2015 Front Spring/Shock Swap

[NickTF]

Ok, so its about time to order the overland shocks and taller hemi springs Thuren offers. Going to roll with the oem track bar for a good long while. Few questions.

1. Does disengaging the sway bar help at all in dropping the axle lower for the spring swap?
2. What size spring compressor is recommended or will nearly any work? Will likely rent one.
3. Do you know if new hardware is required for swapping the shocks or will the OEM hardware work with the new shocks?
4. Since the lift is fairly minimal how necessary is a post lift alignment?

Thanks.

[black_hawk8888]

I put in the Thuren kit about 6 months ago.

1. Just unbolt the driver's side bolt on the sway bar - pretty much have to do this to get the necessary droop.
2. Don't need a spring compressor. Just make sure you disconnect the locker wires and breather hose to the axle so you can get enough droop for the springs to drop out and slip the new ones in...
3. Overland shocks come with new nuts for the top and I reused the bottom bolt/nut.
4. I didn't bother with a post lift alignment because my stock tires were almost worn out and was planning on new tires soon. Truck didn't seem to track any differently after the lift. Other guys might chime in on this.

Good luck!

[NickTF]

I put in the Thuren kit about 6 months ago.

1. Just unbolt the driver's side bolt on the sway bar - pretty much have to do this to get the necessary droop.
2. Don't need a spring compressor. Just make sure you disconnect the locker wires and breather hose to the axle so you can get enough droop for the springs to drop out and slip the new ones in...
3. Overland shocks come with new nuts for the top and I reused the bottom bolt/nut.
4. I didn't bother with a post lift alignment because my stock tires were almost worn out and was planning on new tires soon. Truck didn't seem to track any differently after the lift. Other guys might chime in on this.

Good luck!

Wow, didn't think you could get the axle low enough to do the swap with no compressor!

I must ask, what were your impressions of the ride and behavior of the truck before and after the addition of the overland kit? What other parts did you replace when installing the shocks and springs?

[black_hawk8888]

I just did springs/shocks and the Thuren sway bar. Nothing else to replace unless you are thinking upgraded bump stops. Ride is great - a bit smoother than stock and great flex.

[14PowerWaggy]

Having the Thuren Overland kit installed next week... Looking forward to seeing how the truck handles/rides...

[Taylor04]

I'm also planning to install Thuren front overland kit this weekend. Can't wait to see the truck level.


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[rkgzx9leftcoast]

Ok, so its about time to order the overland shocks and taller hemi springs Thuren offers. Going to roll with the oem track bar for a good long while. Few questions.

1. Does disengaging the sway bar help at all in dropping the axle lower for the spring swap?
2. What size spring compressor is recommended or will nearly any work? Will likely rent one.
3. Do you know if new hardware is required for swapping the shocks or will the OEM hardware work with the new shocks?
4. Since the lift is fairly minimal how necessary is a post lift alignment?

Thanks.

Hey, I put Thurens front kit on last fall. I put his trackbar on at the same time, his kit price is unbeatable? His instructions are pretty good, I disconnected the sway bar links when I did mine, I think it helps a little when pushing down on each side.

Didnt need a spring compressor for mine, you can push down the axle that far, once shock is out, and brake line brackets are disconnected from axle. Also, dont freak out when you put his spring and the Stock PW spring side by side. I got the 1.5 Inch lift and at first I thought they sent me the .5 inch springs . LOL The stock spring is almost the same height as his, but you will notice coil diameter difference and # of coils for his rate. Believe me it does lift the front 1.5 inches!!

His overland shocks come with all the hardware, rubber grommets, ect.

I waited a while to get mine aligned, till about 2 months or so later after I put 37`s on. I have some pics in the tire thread and PW pic thread. He has his own specs for alignment, you can e-mail him if you dont have. He likes 0 Toe. Will still need to probably re-center steering wheel though.

