Spring Over conversion 101

[Dannyboy]

For 95 & up check out stadx's limited or Gage's trucks. Both of these rides look super fresh

 

[taxx]

Soupbone-

you get that thing in some pretty tight places. I'm impressed. What kind of mods do you have on it?

I think the Lift kit for 95 - 97 involves some grinding and welding. I don't know if I am willing to do that. However, I am contemplating the TT and Shackles. Plus a 2" body lift.

 

[soupbone]

Originally posted by taxxman2k
Soupbone-

you get that thing in some pretty tight places. I'm impressed. What kind of mods do you have on it?

I think the Lift kit for 95 - 97 involves some grinding and welding. I don't know if I am willing to do that. However, I am contemplating the TT and Shackles. Plus a 2" body lift.

Thanks for the compliments. I actually have no lift (YET) . I have cheap $20 Gabriel VST shocks from pepboys which ride ALOT better than the junk ford shocks. Right now Im putting a leaf pack from a 4dr on my sport. Sports have a crappy mono leafs and the 4dr leaf pack should give a better ride and will be reusable with SOA. I have 265/75-16 BFG ATs which fit no problem with a little trimming to the inner fender well. I got the towing option from the dealer which included 4.10 gears and a tranny cooler. Im saving for the superlift ranger kit and 33x12.50-16s. Ive seen Ray Lobatos 97 X with a 4" trailmaster ranger kit so the welding and grinding can be done on a 95 -97 when done by a good shop. Besides I dont think im capable of doing this all on my own unless i had a bunch of help and air tools. Alot of work but sure would be fun though i think.

 

[Dannyboy]

Originally posted by taxxman2k

I think the Lift kit for 95 - 97 involves some grinding and welding. I don't know if I am willing to do that. However, I am contemplating the TT and Shackles. Plus a 2" body lift.

Go with the 3" body lift. I went to Attica with 01 sport, commocozy, and splashman. Splashman had the 2" while the others had the 3" and you could tell, granted they had sports and splash had a xlt, well regardless, Brian pulled out his 2" and put in a 3" I guess it looks way cooler with the 33's in there over the 32's

 

[taxx]

I too have the 265/75 16s under my sport. The trimming was just to some extra plastic that had no reason being there anyway. I have my shackles ordered and they should be in next week, can't wait to get them on and do the TT. Should look pretty nice and I think the Monroe shocks I have on there now should work great. I just have to get my A/C put back together now!

 

[Dannyboy]

OK well since I named this post spring over conversions 101 I wanted to have a thread that would walk someone thru doing this. I finished mine a few hours ago and let me say this is the sweetest way to gain 5" wether your ex is new school or old school. Look to me or Stadx2's rig to see how well it worked with the 4" front kit.
Here is a SOA conversion walk through. Like I said before. I only bought spring perches, shocks(Rancho 2.5" lift) and square Ubolts and it worked like a charm.
Here's what we did (and I say we cause I dont know poop and wanted to learn so I took an experienced lift guy and we figured it out on our own) It was easy given the right tools.
First I took off the shocks
Next I took off the sway bar and junked it
Thirdly We jacked the truck up and blocked it from the frame.
I then Worked the leaves out of each of the four positions. The rears came easy and each front developed a task so they both had to be cut at some point and punched out ( this could be because my truck saw 8 Wisconsin winters) Then I grinded off the old ubolts. Way easier and didnt need them. Through this whole step I put a floor jack under the diffy to hold it.
I grinded the new perches to fit snug, and lined them up exactly over the perches to "guess" the axle angle with some intelligence.
Refastend the leafs above the axle.
Put the existing shock mounts at the bottom of this stack like stock and assembled. The only difference is that the ubolts go side to side instead of front to back. Tighten this down making sure that all is lined up (drive shaft angle, axles evenly under springs)
TIghten this all up and then go to the brakes
I chose to remove driver's side bump stop which had brake line attached on the top, this bracket was bent to accomodate.
Also the emergency brake cable was ground out of the furthest back point and also rerouted to below the second to last point.
This all took very little time and the only thing I could not have handled being a novice was to get the stinking bolts out of the front of the leafs, the bushings more or less threaded the bolts, them mechanical stuff is all elementary. The other stuff took patience and muscle. Dont be afraid to pry apart the front mounts, they will clench back together.
Hey use this for a reference, if anything.

 

[BoatsRcool]

im sorta confused exactly how you mounted it after the spring over. how did you use the u bolts and stock shock mounts? they are like on a plate arent they??....and what did you use for the things the leafs sit on on top of the axle.

 

[Dannyboy]

http://extremeexplorer.homestead.com/files/springoverview.jpg

Does this clear it up?

 

[Dannyboy]

Damn, that is one big picture, oh well, good for details....

 

[BoatsRcool]

that clears it up totally!! awesome. then thats how i want to do it. but, if i just get a shop to do my tac welds for where the leafs should bolt down on top. how much could i expect... crap i dont know how they could do it, without doing all the work while its there.

 

[Dannyboy]

Ok Skipper, you are missing out. The axle perch is what needs to be tached, bolt it up and crank down the ubolts, just make sure when it is tached, you are sitting level(I measured the top of the new perch front and back to the old perch on the bottom