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Submitted By: tv_larsen
Date: February 10, 2009, 03:02:40 AM
Views: 4527
Ram Coil Spring Install - Trenton Larsen (tv_larsen)
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The first step is to park on a level, hard surface. Chock the rear tires and jack up the front of the truck, a floor jack under the front axle works best. Keep in mind that if you are installing lift springs, you will need to jack the truck that much higher. Position tall jack stands under the frame. Whatever you do, make sure the truck is supported safely and won’t fall on you. Remove the front tires, lower the jack and allow the axle to droop.
I usually prefer to do just one side of the truck at a time. This prevents the axle from moving around too much and just generally makes the job easier. Now pump the jack back up just until it begins to support the axle. Begin by removing the shocks. To do this, undo the upper shock stud nut and the three nuts holding the upper shock tower to the upper coil bucket. Then remove the lower shock bolt and pull the shock out through the top. Then loosely reinstall the three nuts that held the upper shock tower on. This holds the upper rubber isolator in place when the spring is removed. Then lower the floor jack to let the axle droop.
I believe the usual procedure from here is to unbolt the track bar and sway bar to allow the axle to droop easier to reinstall the new springs. Since the track bar is kind of a pain to get lined back up reinstalled, and I was only installing 2” coils, I chose to leave them attached. Instead, I used a small bottle jack between the axle and the frame rail to push the axle down to clear the new springs. When pushing the axle down, you will need to watch the brake lines, and the hoses/wires connected to the CAD on the front axle. I was able to release or loosen the hoses and wire from clips enough to get the slack I needed. Then just pull the old springs out.
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Because the new spring is taller than the old springs, the axle may need to be pushed lower so that you can insert the new springs. The factory Dodge coil springs are different between the left and right side. My factory coils were marked with tags, the driver’s (left) side was labeled as 020, and the passenger’s (right) side was 018. The replacement Skyjacker coils were simply labeled as Left and Right. Make sure you get the springs on the correct side or the truck will lean.
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Make sure the excess dirt and crud is cleaned out of the coils buckets, insert the new coils, and lower the bottle jack. You can now install your shock. Repeat the procedure on the other side of the truck.
Jack the truck back up, reinstall the tires and remove the jack stands. Check the hoses and wires to axle one more time to make sure they have the slack they need. If you disconnected the track bar and/or sway bar double check the nuts and bolts and make sure everything is tight. When you take the truck for a test drive, you may hear 1 or 2 small pops or clunks and the springs settle into the spring buckets, but that should be it. Enjoy.
Date: February 10, 2009, 03:02:40 AM
Views: 4527
Ram Coil Spring Install - Trenton Larsen (tv_larsen)
The first step is to park on a level, hard surface. Chock the rear tires and jack up the front of the truck, a floor jack under the front axle works best. Keep in mind that if you are installing lift springs, you will need to jack the truck that much higher. Position tall jack stands under the frame. Whatever you do, make sure the truck is supported safely and won’t fall on you. Remove the front tires, lower the jack and allow the axle to droop.
I usually prefer to do just one side of the truck at a time. This prevents the axle from moving around too much and just generally makes the job easier. Now pump the jack back up just until it begins to support the axle. Begin by removing the shocks. To do this, undo the upper shock stud nut and the three nuts holding the upper shock tower to the upper coil bucket. Then remove the lower shock bolt and pull the shock out through the top. Then loosely reinstall the three nuts that held the upper shock tower on. This holds the upper rubber isolator in place when the spring is removed. Then lower the floor jack to let the axle droop.
I believe the usual procedure from here is to unbolt the track bar and sway bar to allow the axle to droop easier to reinstall the new springs. Since the track bar is kind of a pain to get lined back up reinstalled, and I was only installing 2” coils, I chose to leave them attached. Instead, I used a small bottle jack between the axle and the frame rail to push the axle down to clear the new springs. When pushing the axle down, you will need to watch the brake lines, and the hoses/wires connected to the CAD on the front axle. I was able to release or loosen the hoses and wire from clips enough to get the slack I needed. Then just pull the old springs out.
Because the new spring is taller than the old springs, the axle may need to be pushed lower so that you can insert the new springs. The factory Dodge coil springs are different between the left and right side. My factory coils were marked with tags, the driver’s (left) side was labeled as 020, and the passenger’s (right) side was 018. The replacement Skyjacker coils were simply labeled as Left and Right. Make sure you get the springs on the correct side or the truck will lean.
Make sure the excess dirt and crud is cleaned out of the coils buckets, insert the new coils, and lower the bottle jack. You can now install your shock. Repeat the procedure on the other side of the truck.
Jack the truck back up, reinstall the tires and remove the jack stands. Check the hoses and wires to axle one more time to make sure they have the slack they need. If you disconnected the track bar and/or sway bar double check the nuts and bolts and make sure everything is tight. When you take the truck for a test drive, you may hear 1 or 2 small pops or clunks and the springs settle into the spring buckets, but that should be it. Enjoy.
