Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.
Interesting. Have no idea what I'm looking at haha.you might like this; here are my rough plans for rear swaybar adapter plates:
Already on REV 3, but I think I got it straight now! 
Sweet!all will be revealed in due time
If all works out the way I hope it does, and someone is interested in this mod, I will scan a template you can use to drill holes on readily available metal stock for the conversion.
Fronts showed up today:
Fronts showed up today:
My driving impressions are very positive so far, honestly, after reading your experience with the same Belltech springs I did everything in my power to stress the suspension to see where it's limitations might lie short of taking it to the track. So here are my thoughts:
1. I believe doing a 4" rear suspension drop and running stock rear shocks long term is not a great idea. Mine were ok but there is just not enough travel left in them. (no new ground covered here, many have reported the same)
2. For me, switching to the Bilstein 5125 series rear shock with 255/70 digressive valving made a huge difference in rear end stability and performance. I initially gained an additional 1/2" of ride height. I will recheck that number in a few weeks to see if that still remains the case.
3. Unfortunately, switching to such a nice rear shock highlighted some shortcomings of the stock front shock, which on my truck are Hitachi's........that's a good thing in my mind because I was able to compare the characteristics of both to some degree. Right now when I'm aggressively taking a turn (i.e. trying to find the limit of rear traction as I gas out of a turn) I do get some bouncing......while not entirely unsettling it does not match the performance of the rear. Hence, I will be installing Bilstein 5125 series front shocks with 360/80 digressive valving as a starting point.
Will report back when I know more.
4. Adding the rear (Durango) air bags at 10psi is a nice addition that doesn't seem to have added too much effective spring rate. If I'm being picky I would have liked them to fill out the entire ID of the spring at little better; right now there is a slight gap around the entire circumference.
5. So far with no rear swaybar this setup is not bad at all and I enjoy driving it. More to evaluate once the rear bar is mounted up.
Some things that I'd like to address:
1. Still getting rear suspension noise(clunking) I have yet to evaluate the source of, but it may very well be what David discovered with his upgraded panhard bar situation. I do get some urethane squeak in some turns as well.
2. The mounts on the 5125 series shock are not 100% perfect (fixing those this week). They come with 1/2" ID - 5/8 OD sleeves in 5/8" ID rubber bushings. I will be swapping those out to 9/16" ID - 3/4" OD sleeves in 3/4" ID urethane bushings to get them 100% correct. Was this necessary (no), does it bother me (yes)
3. Driveshaft balancer is hitting the shield on the gas tank. Thinking about removing it and applying it directly to the tank with adhesive to gain clearance.......it's not a critical thing so I have some time to figure this one out.
4. With the rear axle centered in the wheel wells the coil springs are cocked back and not in a perfect up and down orientation. Not much to be done here except possibly sucking the wheelbase back in a bit to minimize this relationship or I'll just be "ok" with it. For now I'm going to be "ok" with it.
5. The urethane bushing on the panhard bar extends beyond the edges of the relocation bracket so I do get some distortion on the bushing as a result. I have no immediate fix for this.
Sorry for the long response, just sort of highlighting some things I guess. She rides nice! Honestly, firm but not obnoxious. Handles great so far..... but I can't give my 100% impression until she's done! I'm having a blast wrenching and getting the suspension dialed in
My driving impressions are very positive so far, honestly, after reading your experience with the same Belltech springs I did everything in my power to stress the suspension to see where it's limitations might lie short of taking it to the track. So here are my thoughts:
1. I believe doing a 4" rear suspension drop and running stock rear shocks long term is not a great idea. Mine were ok but there is just not enough travel left in them. (no new ground covered here, many have reported the same)
2. For me, switching to the Bilstein 5125 series rear shock with 255/70 digressive valving made a huge difference in rear end stability and performance. I initially gained an additional 1/2" of ride height. I will recheck that number in a few weeks to see if that still remains the case.
3. Unfortunately, switching to such a nice rear shock highlighted some shortcomings of the stock front shock, which on my truck are Hitachi's........that's a good thing in my mind because I was able to compare the characteristics of both to some degree. Right now when I'm aggressively taking a turn (i.e. trying to find the limit of rear traction as I gas out of a turn) I do get some bouncing......while not entirely unsettling it does not match the performance of the rear. Hence, I will be installing Bilstein 5125 series front shocks with 360/80 digressive valving as a starting point.
Will report back when I know more.
4. Adding the rear (Durango) air bags at 10psi is a nice addition that doesn't seem to have added too much effective spring rate. If I'm being picky I would have liked them to fill out the entire ID of the spring at little better; right now there is a slight gap around the entire circumference.
5. So far with no rear swaybar this setup is not bad at all and I enjoy driving it. More to evaluate once the rear bar is mounted up.
Some things that I'd like to address:
1. Still getting rear suspension noise(clunking) I have yet to evaluate the source of, but it may very well be what David discovered with his upgraded panhard bar situation. I do get some urethane squeak in some turns as well.
2. The mounts on the 5125 series shock are not 100% perfect (fixing those this week). They come with 1/2" ID - 5/8 OD sleeves in 5/8" ID rubber bushings. I will be swapping those out to 9/16" ID - 3/4" OD sleeves in 3/4" ID urethane bushings to get them 100% correct. Was this necessary (no), does it bother me (yes)
3. Driveshaft balancer is hitting the shield on the gas tank. Thinking about removing it and applying it directly to the tank with adhesive to gain clearance.......it's not a critical thing so I have some time to figure this one out.
4. With the rear axle centered in the wheel wells the coil springs are cocked back and not in a perfect up and down orientation. Not much to be done here except possibly sucking the wheelbase back in a bit to minimize this relationship or I'll just be "ok" with it. For now I'm going to be "ok" with it.
5. The urethane bushing on the panhard bar extends beyond the edges of the relocation bracket so I do get some distortion on the bushing as a result. I have no immediate fix for this.
Sorry for the long response, just sort of highlighting some things I guess. She rides nice! Honestly, firm but not obnoxious. Handles great so far..... but I can't give my 100% impression until she's done! I'm having a blast wrenching and getting the suspension dialed in
