Bilstein 5100 front shock questions...

I've P.M.'d the person that created the video for the backyard installation and got no response. I also asked this question in that thread and got no response, so I'm asking here.

I'm doing the backyard install and I'm putting the Billie's in over the holiday weekend.
I've got a few questions for anyone that may be able to answer....

I plan on using the dust boot with the washer in the top of it. Does this go directly against the rubber bushing that's in the top hat??
I've seen other threads that said to remove this lower bushing from the top-hat when using the Billie's and I've seen photo's showing a lower bushing being used.
Without taking the old ones apart first, it's difficult understanding what will be left behind to re-use.

I've got a 2011 with about 50,000 miles on it. I sprayed everything with penetrating oil to make it easier for me this weekend and the rubber bushings looked fine with no cracking. Should they be replaced with new ones or is reusing the old ones just fine??

Is loosening the cam bolts absolutely necessary?? Or is this just done to allow the lower arm to swing easier out of the way??

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!!

 

Yes the washer goes on top of the dust boot.and yes you need the rubber bushing on the bottom of the top hat

 

I know there's the large rubber "pad" that's the diameter of the coil that the coil presses against.
So, there is also another rubber bushing inside of the top-hat that stays??

If so, then from top-down it's:

Nut
Washer
Rubber bushing
Top Hat
Rubber bushing
Washer
Dust boot with washer

Is this correct??

 

^ this.
And yes, you need to loosen the alignment cams. You won't get the old strut out or the new one in without it. Just mark the cams with a sharpie where they contact metal on each side (mark all four cams on each side). When you reassemble, snug the LCA bolts and use the wrench to put the cams back where they were. Then fully tighten the LCA bolts to proper torque. You will still need an alignment, but doing this will make the truck safe enough to drive to the shop.

 

Just make sure everything goes back where it was before you took it off. Do one side start to finish before doing anything to the other side. That way you can use the other side for reference.

I did driver side first and it took me a couple hours. Then the passenger side took me about half an hour.

In the video I used for reference, the truck didn't have a sway bar. They didn't mention anything about the sway bar. You need to undo the sway bar mounts or disconnect the links to get the strut out/ in. Once I dropped the bar, everything was smooth. Before that, it was all cursing and busted knuckles.

 

Good deal.
I knew about the sway bar.
I'm not dropping the complete coil-over out, so I'm going to try it without disconnecting the sway bar mounts.
I don't even want to take the spring out. I just want to drop out the old shock and install the new one.
As far as the rubber bushings go, the look fine, so 'll just re-use them.
Anything else I'm missing or any other advice??

 

Do yourself a favor and unbolt the swaybar from the frame! I tried it without doing that. Many swears were heard that day...
I ended up removing swaybar anyway.
The spring won't stay in there without the shock. I tried tie strapping the spring to the upper control arm but it was more of a hassle than it was worth.

 

Did all four today and it was extremely easy.

The only problem I had was the top nut on all four of the old shocks. They fought me the whole way and I destroyed the rears just getting them out.
I would have thought a truck that was 4-1/2 years old with only 45,000 miles would have been easier than that. Thank you New England winters.

I did NOT have to remove or unbolt the sway bar in the front on either side. The shocks and coils dropped straight down without interference. I'm assuming I had no problem because I jacked the truck way up so the lower arms could swing down to a vertical position. That was a welcome surprise.

As for the front cams - they rotated right back into their original position and the truck drives perfectly straight. The tires also look perfectly straight when looking at the truck from the front. I'll give everything about a week to settle and then I'll hit Firestone for an alignment.