I want to put the Roush kit in this weekend but I don't want to drive the truck to the dealer with the wrong alignment since I will be installing the new cam bolts.

I want to lower it and not mess with the upper control arms. The cam bolts will get installed while at the dealer getting aligned. I may not be able to take the truck immediately either so I was wondering if it was safe to drive the truck with the lowered suspension on with the stock alignment settings since I won't be installing the cam bolts.

Thanks for any help

 

By lowering it, the shims for the stock set-up will be as wrong as non-adjusted cam bolts. The ride height plays a major role in suspension geometry and alignment settings, therefore the stock shims will no longer be correct. Put the cam bolts in and get it aligned ASAP (same or next day). Driving with a bad alignment is hard on the truck and tires and is potentially dangerous.

Herb

 

looks like I will have to fire up the Cobra for a couple of days till I get it aligned.

Another question on that Roush kit, how do you know which side is up on the front springs or does it matter?

 

It's gonna be wrong regardless. put the cam bolts in and eyeball it.

 

the spring will only go in one way and you have to make sure that the end of the spring is sitting in the a-arm

 

The springs are unidirectional ... If I remember correctly either
the Roush or RUSLOW's has a flat gound end ... that's the bottom
and the top goes into the rubber grommet

 

Just do the cam bolts, as Rusty says ... You won't be too far off if you mark
the center of the old bolts and try to come back just about the same.

Besides you need to take off the upper control arm to put the spring in anyway.

Here's a link to the set of instructions ... Roush Step by Step with PICS

 

I don't know about the Hotchkis or Roush coils, but the stock unit have one 'closed' end and one 'free run' end. The closed end goes into the lower A arm and the free run end accepts the ramper rubber isolator to 'flatten' the top of the spring into the spring seat.

A closed has a bend in the end of the last coil to approximate a flat end. It is easily identified by the reduction in gap between adjacent coils toward the end of the coil wire on the last twist.

A free run end is just cut and not bent to flatten the end of the coil spring. The coil gap (free space) is uniform to the end.

Another end treatment is 'ground' where there is a true flat end. The coile end is first closed, then ground truely flat. The end wire wrap looks pointed in theis configuration. This end style is not used for our truck.

Herb

 

looking at the coil closely there are no flat ground ends but when I stand the spring up on a flat surface, one end will sit almost level and when I flip the spring it won't stay standing so one end is flatter than the other. I thought the flatter end would go up and the other end would go in the spring pocket in the control arm? That is how I did it on my Mustang.

I saw the instructions that SVT KY did and they helped a ton in getting me prepared to tackle this project.

Thanks for the help so far!

 

There should be no flat ground end, so that's a good thing.

With the coil standing straighter (as you mentioned you noticed), the 'closed' end is on the ground and the 'free run' end is in the air.

The rubber isolator has a ramp cast into it's shape to fit the slope of the coil and the lower A arm has a recessed depression to fit the opposite coil end. The best way to check is to set the coil in place in the A-arm each way and see which fits there the best. The rubber isolator, being rubber, is compressible and will have more give than the steel A-arm, so it sould get second vote. You also might set the isolator in place on each end and see which sits flatter. In an ideal world, the isolator sound fit bend on the opposite end that fits the A-arm best.

Herb

 

that makes sense. I went to look at the lower control arm and noticed the recess is flat unlike that of my mustang where the recess would follow the free run of the coil. I was looking at the installation instructions on the factory service manual and it says there are 2 holes in the lower control arm pocket and that the spring should cover one hole and the pigtail should partially cover the other hole. I am assuming I follow these same rules on these springs?

Thanks so much for the help so far Herb.

 

No problem!

And yes, your assumption is correct. The top of the spring (with the stock rubber isolator installed) always presents a flat surface to the upper spring cup, so its rotational position does not matter. The holes in the lower A-arm still apply for aftermarket springs and those dictate how the spring sits so that it does not move after installation - also setting a common point for even ride height side-to-side. The lowest hole is actually a drain or weep hole, so that the spring end is not submerged in water in the rain. I usually put the free end right at the edge of the lowest hole, fully covering the upper hole.

Herb

 

Thank you for your help Herb. I really appreciate it.

 

i always heard the opposite on the ruslow's. the botom stays the same since the lower A-arm has the dip in the pocket for the spring end that sticks out, and the tops of the coils are ground flat, and put in without the stock rubber insulator, so the flat top of the spring sits in the flat upper A-arm pocket. thats how i installed mine as well.



also as said above throw the cam bolts in while you are doing the drop since you gotta unbolt the upper A-arms anyhow. SVTKY's how-to makes it a breeze

and its a good idea to not get your truck aligned immediately after you lower it, or else plan on going back the next week for another alignment. drive the truck 50-70 miles or so and put it through the works on some rougher roads to settle the suspension. guys have posted up before they dropped the truck and took it right in for an alignment, then noticed uneven tire wear since the truck settled more after it was aligned.

i've lowered the front of mine twice so far, and did 2 other guys front drops and every time we only got 1/2 to maybe 3/4 of the total drop amount after immediately doing it. after driving 50 miles or so gained a little more. and you alignment isnt going to be off the wall that far where it'll hurt your tires badly, you wont notice any odd wear from 50 miles with it being just a hair off, but over time you will if you get it aligned immediately then it settles after that

 

Herb,

I got to thinking after I posted that ... I haven't done a kit in a few years now, so I am really rusty. Thanks for the better descriptions ...

Cliff