Front End Rebuild
 

Anybody have any good or bad to say about these leveling kits.

2" Performance Leveling Kit Dodge Ram 4x4 2500/3500 !!


Or these guys SuperSprings - Online Distributors
94-06 4WD DODGE R2500/3500 LEVELING SUPERCOILS
15 LBS+ PER INCH

Item Number: SSC22 SS
Price: $253.30


94-06 4WD DODGE R2500/3500 LEVELING SUPERCOILS
15 LBS+ PER INCH

Item Number: SSC22 SS
Price: $253.30

Can't say. I use carrier springs - they are great.

So what are carrier springs.

I did just the 2" spacer.......worked real good for me

Custom Suspension - Carrier Spring

These are them. No spacers, no realignment of the control arms required (on 2nd gens)

I dropped the rear on mine 3 inches to level it.:sen:

I've got spacers in there now and hate how they ride. Been lookin for affordable alternatives for a few years now. Prices seem to be comin down some now finally. $450 for new springs and front and rear Bilstein 5100's to me is a decent price finally. Considering just the shocks would run about $300 by themselves. I jst have neve heard anything good or bad about the company or products and that always makes me nervous.

Dammit Wyatt and you to Doc, I don't know if I should thank ya or hate ya. Yall went and made me spend more money. I ordered a set of the soft ride coil springs and a set of the 2" lift helper springs for the rear. And the guy talked funny to. Kept sayin EH Don't ya know.:wacko:

WHEN DOES IT END, IT'S GOTTA END, I CAN'T TAKE IT NO MORE. I'm tired a workin on this truck but I keep orderin new parts. Somebody help me, I can't control it.:baby:

Now I still gotta find shocks.

Bilstein 5100....

I have KORE springs and Love them

Yep, Jut waitin for some price quotes I hope. If I don't get any I think I've found the best price on the net but I'm hopin to do some business with a sponsor. Don't mind spendin a few dollars more from somebody I know if I get the option.

Got the shocks today, thanks Cbrahs. Now if the springs will show up LET THE CUSSIN BEGIN.

Got the trac bar fixed up, new polyuerathane greasable sway bar bushings with some extra heavy duty new links installed, New silicone boots and I'm ready to get this truck back on the road.

Almost forgot, I got the rear helper springs comin to. Man am I gonna be spewin some naughty words before this is over.

I have everything now for the front end except the coil spring isolators, still waitin on them. Trucks sittin in the driveway with both fornt shocks out and 1 coil spring gone, looks pretty pathetic. The isolators were supposed to be here yesterday. As I'm goin through this I'm gettin rid of all the 10 year old rubber and replacing it with the Poly. Hopefully they will show up today and the rain will hold off for a while.

But ya I have the coils and they actually look awsome. Instead of just being painted they have a rubber coating on them, I like this better then just the paint that never last. Can't wait to get rid of these steel blocks I have in there for spacers. Hate the wy they made the truck ride. Guess I shouldn't say that to much though since I'll be tryin to sell em once they are out. So disregard that last statement, them things are grat and anybody would be lucky to have em.

just ordered a 2.5" leveling kit,skyjacker springs and shocks $219.00 for springs and $45.00 a piece for shocks ,i put a set in my fathers 99 and his sits 4" higher from tire to wheel well than mine, so hopefully with these in,:U: i'll be able to clear a set of 315/75 /16 toyo open country

Thats hillarious! So if I offered you $20 you'd take it? :choochoo:

If the weather holds out I'll get the other side out tommorrow and they will be in the VBay section for sale. If $5 is the high bid they're sold. I got one side in tonight, man what a pain. These new coils springs added about 2 inches more to the hieght then the spacers did. My truck sittin lop sided right now.

Ya... I've done a couple, and its a royal pain in the buttoukous to get that second side done. I've had luck putting a bottle jack between the axle and the frame. IIRC, there's a welded bracket on the frame that you can put the jack against. Give that a shot...

I got the sway bar and brake dissconnected and have the fram jacked up till the wheel is off the ground. Any more space then this and Im gonna have to pull the whole front end apart. The coils are 21inches and I have to compress em down to 18 inches to get em in there. Doesn't sound like much but damn these things are stiff. I'm usin 2 set of Strut compressors on each spring to make it happen and the bolt is flexxin on all 4 when I'm all the way down.

Nobody said it was going to be easy....lol

Be careful with those springs.

