Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
well i finally got it all together and had a chance to test it out. lets start with the set up. i have a 06 megacab 4x4 with 4:10 gears and auto trans, also i am running 35x12. 50x20 TOYO oc mt tires at 36psi. i purchased the Lorenz 2. 5" swayaway shocks, towers, IR coils, limit straps, and mini pack. i cut and extended my stock swaybar end links.
now the install. the rear mini pack was easy to install. i mounted the rear resivoirs on the pinch seam of the bed above the tires. for looks and ease of checking and adjusting nitrogen charge. the front was a little harder, i had to remove the front track bar and steering to let the front axle droop down far enough to remove the springs and shocks. then swapped the towers out, and installed the shocks and IR coils. the coils were tough to install, the axle would not droop far enough with the upper and lower arms attached. i had push down on the axle and pry the coils in place. then i connected the shocks top and bottom and connected the track bar and steering.
after that i cut and extended the swaybar end links with 7/16" i. d. dom tubing. next i welded some tabs to the frame for the resivoirs to attach to. next i charged the shocks with 200psi nitrogen, and let the front axle droop while supporting the truck on jackstands just behind the arms. i purchased some adjustable clevis mounts for the limit straps. i welded a plate of 1/4" steel to the axle for the bottom mount of the limit strap. for the top i drilled a hole in the top coil bucket and welded a 1 1/4" long piece of dom tubing for a sleve. i put the adjustable clevis through this sleve and tightened it untill i compressed the shock 1" from full stroke. i allowed the 1" for stretch in the limit strap.
now i installed my stock wheels and tires and took some after measurements. the rear of the truck came up 1 5/8" and the front 3" exactly.
the first test run was to a desert road about 45min from my house. the on road difference was very pleasing. the truck didnt roll in corners it just stuck and i felt more confident in fast corners. the front of the truck didnt bottom out when going over speed humps in my neighborhood, and soaked them up with no problem. the rear i thought was too stiff, it didnt bounce like stock but didnt feel like the cadillac ride i was looking for. now for the dirt, i ran about 4 miles of dirt road to a large wash. the road had alot of tight turns and some wooped out sections @12"-18" deep. the front soaked them up like they were not there and the rear hit harder than i expected. i had ran this same stretch of road in stock form for comparison. in stock form i could only drive 15mph and get bucked out of my seat a few times. after the upgrades i ram 30-40mph on the same road and had no problem. this was very pleasing and worth the money.
now for towing, i hooked up to my 22' toyhauler loaded up with quads it weighs 6500lbs. the rear of the truck squatted 1 1/4" which was the same as stock. when making a small trip around the block i noticed the rear softened up a little with the weight. and no issues towing.
finally i got a set of 35" toyo oc mt tires in and mounted them to my 20" wheels. they looked great, but i was concerned about the lack of sidewall in the 20".
now fastforward to this last weekend. i took the truck out to a winding dirt road up the side of Four Peaks mountain. the terrain is not too rough but some tight turns for a truck that is 24'-6" long. i have riden this road on quads for years and know the area pretty well. i put the truck in 4 high and hammered it! i was running 40 mph most of the time and hit a little over 50 a couple of times. this tuck ran like it was on rails around corners and no bumpsteer or any steering complaints. i had one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the oh shibby handle. i ran it hard and tried to find flaws and the front is dialed in perfect! the rear is still too stiff but i can fix that with full leaf pack and air bags to tow with.
looking back to all of this. my goal of creating a truck that i can tow my toys to the glamis dunes in the winter in style and comfort. then unhooking the trailer and running hard in the dunes with a 7800 pound truck. i think i did it. the real test will be this fall in some consecutive 1-2' deep woops on the way to Oldsmobile hill to watch the racing from the top.
in the future will be 6 lightforce 240 blitz lights to see at night across the front bumper. and 2 spare tires vertically in the rear of the bed.
i hope this helps others to make an informed decision about a suspension purchase from Lorenz Industries. i cant thank Sean enough for answering all of my questions along the way and helping me out.
working on resizing pictures will post tomorrow.
now the install. the rear mini pack was easy to install. i mounted the rear resivoirs on the pinch seam of the bed above the tires. for looks and ease of checking and adjusting nitrogen charge. the front was a little harder, i had to remove the front track bar and steering to let the front axle droop down far enough to remove the springs and shocks. then swapped the towers out, and installed the shocks and IR coils. the coils were tough to install, the axle would not droop far enough with the upper and lower arms attached. i had push down on the axle and pry the coils in place. then i connected the shocks top and bottom and connected the track bar and steering.
after that i cut and extended the swaybar end links with 7/16" i. d. dom tubing. next i welded some tabs to the frame for the resivoirs to attach to. next i charged the shocks with 200psi nitrogen, and let the front axle droop while supporting the truck on jackstands just behind the arms. i purchased some adjustable clevis mounts for the limit straps. i welded a plate of 1/4" steel to the axle for the bottom mount of the limit strap. for the top i drilled a hole in the top coil bucket and welded a 1 1/4" long piece of dom tubing for a sleve. i put the adjustable clevis through this sleve and tightened it untill i compressed the shock 1" from full stroke. i allowed the 1" for stretch in the limit strap.
now i installed my stock wheels and tires and took some after measurements. the rear of the truck came up 1 5/8" and the front 3" exactly.
the first test run was to a desert road about 45min from my house. the on road difference was very pleasing. the truck didnt roll in corners it just stuck and i felt more confident in fast corners. the front of the truck didnt bottom out when going over speed humps in my neighborhood, and soaked them up with no problem. the rear i thought was too stiff, it didnt bounce like stock but didnt feel like the cadillac ride i was looking for. now for the dirt, i ran about 4 miles of dirt road to a large wash. the road had alot of tight turns and some wooped out sections @12"-18" deep. the front soaked them up like they were not there and the rear hit harder than i expected. i had ran this same stretch of road in stock form for comparison. in stock form i could only drive 15mph and get bucked out of my seat a few times. after the upgrades i ram 30-40mph on the same road and had no problem. this was very pleasing and worth the money.
now for towing, i hooked up to my 22' toyhauler loaded up with quads it weighs 6500lbs. the rear of the truck squatted 1 1/4" which was the same as stock. when making a small trip around the block i noticed the rear softened up a little with the weight. and no issues towing.
finally i got a set of 35" toyo oc mt tires in and mounted them to my 20" wheels. they looked great, but i was concerned about the lack of sidewall in the 20".
now fastforward to this last weekend. i took the truck out to a winding dirt road up the side of Four Peaks mountain. the terrain is not too rough but some tight turns for a truck that is 24'-6" long. i have riden this road on quads for years and know the area pretty well. i put the truck in 4 high and hammered it! i was running 40 mph most of the time and hit a little over 50 a couple of times. this tuck ran like it was on rails around corners and no bumpsteer or any steering complaints. i had one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the oh shibby handle. i ran it hard and tried to find flaws and the front is dialed in perfect! the rear is still too stiff but i can fix that with full leaf pack and air bags to tow with.
looking back to all of this. my goal of creating a truck that i can tow my toys to the glamis dunes in the winter in style and comfort. then unhooking the trailer and running hard in the dunes with a 7800 pound truck. i think i did it. the real test will be this fall in some consecutive 1-2' deep woops on the way to Oldsmobile hill to watch the racing from the top.
in the future will be 6 lightforce 240 blitz lights to see at night across the front bumper. and 2 spare tires vertically in the rear of the bed.
i hope this helps others to make an informed decision about a suspension purchase from Lorenz Industries. i cant thank Sean enough for answering all of my questions along the way and helping me out.
working on resizing pictures will post tomorrow.
