Leveling Springs

[dusthomps]

Front U-Bolts

For those of you who already have put add-a-leafs in the front, did you need new u-bolts or where the stock ones long enough for the extra leaf?



Dustin

 

[jbolt]

The U-Bolts were long enough on mine when I did my add-a-leaf but the studs on the right side that go into the differential housing are short. I was only able to get about 1/2 the nut depth.



Jay

 

[glhs]

I believe the early 4wd trucks (89-91) had only 3" blocks in the rear which is why the front sits higher. Later 4wd trucks (92-93) used a 6" block in the rear.

 

[Hutchew]

Add-A-Leaves...........

make a rough ride rougher, unless of course, you are bottoming out on the bump stops. In that case, it will ride better than before, but still not as well as it could by replacing the springs with the correct arch and weight rating. JMHO, but re-arching sagging springs is a waste of time & money, I have never seen or had good results that lasted more than a few months of heavy use. It's just a band-aid on a worn out component.

I opted for the skyjacker front 2. 5 springs, and air bags on the rear. Money well spent, for now I can have the semi-cushy ride while empty by deflating the bags, and when loaded, just air them up till ride/level are acceptable.

***BONUS*** The look on people's faces when they think you have a full-blown air-ride suspension on your truck because they see the bags on top of the axle.

 

[keimmmo]

I just replaced the front springs on the '92 yesterday afternoon with Skyjacker Easyrides. I used the 0-1 inch lift springs. The truck sits level to slightly lower in the front. I now have about 2 inches of clearance between the spring and bump stop. Ride is MUCH improved!!! The truck has spent most of its life empty to lightly loaded. I do not think the rear springs have sagged much from new.



My truck has spent the vast majority of it's life in a desert climate in central Mexico. It is as rust free as you will find in an older truck! I didn't even use penetrating oil on most bolts! Everything unscrewed like it was still new! I used to live in Illinois and I know what a rusty truck is. If your truck has seen much road salt, plan to take everything apart with a torch and replace what you have to cut off.



To address the front bolt size issue, my truck uses the big 9/16 bolt ONLY on the front spring eye. The Skyjackers use 1/2 on both ends. In my case, things were not rusted and the springs were sagging only slightly. I took apart the springs and put the main leaf from the old springs on the new ones. Made it a direct bolt in.



My old main leaf was only 1/2 inch lower than the new one. With the new leafs under it, that would have made very little difference in the final height of the truck. There is a good spring shop down here not far from my house. I took the leafs to them and the re-arched both mains to match the new ones. They replaced the rubber bushings too. They did it while I waited... took all of 15 minutes! Price? $6. 00 American for everything! You have to love some things about this country!



I checked prices from several sources and they were all very close. Delivered to a friends house in the States, they cost $300-350 without bushings. Shipping was $50!



I recommend the Skyjackers! They made a NOTICEABLE difference in the ride!



Steve

 

[Dscholz]

I had custom front springs built with an extra leaf added from a place in southern California for about $300 bucks. They ended up lifting the front about 2". Then I installed the rear 6" lift springs (Skyjacker) to raise the rear and level it out (removed the rear 4" blocks. After a year the front springs have sagged about a half an inch. The Skyjackers work great even with my 14K fifth wheel attached. If I were to do it over again I would go with the Skyjacker springs in the front even if they cost a little more.

Just my . 02 worth

Dan

 

[dusthomps]

Add-A-Leafs....

After about a week, here is my opinion on the add-a-leafs. The ride has greatly improved overall. The front now sits a good 2" off the bump stops. I had to add leafs to the rear to keep the truck level so I went with capacity for the rear vs. height. I also already have full-time overloads on the rear because they are weak. So if your bump stops are touching in the front, the overall ride will improve.