..... welp, the spring technician gave me a reminder about how all my steering parts are worn (tie-rods, steering shaft, ball-joints, etc, etc) I already knew about these items and now that the ride height is corrected I can focus on all these items under the front end.



I am open/looking for suggestions on where to go, what to buy, and part#'s on all the steering components. Any help would be appreciated.



Here are some pics showing the results and what my current steering components look like.

 

[Bob4x4]

That added leaf looks thick and stiff

 

[Firstgenfanantic]

That added leaf looks thick and stiff

Yeah, the new setup is pretty beefy... ... ... I don't want the frontend sagging anytime soon. :-laf

 

[boatpuller]

This place has some of the best prices I've found for the axle parts

4WD Factory





Who did you have do your springs?

 

[MMeier]

Am I seeing things... or is that a major crack in the frame in the third pic??

 

[Firstgenfanantic]

Am I seeing things... or is that a major crack in the frame in the third pic??

Nope, it's probably the factory undercoating flaking off that you see... ... ..... the whole frame has spots were the painted/coating is peeling off from years of corrosion.

 

[csnider]

Hey,

you have the rare Anti-sway bar. . Lots of W250s don't have that. .



It's a great improvement if you change the top kIng pin bushing and spring . really tightens up the front end and allows for straight tracking. . not difficult to do... ...

 

[AVerHage]

Get a Borgesen shaft, in my book they are mandatory

 

[Firstgenfanantic]

Hey,

you have the rare Anti-sway bar. . Lots of W250s don't have that. .

Really? I thought all pickups came standard with the sway bar? As for the kingpins, I imagine that they are pretty worn (just like the rest of the suspension & steering parts). Kingpins are not too terribly difficult to replace right? Is this a job that can be accomplished at home with basic tools?

 

[pepecat]

I think you can replace them at home with tools but the final torque for the kingpins is a lot. AFIKIAK 500-600 FT/LBS! However, because of the bushing setup, the actual kingpins themselves are rarely in need of replacement at all. A good spring and bushing job will do you right up. Do you do much hard wheeling with your truck.

here is a good run down with all the info you'd need to do it in your driveway.

Pirate4x4. Com - Extreme Four Wheel Drive

 

[Bob4x4]

IRRC after the king pin bushings are installed they should have a reamer run through them before inserting the pins.



Bob

 

[Firstgenfanantic]

Do you do much hard wheeling with your truck.

Not really, the only time the pickup goes off the pavement is for camping, hunting, and firewood cutting. Those trips are few and far between.

 

[boatpuller]

IRRC after the king pin bushings are installed they should have a reamer run through them before inserting the pins.



Bob

That would be for a real King pin like on a straight axle, the king pins on our 4X4's are different than the old style that were actually a pin in bushings.