Got rid of the sag!

[paccool]

Well, tonight I finished up a weekend project. Installed new ball joints, control arm bushings, sway bar bushings, strut rod bushings, and new severe duty springs withnew isolators. Looks like the front end is about 2" higher than it was. The fender opening is about 3/8" taller in the front than the back so when things settle out over the next month or so I suspect it will be right on with the rear.



Have had the springs for quite a while, just needed to get-er-done! Got to get it aligned now cause it is way out!



Had the PDR head and cam put in a couple of weeks ago byPonci and the next bomb is the twins and 4" exhaust the week of the 15th. Then I am almost done with the performance mods other than fooling with injectors and adjusting the pump a little more. He**, blew my budget all to pieces with the head and cam but I'm sure looking forward to the "new" truck when the twins get installed. Oo.

 

[HonkinDiesel]

How the heck did you get those ball joints out???? I could not get mine out if my life depended on it. I made the tool that the manual describes and it did not even budge. from the arm. I even tried a 4 ton RAM! I gave up!



So what's the secret? Huh!

 

[paccool]

I was going to make a tool but decided the ram idea would work better. Place the ram between the top and bottom ball joint bolts and put a little pressure on the ram. Hit the steering knuckle with a hammer and the bolt will pop loose on the bottom joint. I had everything off so access was easy. The top joint is screwed into the control arm and is tough to get out. I made a tool to fit over the ball and then put a 3/4" breaker bar with a 2' cheater to it to get it out. Supposed to be 125 ft pounds but it was a lot tighter than that! Better have a big vise! I took a piece of pipe about the size of the bushing holes and put it through both holes. Then clamped that into the vise.



Oh yea, I used the spring compressor like the book said for the first side. That is a pain in the rear! The second side I decided the spring couldn't come out of the upper pocket so I removed the shock, and hub, put a 4x4 on the ground about where the lower arm would hit at. Put the ram in place and used a pickle fork to pop loose. The arm went down and I pulled the spring out. I put the new spring in place and pried the lower arm up enough to get a bottle jack under the arm. Jacked it up and put things together. Worked great and was a lot faster.



Stan

 

[Greenleaf]

I simply paid an alignment shop the cash nesessry to perform the operation. I wasn't about to start hammering on the important parts under MY truck. It's crumbling/returning to dust on it's own. I figure by year 2018, I will have swept my truck up into a dust pan and deposited it into the dumpster



Scott

 

[bgilbert]

Stan, what/whose injectors are ya gonna fool with? PDR towing twins ? KTA rotorhead? Wow we might have a new member to the 500hp club!



BTW Scott aka Greenleaf, got his nick from all that GREEN he has falling out of his pockets, just walks into the alignment shop and hands them a blank check, 'here, have at it' :-laf .

 

[paccool]

I have 185's in now(Power Wagon). will see what those do first. Then I have a set of POD's I'll try and also put my modified cone back in. From the smoke I can make now, I don't know if I'll go to the new rotorhead from KTA. I have talked to him but need to see what I end up with. I still have a fair amount of fuel screw turning I can do if needed. Also am working on a water/meth injection system but it will also wait until I see how thing go before putting it on. I want to get the twins set up and get dynoed before adding the other items.



I doubt the 500 HP will happen. I'll be happy with 400-450. This is more for towing than racing, but it's always fun to play with the power! Oo. :-laf



This worries me because I originally said 25 pounds of boost was all I wanted. Then it was 30, then 36! Now I figure 50-55 is enough. Its sorta like the energizer bunny - keeps going and going and going!! :-laf I doubt there is ever an end to the bombing, there will always be something to try.



Now, just need to find a Ford or Chevy to test it out on



Stan

 

[f.boyle]

where and how many$$$$$ did you get your springs from? front and rears or just fronts or what? Its my turn!!!!!!!

Frank

 

[TKingsbury]

Fboyle, his truck is 2wd. If you want to try to adapt different springs to your truck, search on www.Pirate4x4.com and you will see there are a few options. If you just want to buy new springs, decide on the springs and shop around for price. If you go to pirate, there are a couple of recent threads dealing with suspension set-up. Just check the first couple of pages in the dodge forum.

Travis. .

 

[Braveair78]

You have to have the special socket for the ball joints... . I used a PB Blaster for a day... then I fired up the propane torch... then I put a pipe on then end of my 1/2 inch breaker bar... . and that got those things moving around...

I put in the 2 inch rubber spring boots on the bottoms... I got them from

JC WHitney... they made the truck stand up... and it rides better and looks

better... . with 235's on it as well. It's a hell of a job and one I recommend

doing with the window Pillar brace Service Bulletin... . just allot easier to

get at the ball joints with the fenders off the truck...

 

[Sri Ram]

part #'s

paccool, I also have 'the sag'. I'd like to replace the springs. Where did you get yours and do you have the part #?



I noticed in greenleaf's rigs page, he got 'em from CarQuest. Greenleaf, do you like 'em?

 

[Braveair78]

Ring type coil Stabilizer from JC Whitney is 9. 99 per... part number is

ZX840661Y

 

[Greenleaf]

After several months with my Car Quest units, the front of the truck is still higher than the rear. It is much noticable higher than the new OEM coils, which I used for about one year untill switching to the Car Quest.



GL

 

[paccool]

NOTE - the following info is for a 2 wheel drive. The 92 and 93's will have these numbers, need to be careful ifit is a 89-91 as I'm not sure they are the same.

I got my front springs at NAPA. The box is sitting right beside me and the invoice in my lap. The part number on the box is 277-3276 and this is also the number on the invoice. the price was $98. 02 plus tax. I gave this number to another first genner and his NAPA store could not find them in the book??



If you want to use TRW, the heavy duty spring is CS7226S and the one ton springs are PN CS5716



I also have the MOOG numbers someplace but can't find them. I seem to remember the number portion was the same as the TRW with a different letter designator at the front.



Make sure you tell them it has a 4000# front end or they will get the wrong parts. I also recommend the severe duty springs to raise it up level.



My wife says the truck rides better and my son took a ride with me a couple of weeks ago and said it rode better and quieter than before. ( his is a 92 4x4 so it will ride better than it!)



I also replaced the ball joints, the rubber spring perch that goes at the top of the spring, control arm bushings, control rod struts, and sway bar link bushings and the links themselves. Still need to do the tie rod ends and stering link.

 

[DieselNasty]

I still have a fair amount of fuel screw turning I can do if needed.

So how far can you go with this fuel screw? Do you just lower the idle and keep turning it in until you cant go anymore?

 

[paccool]

Thats pretty much it but you have to watch the EGT's and also make sure the engine doesn't go into a run away condition. Need to turn a turn or so at a time to keep things under control.



There is info on this in the performance steps that Bushwacker posted. Good place to start reading at.



Stan

 

[Sri Ram]

Thanks for the part #'s, Stan! That should give me something to go on.