Got the L lowered this weekend, the rear that is. I used the Belltech 3/4 kit, did the front last week.

Everything went great except for removing the factory hangers. First, started cutting deep groves with a cutting wheel on the factory rivits, then took a air chisel and chiseled the heads off. Well you think you could knick the hanger off, wrong. What we did was grind heads of the rivits completly flush, then the hanger poped of with a little help of a 3 pound sledge. So you would think you now can knock the rivits out, wrong. So after many ideas, we decided to grind the rivits completly flush to the frame. Drilled about half way into the rivits and then air chiseled them through. Jackpot.

Whew, it was alomost too much work.

Anybody else have this problem?

 

That is exactly how I did it, but I did everything in one weekend. Man was I beat after all of that. It was one of the biggest pains in the a$$ I have ever had to deal with.

It wasn't that it was hard to understand how to install the hangers, but more that it was SOOOOOOOOO frustrating trying to physically get those stupid rivets out.

Glad you finally finished.

 

That's funny!

There is no way I could have done it in one weekend. The front seemed sooooo easy compared to the rear.

I envy people with the lift's, I did it with jack stands and a floor jack.

Were your u-joints super long? It took me forever!

 

Different rear leafs are easy to install and it doesn't make sense why most people avoid them.

 

Lets see some pictures man!!! HaHa. All you folks that have a big drop like that.....you don't bottom out and scrape everywhere>??? -Mat-

 

And aren't they basically the same price as a set of hangars too?

-Mike

 

ROUSH

 

I don't know about that others, but I did not choose to use aftermarket rear leafs so that I could maintain factory payload and ride quality. With a nice set of shocks it rides great, but I will need a c-notch in order to carry any decent amount of weight in the bed.

In hind sight, I would probably opt for a different setup just to avoid that install again. It would be worth an increase in cost just to save my personal time spent to install those stupid hangers.

 

Ummm, what

If you dropped it 4 inches in the rear, you did NOT maintain the factory payload. You effectively reduced the payload because you have lost suspension travel. Hotchkis rear leafs maintain payload, while still dropping the truck two inches. Not to mention they are really easy to install. . . or uninstall to put the truck back to normal if you want to sell it later.

 

i did a dodge ram last year for someone and those rivets are a pain . i was even useing a plasma cutter,air hammer, air chizel but its somthing you just have to work at till you find what gets them. hopfully you figure it out before you get to the last one.
Don

 

Well, I will have to differ on this one. The only reason a 3 inch drop reduces payload is the reduction in clearance for the axle. Since the factory springs are under the same load with the 3 inch drop versus stock, then they can physically handle the load. In order to provide the clearance needed for the axle, you must have a c-notch.

All of the after market leaf kits contain less leaf springs than the stock setup, but they are a little bit thicker. This is to make them stiffer, but not necessarily stronger. Granted, they handle much better that way, but I didn't want that stiffness.

If I were to install a 3 inch c-notch, then I don't see how the truck would be far off from factory capabilities. Any lowered truck will sacrafice payload unless you can provide an increase in travel equal to the drop you put on the truck.

 

Audio18, yup, you're right. Sounded to me like you hadn't installed the C-notch though; in which case, you would have lost payload. If you have, my mistake. However, it should also be noted that not all aftermarket leaf springs reduce payload capacity.