Springs and shocks finally in place. I think other then some of the little clean up and plug in stuff the front end is done now. I'll go through tommorrow and check all the nuts and bolts and make sure everything is in place then it's on to the back end.

Then to build a new set of nerf bars and the upper and lower control bars and then maybe it's time for a break for a while.

I tried to pull the old U bolts off the gentle way but they weren't gonna have it. After 10 years of from the facotry torq they are welded on there. So I ordered the new Bolts from the same shop I got all the springs from. 9/16 38 inches long of grade 8 hardware. These things shouldn't move. Only problem was they sent me the wrong ones. They sent 4 inch wide and I need 3 inch wide.

So now I have a set of 4 inch wide bolts sittin here that they don't even want back and they have already shipped out the right ones. Maybe someday I'll have a spare semi around that need new U bolts that I can use these things on. Can't ask for better service then that. 2 minutes on the phone and told them what I got and what I need and poof, it's on it's way no hassles and no charge.

Got one side fitted up today with the helper springs, hope I put em in right. Didn't have any instructions and have never paid any attention to any trucks that had them installed so I just guessed on it. Now i think I'm gonna pull it apart and add another spacer in there though. I'll just cut a peice of 1/4" flat stock and make a pair of quick spacers to give it a little more lift. Right now it has about 3/4" of added height with the spring added.

Damn is this project ever gonna end. This is a list of all the things done to this truck since the last time it was on the road.

New front sway bar bushings and links.
New front coil springs.
New shocks all the way around.
Rebuilt the Trac Bar.
New tie rod ends.
New drums, cylinders and pads on the rear brakes.
New wheel studs on the rear wheels.
New adjustable waste gate elbow.
New helper springs on the rear.


Still in the works for the next few months.

High Idle selenoid sittin here waitin for install.
Make a new set of Nerf Bars.
Make a new set of Upper and Lower Control arms.
Get the seats rebuilt.

Then I'm done for as long as possible or until somethin else comes up.:humm:

My lucks holdin true here. Got the rear end together now and was workin on makin sure both axles were alligned right and snapped off an eccentric bolt. Now I'm back to waitin on parts again. Once I get a new set of bolts in though it should be ready to take in for an allignment and then bring the hay season on.

IT LIVES:rocking::rocking::rocking: I powered the truck up for the first time in almost 2 months today. Took it in and had it aligned and it drives and rides like a dream with these new parts. These new springs make it ride like a car, no more jarrin the back over every bump in the road.

GODDOGS it feels good to have my truck back!!!!!:pals::yeah::run:

This post will be in the making for a day or two. I'll just keep editing the same post as I find the paperwork and include all the info I can think of for each item. This project has taken so long because of all the wrong parts received and un-expected things that popped up so I'll try to save other that misery here.

New front sway bar bushings. $34 Link: Energy Suspension 5-5124G - Energy Suspension Sway Bar Bushings - summitracing.com

New Front Sway Bar Links. $90 Link: Suspension Maxx SMX-1224L - Suspension MAXX Sway Bar End Links - summitracing.com

New front coil springs. $190 a pair. 2 1/2 inch lift Soft Ride coils Rubber Coated. Link: Custom Suspension

New Coil Spring Isolators. $48 for 3 sets needed to use them on top and bottom of both springs. Cheaper from Auto Zone but couldn't find their link. Link: Energy Suspension 9-6112G - Energy Suspension Coil Spring Isolators and Isolator Sets - summitracing.com

New Bilstein 5100 shocks. $400 shipped for the set. These are for 2inch lift front and back. Front: F4-BE5-6681-H6 Rear: F4-BE5-6647 He doesn't show just the shocks on his site but here is the vendor link I paid this price from: High Desert Ravelco - Automotive Anti-theft device - Performance Parts & Truck Accessories

D-T ProFab Trac Bar Rebuild kit. $45 Link: DODGE TRUCK PARTS GEN 2

New tie rod ends.
New Rear Drums.
New Rear Brake Cylinders.
New Rear Brake Pads.
New wheel studs on the rear wheels. $2 each Dorman Brand/Autozone Stock # 610-383.1 or OEM Part # 4746915 for $11 each

New adjustable waste gate elbow. $15 Link: Source Automotive Performance Diesel - Adjustable Boost Elbow

New Helper Springs on the rear. $100 per kit, can be had much cheaper elsewhere.
Link: Custom Suspension

New Grade 8 U-Bolts. $58 for the set. 9/16 thread 38 inches long grade 8. Link: Custom Suspension

High Idle Selenoid Kit. $55 for complete adjustable kit.

