187 replies to this topic

[Hodakaguy]

Got a little more work done tonight...slow but sure :-)

Next up remove the factory upper control arm.  The UCA bolt is a pain in the butt to remove.  The metal lip of the fender interferes with the bolt and keeps it from being able to be removed, a little careful bending with some channel locks and there is just enough clearance for removal.  It's still a super tight fit but it does come out.

The red arrow shows the area that gets bent back a bit for clearance.  You can bend it back flat when finished or leave it alone so it's ready for next time, it's really not noticable.

The UCA Bolt passes next to the battery tray and under/through this wiring bundle (Red Arrow).  You need to make sure it's not snagging on the wiring as you use a drift to push the bolt out.

Factory UCA next to the Icon replacement.

Greasing up the bushing for the Icon UCA.  Everything gets a good coat of grease (Bel-Ray Waterproof) except where the bolt slides through, I cleaned that area out before install.

All greased up and ready for install.  They will get hit again with a grease gun right before final torque on the bolt.

Looking better already :-).  Still need to install the brackets for the remote reservoir. 

Wheels showed up today.  We are going with the "Cast Iron Black" AX201 Wheels in 16"x8", Zero Offset.  Should look awesome with the Quicksand!

More to come.......

Hodakaguy

[rando]

This looks like fun!

 

One piece of unsolicited advice - keep an eye on your BP-51s and make sure to save the invoice.    I have had two different failures with mine in only 12k miles.   One of the rear shocks has been weeping oil onto the hose between the shock body and the remote reservoir essentially since new, it seems like that shock started to loose some damping as a result.    I have read of others who had this same problem.

 

The other issue was the poorly designed 'fit kit' for the rear axel, which extends the shock mount out from the axel housing.   The bolt that goes through the front of the shock mount into the caged square nut/assembly tool thing sheared.   The allows the shock mount to pivot around the larger bolt which made some weird clunks over large bumps.   If you have better hardware, you may want to substitute it in. 

 

Overall the ride seems to be good, given that I have nothing to compare it to.   But these failures are a little disappointing for a premium product. 

[Hodakaguy]

This looks like fun!

 

One piece of unsolicited advice - keep an eye on your BP-51s and make sure to save the invoice.    I have had two different failures with mine in only 12k miles.   One of the rear shocks has been weeping oil onto the hose between the shock body and the remote reservoir essentially since new, it seems like that shock started to loose some damping as a result.    I have read of others who had this same problem.

 

The other issue was the poorly designed 'fit kit' for the rear axel, which extends the shock mount out from the axel housing.   The bolt that goes through the front of the shock mount into the caged square nut/assembly tool thing sheared.   The allows the shock mount to pivot around the larger bolt which made some weird clunks over large bumps.   If you have better hardware, you may want to substitute it in. 

 

Overall the ride seems to be good, given that I have nothing to compare it to.   But these failures are a little disappointing for a premium product. 

 

 

Thanks for the heads up, I'll keep an eye out for it.  It seems all the high end shocks have cases of leaking, I've read about a lot more leaks with the Kings and Icon setups but that being said there are also a lot more of those out in the wild so who knows about the ratio. I'll hope for the best and deal with the warranty on the shocks if needed :-)

 

Can't wait to give them a try, did you stick with the stock 20mm pre-load?  Are you running bumper/winch in the front?

 

Hodakaguy

[rando]

ARB warrantied the shock with no problem besides a couple of weeks delay, so no issues on that front. 

 

I dialed the preload back to 5mm, which is essentially the minimum.   The truck is already somewhat top heavy with a camper on it, so I really didn't want any further lift to exacerbate this issue.  Secondly even with Dakar heavy springs and add a leaf, with 1400lb of camper on the back,  you will end up with negative rake if you raise the front at all.   This is supposedly also bad for handling in addition to looking funny.    I have air bags in the back too, and could use those to jack the back up, but that also doesn't do good things for the ride or handling, so these are really just used to level and for fine adjustment with a particularly heavy load. 

