I finally got the panhard bar installed. What a hassle if you don’t have any help. A couple friends came over but we weren’t able to safely lift the bed off. So they left.

Plan B: I rented an engine hoist. But, I only had three hours before I had to return it. Returning tomorrow was out of the question, because I’ll be in Thousand Bucks by 8 am. Ouch, no breaks for anything!

Here are the instructions just in case anyone wants to remove the bed and/or install Stan’s panhard bar. I also have a Snuglid and bedrug.

1. Get the hoist first, or have a different tow vehicle to get it (my wife was at a golf tournament, so I was truckless).
2. Remove clips and shocks from snuglid. Carefully slid it back and tilt it onto a padded "something." Lift it off and "roll" it or slide it out of the way.
3. Carefully remove budrug from the tailgate’s velcro attachments. On a hot day, the glue will want to come off instead of the bedrug. Unzip bedrug, roll it up and set it aside.
4. Remove 6 bolts holding the bed to the frame.
5. Remove tailgate and set it aside.
6. Remove gas cap and remove three screws holding the filler tube on.
7. Loosen the clamp holding the fill tube to the bed and slide it out of the way. The clamp is easily seen when you’re on you back looking up at the fill tube.
8. Remove license plate lamps from the back side of rear bumper. Just twist and pull easy.
9. Disconnect wiring harness on the back side of the bumper on the driver’s side.
10. Install some type of rigging to hold the bumper on while you remove the 4 nuts holding it on. Remove the nuts and set the bumper aside.
11. Attach engine hoist to the four clips on the interior of the bed. Since I rock climb, I used several retired carabiners and webbing to balance the load. Too bad I didn’t have any spreaders or some spare unistrut. It would have made the hoist easier.
12. Place several towels or clean heavy rags between the bed and the cab. Stuff them in tight.
13. Lift the bed gently checking for any binding or something left in place.
14. When it’s about 6 inches up, stick in a couple 2x6’s and remove the vent line stuck in the bed.
15. Continue the lift until the ground effects are above the rear tires.
16. Pull truck forward and set bed on something tall enough to keep the ground effect off the ground.

17. Put LOTS of vaseline on your hands and take a photo.
http://www.SPIKEENGINEERING.COM/ligh...d/panhard2.jpg
18. Install panhard bar using Stan’s instructions.
19. Do the reverse to put it back together (and take a photo).
http://www.SPIKEENGINEERING.COM/ligh...d/panhard3.jpg
20. Race back to the rental shop while towing the lift because you only have 4 minutes to get there!


Spike
BTW, no comments yet. The truck is still red.

 

Spike - I didn't think the bed was that hard to take off. Have you and your friends not been eating your Wheaties?

Nice install though, what exactly is the panhard bar supposed to do?

 

No wheaties today!

When we lifted it, it was hanging up on something and we couldn't get it to clear the rear tires. Everything was unhooked and we tried several times but no-go. That's when I decided to get the hoist. One of the guys had a GNX and knew that if something went wrong and got scratched (or worse, dented), it wouldn't have been worth the effort. So, I got the hoist.

They called back thinking I'd need help guiding the bed off, but I already had it off.

Again, they called back and offered to come over and help guide it on. By the time they arrived, I already had it on and bolted down.

The panhard bar prevents lateral movement of the rear suspension on hard cornering. It'll make the rear more predictable on the turns. Other than that, it does nothing.

I've got the stock setup on video tape and the rear axle shifts quite a bit (about 1/2").

Spike