Adventures in install of Bilstein 5100's

[jlsalani]

Decided to do Bilsteins on the 4 corners of my kids 2011 1500 Outdoorsman... rear went fine, fender liner is a bit of pain and I cut off one of my old crescent wrenches but all went well. Moved to the front and all was going week till we got to the lower strut bolt... no matter what we could not get it out.. beat the crap out of it, tried to rotate it more, etc. Well when it was all over decided to just replace the lower control arm... and wouldn't you know it, couldn't get the cam bolts out!!!

so did some research and it seems that they get cut out a lot(?)... if so, would the trusty old sawzall work just fine? got late and we were ready but lost light.

Michigan salt and an 8 year old truck are not playing nice, but when it is done it will ride like a dream!!

 

[Quick_Shifter]

Decided to do Bilsteins on the 4 corners of my kids 2011 1500 Outdoorsman... rear went fine, fender liner is a bit of pain and I cut off one of my old crescent wrenches but all went well. Moved to the front and all was going week till we got to the lower strut bolt... no matter what we could not get it out.. beat the crap out of it, tried to rotate it more, etc. Well when it was all over decided to just replace the lower control arm... and wouldn't you know it, couldn't get the cam bolts out!!!

so did some research and it seems that they get cut out a lot(?)... if so, would the trusty old sawzall work just fine? got late and we were ready but lost light.

Michigan salt and an 8 year old truck are not playing nice, but when it is done it will ride like a dream!!

A sawzaw will make quick work of it. Best late advice is to start spraying penetrating oil a few days in advance Morning and night. I got lucky with my 2012 and didn’t have the issue but applied never seize to the shaft of the bolt just in case

 

[jlsalani]

Thanks.... not sure if any amount of PB Blaster would help.... I don't think there is any rotation at all, only flex in the bushing.. the lower strut bolt is stuck but good, no amount of oil, heat, beating the crap out of it helped, and I feel the LC arm bolts are the same

 

[ThunderMug95]

You would be surprised about how good PB blaster works. When you apply it morning noon and night. Try heating the lower strut bolt with a heat gun or even a torch. Run it back and forth with a strong impact afterward.

 

[Quick_Shifter]

High torque impact will usually get the job done. You could also slide a 5 or 6 foot pipe over your breaker bar and crack it loose or off

 

[jlsalani]

well tried everything to break them loose..... bushings had too much give so we gave up and cut all the cam bolts and got new lower control arms!... just about every nut, bolt, .... heck everything was seized. right now everything is off the front end and the Bilstens are put back together. Will pick up new cam bolts tomorrow and put it all back together. Will be like a new truck when done. Was quite a chore, but in the end it will be worth it. 8 year old trucks are tough, especially when they spent their life in SE Michigan with lots of road salt.

 

[Quick_Shifter]

well tried everything to break them loose..... bushings had too much give so we gave up and cut all the cam bolts and got new lower control arms!... just about every nut, bolt, .... heck everything was seized. right now everything is off the front end and the Bilstens are put back together. Will pick up new cam bolts tomorrow and put it all back together. Will be like a new truck when done. Was quite a chore, but in the end it will be worth it. 8 year old trucks are tough, especially when they spent their life in SE Michigan with lots of road salt.

Sounds like the typical project. Just when you thought a couple hour project and fairly easy, turns into a 3 day couple hundred dollar job. I’m glad you got it figured out

 

[daveray9]

This happened to mine... had to cut the bolts. I ended up just getting new bushings off Rockauto and pushing out the old ones. But I'm in MA on the rust belt too, so its a joke when you tackle something "easy" that turns into a nightmare.

 

[FlaSeadude]

I was planning to install my Bilsteins today, but another project on my jet skis took longer than planned (figure the odds). So I ran up to the NAPA garage and they quoted me $250 for the install. The truck is heading up there first thing tomorrow morning. I love doing things myself, but I don’t feel like spending an entire day fighting the suspension...

Glad you were able to finally get your son’s truck done for him.

 

[jlsalani]

It took the extra day, but all went together well. Got a new set of BFG's 285/75R17... they were able to get it aligned properly and all is good. Rides great now and has quite a stance to it also. We put the Bil's at the 2.1 setting. Has a very slight rake to it. Always is a challenge when doing the driveway mechanic thing. I really like doing the work but wish I had a proper setup like a lift! I have a '15 RAM and I think I will do the same work next summer on mine before the rust really gets to the fasteners... plus I think it rides better than stock.

The '11's next venture is going to be the rusted rockers... not sure any body shops will touch it, most won't take on any work on rust. If not, might as well jump in and learn something new

Final setup
Zone UCA
Bilstiens on all 4 corners, fronts set at 2.1
no-name lower control arms
new front bearings
new front rotors
new outer tie rod ends
275/75R17 BFG

 

[JROOT327]

It took the extra day, but all went together well. Got a new set of BFG's 285/75R17... they were able to get it aligned properly and all is good. Rides great now and has quite a stance to it also. We put the Bil's at the 2.1 setting. Has a very slight rake to it. Always is a challenge when doing the driveway mechanic thing. I really like doing the work but wish I had a proper setup like a lift! I have a '15 RAM and I think I will do the same work next summer on mine before the rust really gets to the fasteners... plus I think it rides better than stock.

The '11's next venture is going to be the rusted rockers... not sure any body shops will touch it, most won't take on any work on rust. If not, might as well jump in and learn something new

Final setup
Zone UCA
Bilstiens on all 4 corners, fronts set at 2.1
no-name lower control arms
new front bearings
new front rotors
new outer tie rod ends
275/75R17 BFG

I'm looking at the same sized tires and possibly leveling as well. Any pics of it finished?