 

No bumper or winch for me.  Again, we are already pretty negative on payload margins here, so think hard about how much more unnecessary weight you want to add.   I am pretty careful to remove things I am not actually using (truck rear seats, bed extension, awning during the winter etc) to keep the weight reasonable. 

[Hodakaguy]

ARB warrantied the shock with no problem besides a couple of weeks delay, so no issues on that front.

I dialed the preload back to 5mm, which is essentially the minimum. The truck is already somewhat top heavy with a camper on it, so I really didn't want any further lift to exacerbate this issue. Secondly even with Dakar heavy springs and add a leaf, with 1400lb of camper on the back, you will end up with negative rake if you raise the front at all. This is supposedly also bad for handling in addition to looking funny. I have air bags in the back too, and could use those to jack the back up, but that also doesn't do good things for the ride or handling, so these are really just used to level and for fine adjustment with a particularly heavy load.

No bumper or winch for me. Again, we are already pretty negative on payload margins here, so think hard about how much more unnecessary weight you want to add. I am pretty careful to remove things I am not actually using (truck rear seats, bed extension, awning during the winter etc) to keep the weight reasonable.

I’m going a slightly different route and building it up for off road trips when the camper isn’t on the truck. Ill have a slim hybrid bumper and 10k winch. I’ll use the air bags to compensate when the camper is installed.

I’m shooting for 2.5” of lift and will be running 285/75-R16 tires. I did order a shell model camper which will help to keep the weight down a bit.

Good to hear they took care of the shock issues!

Hodakaguy

[ETAV8R]

Wow!

Lots of new goodies for your rigs.

Can't wait to see the FWC on it and hear your impressions.

Nice shop too.

[Hodakaguy]

Was able to get a little done on the truck after work tonight, not a lot of progress...but progress non the less.
Time to get the remote reservoir mounted up. The brackets that support the Res also acts as a sway bar drop bracket, everything is very well made and thought out.
This mud cover needs to be removed to install the bracket for the reservoir.


The bracket will go between the sway bar mount and the frame.


Res brackets.


LOCTITE 243 Used on the threads, I like 243 vs 242 since the 243 is oil resistant and isn't as picky on having ultra clean threads like the 242.

Bracket in Place.



Reservoir mounted in place


I re-installed the mud shields over the reservoir to help keep the engine bay clean.

Next up remove the passenger side UCA. The bolt on this side interferes with the sheet metal as well.

A little slight bending and the bolt slides right out. There is a lot more clearance on this side for the bolt to pass through, this side went a lot quicker.



UCA geased up and installed.


And the passenger side reservoir bracket installed and torqued.


That's all for tonight, more to come soon.....
Hodakaguy

Edited by Hodakaguy, 17 January 2018 - 06:42 PM.

[Squatch]

I have to give you credit. I've built several trucks over the years. But I've never taken a new off the showroom floor truck and started swapping suspension and hears right off.

 

Looking good!

[Hodakaguy]

I have to give you credit. I've built several trucks over the years. But I've never taken a new off the showroom floor truck and started swapping suspension and hears right off.
 
Looking good!

That’s the best time to do it, all the bolts come right off with no effort :-)

Hodakaguy.

[Hodakaguy]

Tonight's after work Update..........

Passenger side front shock assembly removed.

OME Shock and Res installed, Mud cover re-installed.

Moving to the back.  Drivers side rear leaf spring removed. 

OEM and OME Dakar springs side by side.  Have to do some touch up painting on the new springs since shipping wasn't kind to the paint.  New OME bushings installed in the springs.

Aligning the holes to re-install the bolts into the springs.  Giant crescent wrench makes the task easy :-)

Dakar springs installed.

Next up....Firestone Air Bags and Daystar Cradles.

More to come soon....

Hodakaguy