Also tools I can look when I get home, but I know a 18MM 21MM 14MM 19MM 10MM sockets and wrenches are your friend. I think the Track Bar was 27 MM ??? Maybe someone else can chime in. oh yeah, if you do the trackbar, a Racket strap is your best friend to pull bolt holes back into place if you do yourself. Big breaker bar or Pipe for Trackbar also. The back auto nut on the passenger side Trackbar bolt was the hardest, has a tab you have to hold it by while you try and start bolt in it... that took a while. LOL I put taller jackstands under the front boxes off frames right behind bumper.

Anyway, I love mine, It does ride better, some of it came from the taller tires as well. I think Lings are what really makes the difference. He is truthful on his site, the overland shocks are nothing that special, but a nice cheaper shock to start with. Kings are on my wish list . LOL I still say most of the harsh ride comes from rear of empty truck.

[rkgzx9leftcoast]

Oh yeah, I thought I had a pic of stock track bar and Thuren side by side, cant seem to find it, but its night and day as far as quality...just FYI

[NickTF]

90% of my offroad driving is work related, I doubt I will need any upgrade in the future on shocks given high speed offroad is just never going to be in my future. Thanks for the replies. Good to hear on no need of a compressor. Sounds like a super easy swap. I know the swap to 2.5" skyjacker D25s on my 97 2500 truck was pretty easy.

ps. Going to the 37s just by itself definitely makes the truck ride nicer!

[rkgzx9leftcoast]

Yeah, I dont go off road here in AZ that much, would like to more, but I think air pressure is a big help with off road. My truck rides like a Cadillac on the highway at 70. Ridge grapplers are part of it. It s kind of stiff off road on big bumps, but I havnt taken it down below 40 lbs , im sure 25 or 30 lbs in the tire makes a big difference. For the money I dont think you can find a better mod that his front end kit. I am going to try his King Stabilizer and rear track bar next !

[DamageWagon]

I've never heard someone say that Thurens instructions were good. That is definitely a first. He must give you "best gen" guys better write ups. I think my spring install paper said "remove OEM coils. Install new coils." It didn't mention the part where my driveshaft was sitting on my exhaust pipe and I was standing on a brake rotor to install the spring while disconnecting the brake lines lol


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[rkgzx9leftcoast]

I've never heard someone say that Thurens instructions were good. That is definitely a first. He must give you "best gen" guys better write ups. I think my spring install paper said "remove OEM coils. Install new coils." It didn't mention the part where my driveshaft was sitting on my exhaust pipe and I was standing on a brake rotor to install the spring while disconnecting the brake lines lol


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Yeah, for us "best gen" guys they even offer a mechanic with white gloves to come do the work .LOL Your right, the instructions were not a book, so to speak, but had a few helpful pics, but yeah, I think with any of this stuff you have to jump to conclusions to do the work.... I think the shock inside the spring guys have it harder!!!

[nts007]

You need to unhook the track bar from either side to easily swap the springs. Trust me. You can fight one in but never get the other. The track bar will hold you up and many beers and many swears later you will just unbolt the track bar. The axle will swing nice and free and droop to wherever you need

[NickTF]

You need to unhook the track bar from either side to easily swap the springs. Trust me. You can fight one in but never get the other. The track bar will hold you up and many beers and many swears later you will just unbolt the track bar. The axle will swing nice and free and droop to wherever you need

Have you found this to be the case with the 14 and up year trucks?

[nts007]

Any solid axle is restricted by the track bar. You are also over twisting the bushings that do not piviot! They only flex in the stock track bar. You are installing longer springs. You will want it to be loose

[Rodeoflyer]

Loosening the body side boots on the long arms helps keep that bushing from binding as well.

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[Chromolykid]

Would it be easier to just compress the coil at full droop with everything still attached?

[nts007]

Not really. These springs are very stiff and not many compressors can adjust the travel you actually need safely. Not saying you can't but it's pretty easy to just loosen off a couple nuts. Even better if you pull all the bolts and coat them all in anti sieze if you ever plan on removing them again

[DamageWagon]

I will happily take shock in spring, knowing that I can stuff 4.0's in there. I wish there was a "middle finger" emoji to send the way of the "best gen" guys, as I fly past you with my 3.0's. Pfffffft. You guys do get stock long arms and engines that don't wear out cam shafts at 160,00 though


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[nts007]

Hey now. Emulation is a form of flattery from you next gen wagons

[Taylor04]

Ok, so its about time to order the overland shocks and taller hemi springs Thuren offers. Going to roll with the oem track bar for a good long while. Few questions.