New Eccentric Bolts Complete W/Nuts and Washers. $56 Dealer only part.

Black Silicone Intercooler Boot Set. $199 Link: Source Automotive Performance Diesel - Intercooler Boot Kit for 94-02 Dodge


More to come, I'm still huntin down receipts.:pca1:

You didnt have to go into such detail - wasnt expecting that....but thanks ! Great job :c:

This whole project has been such a nightmare because of bad info from shops and even manufacturers about parts needed and the right part numbers. In most cases the shops were usin the guides put out by the manufacturers that gave bad info so I can't blame them but If I can keep somebody else from goin through that same thing more power to it.

If you order Polyurethane parts for your diesel truck they won't fit, period. They are all made to fit only the gasser versions of these trucks. That took a few weeks of dealing with Energy Suspension to finally figure out.

If your dealer uses his parts guide from Bilstein to look up the proper shocks for my application they are. Bilstein out a corrected list but nobody has it.

If you go to an Auto parts shop and tell them you need rear wheel studs, they will not fit our truck. The only ones they have listed are for the gasser versions. I tied this at several different stores wit the same outcome. You have to tell them you need them for a 3500 truck and then they will be right for our 2500's.

This is just a small list of the problems I fought with on this project.:argh:

Awesome dude! I've been eyeballing the KORE HP front leveling kit.. pretty complete for $335 then I'd buy the adjustable track bar from Thuren, and be a pretty happy camper, I think.
Scott

Here the KORE vs Stock Spring

I don't know what all is included in the Kore leveling kit but that's way to much for any, just a leveling kit. To just level the front off all I would have spent was the $190 for the new springs and it's leveled. That's the new 2" taller soft ride springs that are rubber coated and not just painted. Everything else I did was either for a different purpose like steering or just for overkill like the Poly isolators.

Its drop blocks , extended bumpers , Coil Springs , and Bilstien S/S Shocks , i think it was like $600 i cant remember

That's almost $400 worth in my world for those same parts. Don't get me wrong, if you can afford Kore it is top of the line but I hate to see hard earned money spent on a name when there are so many other things needed by most of us.:humm:

More than 1 way to skin a cat forsure :U:

So why can't I finish one project before I start the next. I'm still in the process of re-torqing everything and makin sure all the little stuff is done before I get to crazy on the test drives and I have already torn the center console out tonight. I'm buildin a shelf that will bolt to the floor under the center console and sit up by the front of the center seat right underneath the shifter. I have the brake controller and the Comp mounted there and gonna add some switches for a few lights. This put's everything right there at my fingertips. WHEN I GET IT DONE THAT IS. Got the alluminum plate cut, bent and painted with the Comp and brake already mounted now i just need to mount the stand to the floor and cut a hole in the console for the wires to run through.

:pics:

I'd really like to see the work you did on the rear of your 99. :U:

You'd laugh. It is not the normal set up that you would see. The way the springs are configured is different then what you usually see because there was intentional gaps left between certain ones. This allows for a smoother ride while unloaded because your only riding on a couple of springs. When you put a load on it and the trucks drops about 3/4 of an inch it rides on the full pack and stiffens things up and if you actually really load it down then the helper springs kick in and it's not goin any farther then that unless your packin way to much weight.

I'll post a few pictures when the weather calms down some.

The KORE HP kit has gone down in price.. It's $335 includes bilstein shocks, drop blocks and springs... Thats pretty good IMHO.
Scott

EDIT: Of course, when I total up all the other things I want for the front end ( thuren adjustable trackbar, Lazar smith Sector shaft stabalizer, Thuren Steering stabalizer) It gets seriously more expensive ;)
Scott

Took a few pictures in between the rain today.

Here is the front end Shocks, Coil Springs, Coil Spring Isolators on top and bottom, also left the stock isolator in place and the Sway Bar Links.
Attachment 4325

Here is the rear springs. I moved the stock block that was under the overloads down under the main pack and put a new home made 3/4" thick block under the over loads. The factory block was that little bit taller is why I moved it. I also put a 1/8 inch block under the second spring in the main pack. This gives a smoother ride when not loaded. In essence it makes it a progessive spring pack.

Attachment 4326 Attachment 4327

holy soublestacked blocks...... not knockin ya but do you feel safe double stackin blocks like that?

No two blocks are together and with the exception of one 3/4" block that is just a solid piece of steel, nothin to break there it's all stock. Between the helper spring and my new block I only added 1 inch to the overall height.