Uneven suspension and boot rub at full droop

I had the front end of my truck up on a floor jack last weekend and put the front end at full droop to take a look at everything. While looking at the driver's side, I noticed that my boot just below the control arm was actually pushed up against my spring. Upon further review, other parts are rubbing as well.

Setup (on for over 1 full year):
OME 885 coils
5100's set at .85
1/4" top plate spacer on driver's side (for taco lean)
Light Racing UCA's
Sway bar - on

Here are the pics side by side. Notice that nothing touches at full droop (although some close calls) on the passenger side:

Passenger - top boot by UCA (clear of coil)


Driver - top boot by UCA (pushed up against coil)



Passenger - sway bar (CV boot clear of sway bar)


Driver - sway bar (CV boot pushed against sway bar)



Passenger - CV boot (boot just clear of shock mount)


Driver - CV boot (boot just touches bottom shock mount)



So, my question is... is it possible that only the 1/4" top plate spacer on the driver's side is causing such an off-balance positioning at full droop? When I lower the truck back down and have it sit level, everything clears and is fine. Boots are all intact, as I'm obviously not at full droop very often (and if so, it's very quick).

Any thoughts here as to why there's such a huge difference? I double checked that both shocks are still at .85 and that one didn't slip, but they are set fine. I noticed nothing bent at all on either side.

 

my uca balljoints is the same way. I have lightracing ucas also

 

Not saying this is your issue but I've heard before that the coil orientation (twist) can have an affect on the UCA hitting the coils, or in your case, the boot.

Edit: Damn you Ben, beat me to it :shakesfist:

 

OME 885 coils
5100's set at .85
1/4" top plate spacer on driver's side (for taco lean)

all that combined is the problem. You are not suppose to preload the OME's. you need to drop your billys down to "0".

 

My questions aside from the preload of the coil would be.....Are the LR UCAs set the same on both sides as far as what caster setting they are on and is the nut on top for camber adjustment about the same place in the elongated slot on both sides? Not really seeing the 1/4" top plate spacer for taco lean being an issue. I'm betting the coils aren't oriented the same on both sides and/or the UCAs aren't setup the same on both sides.

 

I initially had them at 0 but then loaded them up. I know it's not optimal, and ideally I need to get 886's to compensate for my winch/bumper weight. It's only temporary. I guess when I get the full OME kit on with 886's, I'll make sure the springs are turned to match, too.

Great input so far, everyone. Thank you.

 

You have had it that way for a year you said. Temporary would be like a few weeks or a month...

you can put the 886's on the billys, you just cant preload them. and Im sure you can resale the 885's pretty easily on here.

 

But the preload won't affect the droop. So even if he sets them lower (which I agree he should), the suspension will still droop the same amount, leading to the same contact with the UCA boot and coil. Only the top plate spacer increases droop in this case.

 

thats true. Well the OP has several things to look over and check out. Hopefully he will get it figured out

 

It seems that I'm having this same problem. Anyone here in 2019 have any ideas?

 

I had this issue as well with 5100s at the lowest perch, eibach 2.5" lift springs, top plate spacers, and spc ucas. Since the uca ball joint can be rotated and adjusted in and out, it plays a big role in whether it will touch the coil spring at full droop. However mine was not nearly as bad as the OP and I did not notice the other two issues he had with the sway bar and CV.

 

After a bit more poking around, I think I have it figured out. I put my lift in a few years ago (SPC uppers, OME 885 springs and 5100's). That was before I got my aluminum bumper and winch. I had it aligned at Les Schwab just after the install. It has driven straight and seemed OK, with the occasional weird sound on extreme potholes/bumps. I think the tech got it just good enough to barely miss the springs with the ball joint boot. Over the years, my springs have settled and my lower control arm bushings, especially the drivers rear bushing, have become shot more. I think this combination, has allowed the LCA to move inward toward the spring.

I have some new Moog LCA's with bushings and ball joints, and I have some OEM Cam bolts hardware (and a Sawzall) in the garage. I plan to replace the LCA's and adjust the cams to move the spindle out and re-align everything with the rear cams out most or all the way. I don't have the numbers, but here are some pics of the current situation. You can see that I have a lot of adjustment to work with. I assume the tech was not familiar with the SPC uppers and just got it within spec and set to barely miss the springs.


Driver's side front forward Cam


Driver's side rear forward Cam


Rear Driver's LCA Bushing (This is the main problem.)


Driver's side front and rear forward Cams


Driver's side rear rearward Cam


Front Driver's Tire (needs to move forward)

 

Update:
I am now into day 3 of my LCA replacement. I have one more seized tie rod jam nut left, and then I can do my alignment. It has been a pain in the ass. I have a theory that the previous owner used the truck to launch a boat, and dunked it in the water a lot. Almost all of my nuts and bolts have been seized up. I expect a frame recall is in my future.

I ran to Lowe's on Friday night to grab some diablo blades, but they didn't carry them. So, I got some Lennox blades that were made for thick metal, but were not carbide. I think that was a mistake, since I spent all Saturday with the sawzall. Had to cut the cam bolts on both sides of 3 of the bushings. All of the cam bolts, except for the passenger rear bushing bolt, were totally seized up. I finally got them all cut, removed the LCAs, cleaned up and shot some rustoleum on the frame holes, and called it a night.

Started Sunday off with my daughter's dance recital, then back to the truck. Got the old ball joints out, and put in the new LCAs. Then, I rotated my SPC UCA joint to the center position. Put the tires back on, let it down, and torqued everything under load. I had set the cam bolts to push the wheels all the way forward, so now my toe is off. Sunday night I realized that I was not going to be able to fix the toe out, because my tierod jam nuts were seized. So, I started them soaking in PB, and bought a torch and a 22mm wrench.

I had to borrow my CRV from my wife this morning, and did a half day at work. Came home and have been trying all the tricks for seized bolts. After 5 hours on and off of torching and soaking with wd40, then PB blaster, then acetone and atf, and with the use of two cheater bars, I finally got one side loose. The other side needs to soak a bit more.

So, it will soak tonight, and I will resume tomorrow afternoon after work. To be continued...

 

Spent several hours getting the last jam nut loose from the out tie rod. However, it was still seized onto the inner tie rod. So, I spent ALL day today torching and soaking the damn thing. The inner tie rod flats are pretty soft, so they started rounding off. Finally had to use a pipe wrench to get a good enough grip to break the nut "loose". However, it wasn't really loose. It is one of those nuts that takes about 50-90 ft/lbs to turn and it creaks the whole time it is being turned. But I was able to move it enough to bring the toe in. I have the truck roughly aligned and it is just pulling to right a tad. Here are some pics of the various tools I used, a picture of the mother f'er, and the cam old bolts.

 

I'm glad you got everything apart. Just for future readers.... a MAPP turbo type torch is the way to go if you haven't got an oxy/ acetylene rig. Mapp is much hotter than propane and will get nuts and bolts loose faster and is very portable. When cutting metal with a sawzall, use plenty of cutting oil or even WD-40 to lube and cool the blade and flush out the chips. You will be amazed at how easily they cut that way. I put almost everything I take apart back together with never seize for future repairs.

 

Great advice.