Gary Lewis Posted January 25, 2020 Share Posted January 25, 2020 Yours will probably drop at least 2" since you're running well-worn in OEM springs. Mine is hard to say because they're brand new and they have four leaves each pack. Probably 1.5-2 inches when all is said and done. It's hard to say though, my shackle angles are not where they're supposed to be with this RSK, but I believe the aftermarket packs run a little shorter than the OEM packs do, which may be why. Hopefully when the springs compress under the weight of the engine they'll move back the other way to a usable angle. Dropping 2" would put it dead-on level with the rear with the current load and suspension. But by the time the engine, transmission, winch, two batteries, etc are all in there I'm guessing the front may drop a bit more than 2" However, the rear is going to drop some as the transmission and all the stuff in the cab, like the carpet, seat, inverter, etc are going to bring it down some. Plus there are no fuel tanks nor fuel in the truck now. Nor spare tire, and it is HEAVY. And then I plan on removing leafs. But, I'm hoping to start on this journey tomorrow by installing the engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salans7 Posted January 25, 2020 Author Share Posted January 25, 2020 Dropping 2" would put it dead-on level with the rear with the current load and suspension. But by the time the engine, transmission, winch, two batteries, etc are all in there I'm guessing the front may drop a bit more than 2" However, the rear is going to drop some as the transmission and all the stuff in the cab, like the carpet, seat, inverter, etc are going to bring it down some. Plus there are no fuel tanks nor fuel in the truck now. Nor spare tire, and it is HEAVY. And then I plan on removing leafs. But, I'm hoping to start on this journey tomorrow by installing the engine. I forgot about your bumper and winch, that's definitely gonna weigh it down. Hopefully the engine install goes well! Now that the truck is on all four wheels, I can finally start working on driveline and axle things. Checking things off of the list is fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted January 25, 2020 Share Posted January 25, 2020 I forgot about your bumper and winch, that's definitely gonna weigh it down. Hopefully the engine install goes well! Now that the truck is on all four wheels, I can finally start working on driveline and axle things. Checking things off of the list is fun! Yes, checking things off the list is FUN! Some would say I'm creating a list with lots of things to check off just to feel good. And, while there may be some truth in that, the list helps me think through things. For instance, I'm not going to connect up the hydroboost system for fear of having leaks during the cam break-in. And that had kept me from delaying the step of filling the brake system and bleeding it. But I just realized that there's no hydraulic connection between hydroboost and brakes, so I can move that step up much earlier and check the big box called Brake System! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salans7 Posted March 27, 2020 Author Share Posted March 27, 2020 I forgot about your bumper and winch, that's definitely gonna weigh it down. Hopefully the engine install goes well! Now that the truck is on all four wheels, I can finally start working on driveline and axle things. Checking things off of the list is fun! Yes, checking things off the list is FUN! Some would say I'm creating a list with lots of things to check off just to feel good. And, while there may be some truth in that, the list helps me think through things. For instance, I'm not going to connect up the hydroboost system for fear of having leaks during the cam break-in. And that had kept me from delaying the step of filling the brake system and bleeding it. But I just realized that there's no hydraulic connection between hydroboost and brakes, so I can move that step up much earlier and check the big box called Brake System! Even though the truck has been on all four wheels since January, I haven't had U-bolts or plates to marry the axle to the springs, so I haven't really been able to move the truck. I had to think long and hard about who to pick the plates and u-bolts from, because I was not happy with the service I received from Sky's Offroad when I purchased the shackle hanger, and their business practice in my honest opinion leaves a lot to be desired (I follow them on Instagram and my opinion is also based partially on what I have seen there). I decided to contact a friend who works for RuffStuff to see if they could modify their Dana 60 "Simple Swap" kit so that I could have 3" spring plates necessary for my SD leaves. They were more than willing to work with me to get me the correct plates and u-bolts for the axle/spring combo, and the parts were shipped out on Tuesday and arrived to my house today. I couldn't ask for better service. With that being said, I told myself that once the axle was married, that I would push the truck off of the concrete. Mission accomplished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted March 27, 2020 Share Posted March 27, 2020 Even though the truck has been on all four wheels since January, I haven't had U-bolts or plates to marry the axle to the springs, so I haven't really been able to move the truck. I had to think long and hard about who to pick the plates and u-bolts from, because I was not happy with the service I received from Sky's Offroad when I purchased the shackle hanger, and their business practice in my honest opinion leaves a lot to be desired (I follow them on Instagram and my opinion is also based partially on what I have seen there). I decided to contact a friend who works for RuffStuff to see if they could modify their Dana 60 "Simple Swap" kit so that I could have 3" spring plates necessary for my SD leaves. They were more than willing to work with me to get me the correct plates and u-bolts for the axle/spring combo, and the parts were shipped out on Tuesday and arrived to my house today. I couldn't ask for better service. With that being said, I told myself that once the axle was married, that I would push the truck off of the concrete. Mission accomplished. Well done, Shaun. Erik @ Sky worked with me, but there were a lot of things I think could have been done better. And you got very quick service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salans7 Posted March 27, 2020 Author Share Posted March 27, 2020 Well done, Shaun. Erik @ Sky worked with me, but there were a lot of things I think could have been done better. And you got very quick service. My biggest issue was the fact that they have a website full of products, but only a very small handful of people working for them. I also noticed based off of their social media posts that they batch weld via an outside company. In other words, it doesn't seem like they weld their own products, hence the long lead times. That coupled with the fact that they threw a huge black Friday sale, knowing full well they could not keep up with demand was enough for me to choose to take my business elsewhere. They're great if you don't mind waiting weeks for them to find the time to take your order to the welding shop, but I don't really like the idea of spending close to $1k and having that money sit dormant for two weeks without any communication as to where the product I paid for is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted March 27, 2020 Share Posted March 27, 2020 Even though the truck has been on all four wheels since January, I haven't had U-bolts or plates to marry the axle to the springs, so I haven't really been able to move the truck. I had to think long and hard about who to pick the plates and u-bolts from, because I was not happy with the service I received from Sky's Offroad when I purchased the shackle hanger, and their business practice in my honest opinion leaves a lot to be desired (I follow them on Instagram and my opinion is also based partially on what I have seen there). I decided to contact a friend who works for RuffStuff to see if they could modify their Dana 60 "Simple Swap" kit so that I could have 3" spring plates necessary for my SD leaves. They were more than willing to work with me to get me the correct plates and u-bolts for the axle/spring combo, and the parts were shipped out on Tuesday and arrived to my house today. I couldn't ask for better service. With that being said, I told myself that once the axle was married, that I would push the truck off of the concrete. Mission accomplished. Man that thing is jacked! Love your backyard there Shaun. Level ground and nicely shaded in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted March 27, 2020 Share Posted March 27, 2020 Love your backyard there Shaun. Level ground and nicely shaded in. Welcome to the entire state of Florida! It's a coral reef, so nothing higher than the last ocean rise event. Tropical weather causes everything to grow in quickly. A constant battle to keep the jungle at bay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1986F150Six Posted March 27, 2020 Share Posted March 27, 2020 Man that thing is jacked! You might need to carry a step ladder with you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted March 27, 2020 Share Posted March 27, 2020 Man that thing is jacked! I had a dream about this last night. I saw Big Blue from a distance and he was way up in the air. Then, when I got closer, I realized he was sitting on scaffolding, tires dangling in the breeze. No idea why I had that dream, or nightmare, but it sure fit in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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