Rear Drop Install
REAR DROP INSTALLATION:
I will tell you right now, the EASIEST way to accomplish this installation is to remove the bed. The kit can certainly be installed with doing so, but it's like removing the cab to do head studs on a 6.0L... It just makes everything accessible. We had started off wanting to do this with the bed in place, but once we started to remove the front spring perches we decided to yank the bed. 4 bolts (in the bed), 3 screws (fuel filler), and 1 plug (tail lights) are all that it takes to remove the bed. That, and a couple guys to lift the bed off the frame. Jay and managed it alone, but I'm sure my back is not going to be happy about it.
Anyway, let's move on to the details.
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Again, lift the vehicle off the ground and support with a good set of jack stands. Some advice here... Lift the vehicle, remove the tires, and then LOWER the vehicle at least 5" onto the jack stands. We made the mistake of leaving the jack stands at the height for the normal suspension (basically put the jack stands in before removing the tires) and it made it extremely difficult to get the axle lined back up with the springs. Also, when putting the vehicle back on the ground, we had to install a block of wood on top of the jack to lift the vehicle off the stands, so when we dropped it back on the ground we couldn't get the jack out from under the axle. Not a huge deal as we had a second jack, but just a waste of a few minutes.
So, with everything lifted and in place, we started by unbolting the axle U-bolts and removing the spring packs. You want to make sure that you keep the pinion supported. It helps with the alignment when reattaching the axle to the springs.
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With the springs out of the way, next comes the arduous process of removing the front spring perches. Since these are riveted in at the factory, there are basically only 2 ways to remove them. You can either take a cutting torch and cut the heads off of the rivets or you can use a grinder to grind the heads flush with the perches.
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Once the rivet heads are removed, you'll need to use a punch or air hammer to drive the rivets out of the frame. You'll want to be VERY CAREFUL on the driver's side as the rivets are located next to the fuel tank. There is plenty of room for the rivets to come out, you just don't want to drive your punch into the tank.
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The rest is pretty simple. The new spring perches bolt directly in place of the old ones and has three mounting holes for the spring. There is also included a new rear shackle which helps allow for suspension adjustment and to help retain proper pinion angle adjustments.
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As you can see, the truck is leveled out quite nicely.
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Now, one of the things we did while the springs were out was to remove some of the leaves in the spring in order to achieve a smother ride. I don't tow anything with my 6.0L so I'm not worried about load capacity. First, we removed the thick bottom leaf (#5) which added about 3/4" drop by itself. Then we removed the next two leaves (#3 and #4) leaving only the top two leaves. This provided a really nice ride and stance, but unfortunately introduced a ridiculous amount of axle wrap and wheel hop. Of course, it didn't help that the bed was not on the truck. Deciding we needed the spring to be a bit stiffer, we went back and re-installed leaf #4 which helped considerably with the axle wrap. We've got a set of traction bars on order and that will help eliminate any remaining axle wrap and keep the axle properly located. We're also looking to install an anti-sway bar kit for the rear to help prevent body roll with the softer springs. We're still playing with some different combinations of front and rear perch height adjustments, but those are mostly just to achieve an appropriate pinion angle.
Once we get the bed back on the truck, we'll get the pictures posted up. The kit was relatively easy to install and while air tools make everything go faster, it can certainly be installed with hand tools (and a grinder). Again, many thanks to the guys at DJM Suspension (particularly Mark) for their guidance and assistance, not to mention putting together such a solid kit!
Take care and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