1. Does disengaging the sway bar help at all in dropping the axle lower for the spring swap?
2. What size spring compressor is recommended or will nearly any work? Will likely rent one.
3. Do you know if new hardware is required for swapping the shocks or will the OEM hardware work with the new shocks?
4. Since the lift is fairly minimal how necessary is a post lift alignment?

Thanks.

I just installed the overland front kit on my 2016. More photos are in the picture thread.

1. Yes undoing the sway bar helped the axle drop.



2. I chose not to use a spring compressor. I didn't feel comfortable using the light duty ones I have.

3. Only new hardware that came with the overland front kit was for the top shock mount...rubber bushings, washers, and nuts. Other than that I reused all nuts and bolts with a little anti-seize.

4. I had to lengthen the new track bar 1-1/2 turns to get the axle centered under the truck but it's still not perfect. I first installed it with the pre set length out of the box like the instructions said but the axle pulled to the drivers side a good bit and my steering wheel was off. After adjustment I'm still 1/8" towards driver side but my steering wheel is centered again. Maybe another half turn will get the axle centered. I'm getting an alignment anyways to see what changed. Plus tires were expensive.

*EDIT* - I spoke with Aaron from Thuren and this is not recommended. I'm returning the trackbar to factory length 39-1/16"

Some notes from the install...

1. I had to undo brake like brackets (two per side), vent tube clips, locker and CAD wiring, sway bar, and the frame side track bar so the axle could drop enough for the stock coils to come out. I was surprised how tall the stock coils are.







2. I bolted the new track bar to the axle first and used the floor jacks to bump the axle over a bit when lining up the frame side.











Overall I'm happy and eager to get some miles on this setup. So far I've noticed less dive under braking.

[nts007]

So nice to work on such a clean truck....little jealous

[Taylor04]

So nice to work on such a clean truck....little jealous

Thanks. Gotta keep the mall crawler clean lol

[olyelr]

Damn I am not seeing any pics on my computer for some reason....

Regardless of the track bar length the steering wheel will be off center. It was way off center when I put the 1.5" leveling kit on my truck. Adjusting the wheel is easy. Simply loosen the two nuts on the drag link, spin the adjuster till wheel is straight and tighten the nuts back up. Two large adjustable wrenches works great. Pulling down on the nuts loosens them, pushing them up tightens then. To loosen them I let one of the wrenches rest against the tie rod when I spin down the nuts, and when tightening I rest one of the wrenches against the sway bar when spinning the nuts up... easy one man show. A little tip.. remember where the steering wheel is when you are driving the truck straight down the road, then when adjusting the wheel make sure it is in that same location when you start... then while you are adjusting all you have to do is spin the adjuster until the wheel is straight.

[Taylor04]

Damn I am not seeing any pics on my computer for some reason....

Regardless of the track bar length the steering wheel will be off center. It was way off center when I put the 1.5" leveling kit on my truck. Adjusting the wheel is easy. Simply loosen the two nuts on the drag link, spin the adjuster till wheel is straight and tighten the nuts back up. Two large adjustable wrenches works great. Pulling down on the nuts loosens them, pushing them up tightens then. To loosen them I let one of the wrenches rest against the tie rod when I spin down the nuts, and when tightening I rest one of the wrenches against the sway bar when spinning the nuts up... easy one man show. A little tip.. remember where the steering wheel is when you are driving the truck straight down the road, then when adjusting the wheel make sure it is in that same location when you start... then while you are adjusting all you have to do is spin the adjuster until the wheel is straight.

I figured I'd have to adjust the drag link to get the wheel perfect. Thanks for the tips.

I used a shared iCloud album to host the images. First time I've tried it, not surprised theres issues with the photos. I noticed on Tapatalk not all the pics show up too.