Old Man Emu setups on 1st gens

Got my Dakars, my 882's, and my 255/85/16's....

Before I attempt this install this weekend, are there any helpful tips or things I should know before tearing into this? (i.e. specialty tools needed, things to look for/lookout for, etc.) Ive done suspension before but on a shitty VW and no leaf springs. I saw the video on strut removal without spring compressors and will go that route. Also have a rear pin relocate kit for the rear to fit the tires. Think I have all I need, but still looking for any tips! THANKS GUYS.

 

Your trucks gonna look great after! Where did you order your tires through?

 

X2. Will look awesome. What wheels are those?

 

Nice. Install tips.. people have posted various things here and there in this thread. But some of the big ones, make sure you have a way to cut out the spring bolts if needed. They can be pretty seized. I found that extra jack stands to support the axle to help keep it from shifting. Me and a buddy spent a lot of time fighting to get the axle back into place the first time I pulled the packs out. If you can, probably best to extend the rear brake line first, otherwise you'll be nervous as hell and won't be able to droop axle down as far as you'd like. Just go slow, take your time. Hit us up here if you get stuck or have a question.

Oh and the factory bottle jack can be used as a wedge of sorts if you need leverage, just use good judgment... I used it sparingly, to push down on lca to align lower shock eye in the front, and between frame and leaf spring to align shackle and leaf.

 

x2 on the brake line. I really wish i did it first before installing mine.

 

Still have stock length brake line with no problems

 

Its a nice insurance thing, I dont want to be on a trail and over stretch my brake line and break it and be SOL. I mean its only $30 and red which adds 15 HP

 

Don't get me wrong, I'll be adding it when I redo my rear end. I've flexed my ship to the max and didn't bust it off, so I think I'm okay to leave it how it is until I change it

 

Do you have just an AAL?

 

Toytec adjustable shackle at the max setting. can't remember if it is supposed to be 2 or 2.5"

 

Ah okay.

When i had my dakar pack with the AAL in it the brake line was so stretched out i had to take out a screw that held a bracket down to release some stress. I was scared to go over a speed bump so i didnt drive it until i got a extended brake line lol

 

Good stuff. 6 ton stands for the frame rails (just need height, not the capacity), 3 tons for the axle. Do you have extra front hanger pins (bolts) in case you need to cut yours?
Be careful not to drop the drive shaft out of the yoke when lowering the axle. Rathcet straps around the axle and hooked to the frame can assist with pulling the axle forward to drop on the pins. The is important if doing one side at a time. I recommend doing both sides at the same time. Even then, help is good. Lots of heavy crap moving small fractions of inches...
The Daks are pretty heavy. I was able to wrestle Wheeler 5 packs solo, but I don't think I could have done it with these, or is would have taken longer and more steps.

Have you read the 1st gen how to links on suspension swap? If not, do so.

 

This. My god did ratchet straps ever come in handy when trying to wrestle the axle back into place.

 

Application of PB Bastard to all the appropriate threads in advance (OEM u-bolts, leaf spring bolts, etc.) has helped with the removal of parts on my lifts...as always YMMV.

 

AeroKroil spray if you find is as good if not better than PB. I used two floor jacks as well as the 6t jack stands. I just used some good rope and tied the axle to the frame. Ratchet straps would be ideal.

 

Thanks so much for all the help here!

Funny story actually.... I got the wheels on eBay. Visions I think? They are 16x8 4.5BS. Anyway, after getting them the guy contacted me and said he can get tires and will mount and balance them for me free of charge. So I said sure! Gave him the tires I wanted (285/55/16 Cooper ST MAXX) and he gave me a decent price for them mounted balanced and shipped. So I took it. Well that was 2 weeks prior to them arriving. Contacted them numerous times and each time I got a different story. "Your tires are here waiting to be balanced should ship in a day." Then "They are mounted and waiting on the freight company to show up". Then it was "They shipped today, here is a tracking number but give it 3 business days for them to update their system because they aren't as good as UPS or FedEx. Turns out the number they gave me was bogus. Called back in.... again, and they said they were in the warehouse waiting to get mounted and balanced still. This was 2 weeks after my initial order. So after much complaining and a mention of taking my business elsewhere, they refunded me a whopping $40 and promised the shipment would leave that day. Well it did leave 2 days later and once the freight company had it, it took 2 days..... 2 DAYS!!!! to get here from half way across the country. Blamed it on the freight company the whole time and they were the fastest part of the process. So yeah, never again.

SD Wheel Corporation was the company I dealt with. Terrible service.

 

Truck is gonna look amazing. As far as advice goes, I had a 300lb impact gun and still couldn't get the front bolt for the leaf spring off, ended up using a box wrench and jacked a floor jack up underneath it until it broke loose. Just be careful and have fun.

 

Searched for the 1st gen How to link for suspension, is there one that covers everything or are there bits and pieces throughout multiple threads?? Did a quick search here at work and didn't come up with much but I was rushing. Will check again tonight. Thanks.

 

Yikes. What a nightmare