Two questions(so far).....

I need new front bump stops....Where can they be found? Mine are split all the way through the metal housing. Don't know why, it came like that.

Second, How do I adjust the front coil-overs? I found the tool, just undure of the process. Looks clean cut, I got the tool to fit on the top of the coil-overs. I don't know how many turns and which way to lift/stiffen the front.

 

Those are just the bolt-on factory bump stops, so you should be able to order them at any Ford dealer. Turning the adjuster clockwise as viewed from above should tighten the rings against the spring and raise the front end. Be sure to adjust equally on both sides.

 

It though those were the stock ones! Just didn't remember how they were on my old truck. Wish I woulda swiped those before they towed it*DOH*

What would cause them to split like that? I could understand the plastic but the metal too?!

I was thinking the same on tightening the coil-overs. Just wanted a second opinion. I didn't know if there was anything special that had to be done.

 

My guess is rust combined with severe bottoming. Also, the geometry may be different with the kit allowing the bumper to take more abuse.

 

Ahhh, thanks Bob!

 

While your working there don't forget the can of Rustoleum Black! Ugh thats a lot of rust! Makes me even more glad I live where I do..

Oh and Bob's right on all counts, as is normaly the case..

 

I've got another question....I found this hunk of metal under the seat of my truck whilst cleaning it. I thought to myself "Hmmm, this looks familiar. I better keep this JIC". Well, I was cleaning the underbody earlier and noticed it was one of the rear bump stops. The steel RCD one was on the pass side but the stock rubber one was still on the driver's side. Any ideas?

Doesn't the stock rubber one go on the bottom of the steel RCD piece? That's what I was thinking. I'll get a pic here in a minute.

 

Also, my dr side bilstein shock boot is melted at the bottom. It looked like it was rubbing on the axle tube but I don't think it get's that hot.....Does it?? I twisted it around to get a pic of it.

 

Aren't those shocks mounted upside down? I don't think it matters but I thought the flexy stuff was supposed to be on the top???

 

 

That's the right orientation for the RCD/Bilstein 5100's. The rule is that you should be able to read the "BILSTEIN" logo right side up.

And no, that part of the axle should never get hot enough to melt a rubber boot on the shock.

The steel spacer is there because the compressed length of the Bilstein 5100 is longer than the compressed length of the stock Bilstein. Without it, the shock will bottom internally before the axle and that can damage the shock or its mounts. You need those spacers and the factory bump stops on both sides.

 

Just a thought but since you didn't put the lift on maybe the shock boot was damaged before the lift was installed and then you got nothing to worry about.

 

So I need the stock bump stops bolted to the underside of the spacers as I suspected?

 

yes on both sides, and that is how the shocks are supposed to be mounted .... as for the bump stops ford has them.



some may yell at me for this but on my rcd lift when i installed it i cut the rubber bump stop in half so it was not constantly being hit, or being riden (sp?) on. it still stoped the control arm from anything bottoming out. i am glad i did after seeing what happens when you do not .... this is just an idea .... do what you want rcd did not design the bump stop to be cut in half, just something i did because i thought the rcd design sucked on the bump stop area! Edit: this is for the front bump stops

-Jared

Edit:

 

travis i have some stock rear bump stops ill send your way if you want them

 

scott (big04ranger) never even installed his bumpstops because of the same thing you didnt like.

 

Pretty happy to find this yesterday....Had to break out the WD-40 to clean it after seeing a speck of yellow.

 

haha i bet you were, mine is in the mail! finally after 3 months

 

Could that be why the pass side lower shock mount's bushing is fubar'd?

....forgot to ask about that too....

 

Could be if it was run hard with stops that are too short.

I wouldn't run the RCD spacers without the factory stops. You definitely need a soft bumpstop of some kind to prevent metal-to-metal contact when the suspension bottoms.

Looking at your pictures, I'd question whether the RCD spacers are even taller than they need to be. I had a set of those RCD/Bilstein 5100's on my truck for awhile and they are only maybe 1.5" longer than the stockers when compressed. I think they could have made the spacers a bit shorter and still not have had any trouble with the shocks bottoming.

I used these taller/wider 06 F350 stops (6C3Z-4730-A Bumper) on mine with those shocks and it seemed to work fine. The F350 parts appear to be made of polyurethane and have to be a LOT tougher than the stock rubber ones.

 

nice......you got lucky there that you didnt have to spend the extra $450 to get that.....

 

I called bilstein and they told me all bilstein shock get mounted so the label can be read right side up which mean the boots go down.

Think of it this way. Those shocks are just like the external nitrogen chamber shocks which get mount the same way with the body mounted up and the rod/boot end mounted down.

On RCD's website


See those are just like these except these have the external nitrogen chamber and the ones in the RCD kit have the nitrogen inside the body.

 

You have the coil over on up side down. It said in the directions (over and over again) that the adjusters go on top.

 

yet he had no issues with saging coils. the other jared did and his coils were flipped the otherway.

not sure it even matters tho.

 

Not sure if any body asnwered your first question or not.

To adjust the coils I jack up the front to take the weight off. It makes it a little easier to take the tires off too but you don't have to. You put the spanner wrench on the nut on top of the coils and crank it. You might need a long piece of pipe for leverage. If you are tightening/ lifting I would loosen the top nut and get it out of the way. Then put the spanner on the bottom nut and crank it until the tire drops however much you want it too. Looks like you could lift it like a 1/2 inch at least.