Check over on NLOC for the full details. Looks great. Top quality harware and everything fit perfectly. I will post some road test info as soon as I get it aligned.

Thanks again to SpoonDog, FalshSVT and Hex_A_Gon. Kind of cool have 4 L's in the driveway yesterday.

 

Here are some pics:
http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4292395141


When you get there click on "View" and select "Index". It makes things much eaiser. =)

 

Wow just read my post. I couldn't type/spell this morning.

FlashSVT. Thanks for the photo post. Did the medium clay work for you?

 

Who the heck is Falsh? He must have shown up when Spoon and I were getting the bushings pressed on. =)

The local Zaino distributor doesn't have access to polish on weekends. =(

I'll have to wait until tomorrow or Tuesday to re-clay the front.

 

Well it's in for the alignment. The ride to work felt good. The ride is firmer than stock but not abusive. The truck settled right down in the dips and body roll is all but nonexistant. Can't wait for the ride home after alignment so I really check it out. The truck feels very well planted. My route to work is all rural country back roads. One corner is slightly banked right hander that is very washboardy (bumpy). The old setup would skip and bounce and lose traction. New setup just hooked up and went. Nice. Also one big "G-out" dip the really upset the old setup and took a couple of rebounds for it to catch up. New setup took the dip and settled right down. No bouncing at all. More fun to come.

 

The after alignment ride was a blast. Stable and stuck to the road. The turn in is so much faster now. I blew several apex's because I turned in too early. Took a little to get the feel but I like it. It is firm. You will feel a difference in the ride. I like the ride to be firmer in my vehicles. This is just right. I still plan to add the panhard bar.

Problem now is it making me think hard about the brakes. Need better brakes.

For the guys with 99-00 get yourself the 01 Bilstien shocks asap. My stockers were toast at 12k miles. For all 99-01's for about $20 +/- pick up a set of front sway bar end links with urethane bushings. This coupled with good quality shocks will make a difference.

 

What is a panhard bar and what does it do?

 

Good report Silver-Bolt! I'm eager to get a test-ride in on your truck before I maybe start thinking about going with the new swaybars. Thanks!

~rick

 

Bolt: I put Hotchkis on my '01L about 4 months ago, without changing the shocks and swaybars. What shocks did you use? My shop recommended waiting and try out the suspension, but I think the ride is still a little too stiff, especially the back end (hops a little). The truck rides awsome, though, on smooth highway and I rarely feel the speed I 'm going (even when hitting 90+). In the city, though, a different story. The stiffness in front does help the front end from bottoming, which I am thankful. I realize that it is a truck, but should I keep the factory shocks for city driving?

Someone suggested KYB, but did Hotchkis already come out with their own brand? #2, what can I expect if I change the swaybars too?

Thanks.

 

Mewiah,
I used the 01 Bilstien shocks. Not as good as a shock tuned for the truck but a huge improvement over the 99-00 junk shocks. I plan to run these for a while and see how they do. Koni makes an adjustable shock for our trucks that I may end up going with. If your pockets are deep Penske makes the best shock. At a cost of $750 each I think I will pass at this point. Matbe after the brake upgrade.

The sway bars will help eliminate the body roll. If you allready have the springs try just replacing the front sway bar end links. Cheap easy and will help.

Spoon,
No problem anytime you want a ride come on over. I think with a little measuring we can find some shorter dog bones and end links that will work with your setup. My want to do that first, then look at the bars down the road.

 

It's this hunk of metal made by Stan (ruslow) that keeps the back end more steady and predictable in cornering.

Install:
http://nloc.org/ubb/Forum2/HTML/002337.html

Good info on it:
http://nloc.org/ubb/Forum2/HTML/002054.html

 

Silver-bolt Sounds like the Hotchkis suspension setup is working very well for you. Have you tried any hard accelerations from a stop? Wondering if you noticed any difference in weight transfer after your mods.

 

Silver01,
I can't give an accurate feeling on a hard launch. Sal at PSP has my chip for a re-burn. I should be able to post some launch feed back on Thursday. My initial guess is that there is less weight transfer now. I think the new shocks contribute more to this than the new springs. The new springs are a 2 leaf setup with less arch than the stockers.

Side note to the road racers. I will be playing with a new chip program that should work well on the road courses. Playing with the shift points to aid in the turn exits. I will post once the chip is back and I get time to play.