**UPDATE!!**
I installed a Belltech 965SP drop kit over the past two and a half days. I did not document the process however, I thought I would make a post about problems I ran into. This install seemed to have challenge after challenge, nothing went smooth.
My neighbor and I started the install on Wednesday July 3rd in the late afternoon in my garage. We started with the rear because we figured it would be easier. I did the Mcghaughy's drop springs a little more than a year ago and it was fairly easy. The rear is easier. Problems we had with the rear were the top shock nut. The nut that is on the inside of the truck is very hard to get to, you can't get a socket in there, or a normal sized wrench. The big problem is the frame design and the nut itself is not welded to the frame like on Chevys or Fords. The frame has a bump in it right in front of the nut. After combing through YouTube videos and asking forum members there are a couple of ways to get a grip on the nut. We used a set of small Kobalt vice grips we bought from Lowes. I also saw/read to use a crow's foot, cut the handle off a monkey wrench, and probably the best way would be to just use a stubby wrench. But you can't find a stubby wrench anywhere... One forum member said when he installed the shocks he welded a tab to the nut, like on the track bar which made the install of the new shock easier. It was a fight to get the track bar in the track bar relocation bracket.
We did not get through the install on Wednesday afternoon and continued to Thursday July 4th. The biggest headache was the shock nut. After finishing the rear on Thursday we stopped. About 7 hours of work.
Today's work was much longer. We started about 1145am, and finished about 610pm! I am active duty military, so for those that know, most based have a MWR auto hobby shop. While you can get away with doing the rear in your garage with hand tools, wrenches, and socket sets, I would highly recommended that you do the front somewhere with air wrenches and a spring compressor. The biggest headache, and pain in the @$$ were the damn springs! Getting the springs out, none of the components wanted to move, you'll need a pretty long bar for leverage to get the bottom of the strut out.
Use an impact wrench to initially loosen the 18mm strut nut. When we took the first stock strut and spring to the compressor and compressed the spring we used what I think I remember was an 8mm wrench on the top of the strut pin, and another wrench on the 18mm nut. After several times turning the 18mm wrench to remove the nut, the 8mm strut pin became threaded, and just tuned inside the 8mm wrench. We then tried to use vice grips to hold the top of the strut pin while turning the 18mm nut with a wrench. We got the nut to move a little bit, however it would just turn!
We were in an oh **** moment, and we did not know how we were going to get the nut off. A less than 4 hour job just got a lot longer. Our only option was to try to grind the nut out. So the hobby shop had a 3 inch circular grinder, but no blades. Fortunately the Napa Auto Part on base, right around the corner had them and would deliver to our bay. Napa Auto Parts did not have any upper strut assemblies in stock. The dealership had two upper strut assemblies in stock. The grinder blades showed up pretty quickly, and then while my buddy began work on trying to get the nut grinded out, I called a taxi to take me to the dealership and back to get the upper assemblies in case it got real bad because at this point, I had one good stock strut and spring assembly, and another compromised because the top nut had moved, but was now frozen.
I go to dealer, and go back, while he is still trying to grind out the nut. When I get back he is still working on it and had made some progress, some of the center rubber was cut up. We then took a drill and tried drilling it out. We went through 3 drill bits trying to destroy the nut to get the metal strut assembly plate off. Eventually we drilled and cut enough to get the plate off.
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Some useful hits, when you are taking off the nut, use a deep socket wrench on the small strut peg, and also use a socket that allows the strut peg to pass through the socket wrench for the strut nut. This allows you to have a socket on both the strut peg, and the nut and a lot less risk of stripping the peg.
Putting the new Belltech springs on the Belltech struts did not require much spring compression, however we put them in a spring compressor anyway to get the top nut tight. We had to use a pretty long leverage bar to push the lower control arm down enough to get the stock strut and spring out and the Belltech strut and spring in. I did not cut off the bump stops.
After getting all that in, wow I am impressed! The ride is much smoother than stock, but it is a little bumpy over bumps if that makes sense? Turning is smooth and tighter with not a lot of roll. The front has settled, but I think it will settle just a little bit more, right now it looks very level.
Pictures from a short cruise tonight are below:
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