bushnut

It should end the top out issue...but not necessarily the rough ride, thats a factor of the stiffer AC springs. for a smoother ride you might wanna try Iron Man or OME springs each should lift about 35mm but give a smoother ride combined them with 4x4designs strut spacers to get the 2"suspension lift your looking for. I looked into these struts but only after I had already purchased my KYBs...shipping will be killer.

Xtreme Edition...

I admit to not knowing anything about electronics....so the midland CB I have needs an external speaker...can I wire it in to the car audio system? or will I have to mount another speaker.

THREAD JACK.....If I mount my CB antenna near the radio antenna will they interfere with each other?

sorry brother, but I waste to much time here as it is. lol

all of the engine parts will fit. tranny will be different.

that makes sense. a spring can only compress so much. the ability of the spring to compress as much as the opposite shock drops is as important as how far the shock can extend. don't forget to also lengthen your brake lines!

if we didn't like the cold i suppose we'd move...to like florida. I figure it makes us tough...like WAY MORE TOUGH than like even Chuck Norris...oh crap I'm starting to sound like a teenager, the cold must be freezing my brain....everyone idle your cars to help global warming now!

should be available at your local auto parts store....if not try RockAuto.com there is a discount code somewhere on this forum.

they really don't make vehicles for real people anymore do they? never mind having muddy or snow covered boots, how about putting 2 kids and a dog in the back seat? I'd like to punch the guy who decided to merge Luxury and 4x4.

NO. there is a great article on this type of tire in last months FOURWEELER magazine. they are not street legal. and if you've ever driven a farm tractor on a road they ride like sh*$. but they do work in the mud!

what we've all learned here is to start looking the moment we hear an unusual sound coming from our trucks. Don't leave it until it gets worse. Nothing EVER fixes itself. By locating a problem early we can save money by isolating the problem before it makes a bigger one. remember the story of one small drip in a dam. after re-reading this i sound like a jerk. sorry. but take it as a lesson learned. 15k miles is way to long to finally get around to figuring out what that "noise" is. hope you figure out what the issue is and that you can deal with it yourself. a few proper tools, a good schematic and a little bit of stubbornness can go along way. good luck .

having some technical difficulties.... just to clarify, the SFD is when you lower the front drive train ( front diff, suspension and steering components together ) usually involving steel blocks and or tubing between those components and the unibody. ground clearance under the front diff doesn't change but allows bigger tires. the AC lift is 2" longer coil springs (either in length or compression rate) same with Iron Man or OME (spring rates will vary). this raises the body and pushes the suspension down increasing ground clearance but limiting down travel on the front struts. some folks have done a 4" SFD combined with lift springs for a net gain of 6inches (REMEMBER THIS IS FRONT ONLY) With a SFD this needs to be balanced with 6in lift springs in the rear to balance things out. They are usually sourced from a jeep. If all you are doing is lift springs on all 4 corners...not much can be done with the struts we are stuck with. they will suffer a shorter life span because of the strain the stiffer/longer springs put on them. a 1or 2 in spacer on top of the strut top hat can reduce the amount of rake the truck will have after installing 2in springs in the back. Balance the length of rear shock to the amount of spring lift to maintain a good ride and keep things sorta within spec. the added ground clearance along with the gained suspension "flex" will be noticed. hope this helps

just to clarify, the SFD is when you lower the front drive train ( front diff and suspension components together ) usually involving steel blocks and or tubing. the AC lift is 2" longer coil springs (either in length or compression rate) same as Iron Man or OME. Most folk do a 4" SFD combined with lift springs for a net gain of 6inches (REMEMBER THIS IS FRONT ONLY)

sounds like you have an electrical short somewhere. it'll be a process, but doable. sorry I can't give more help, maybe someone else will chime in.

Pretty Darn Quick

When I first installed my Iron Man springs (35mm gain in front slightly more in the rear) I used KYB gas a just shock in the rear, they were stock length...the ride was not bad but they were almost at full extension all the time. cornering at speed or on off camber trails I noticed that things were not as they should be. After switching to the Bilsteins with a 2" longer stroke the traction and ride is WAY better. I'd say as good as stock but with the added benefit of being more! Installing lift springs and /or spacers will always include longer shocks. though there is a limit to your gains. Without doing major surgery I'd say 1-2" is the most practical and affordable way to go. give me a day or 2 and I show you what kind of flex I'm getting.

good driving technique can make up for the lack of locker usually. do they make some stuff easier? yes. are they required? no.

your rear axle seal is leaking. Oil from the rear diff will contaminated brake pads...I'd get into that PDQ.

The problem arrises when the opposite wheel is rising and will contact the inside of the fender well. you have to balance the down with the up. and keep it drivable. nothing other than tension keeps the springs in place, well maybe the spring perch. More suspension will require mods to the entire set up including longer trailing arms, brake lines, pan hard bar, drive shafts etc, it can be a very complicated endeavour. I've got Iron Man lift springs which gave me just shy of a 2" lift ( I needed to add 1" spacers up front to balance things out.) With bilstein 5150s that are 2" longer than stock it runs great but I do notice that the rear wheel is no longer centred in the wheel well. It has arced slightly forward. longer or adjustable lower links would correct this but for now its ok with me. this is because the suspension linkage does not always follow a straight line. Without compensating for that, adding any more lift would probably negatively affect the performance IMO. Check out the rugged rocks tuck, thats got as much flex as you'll ever see but it's built on a wd frame...ie, body on frame so he can run a body lift and suspension upgrades. not to mention it's one of the most modified trucks out there and probably worth more that all 3 of ours combined if you count labour hours as well as parts. I'm sure there are plenty of pics of "flexing R50s" out there and you'd be impressed just how well they do, even in stock form. Its one of the secrets as to why this platform works so well off road.

not familiar with the d21 but with the R50 all you need is some metric sockets a pry bar and a few bad words to say as you pry the dam things out.

spend some time on the members rig thread for some great ideas.

sounds like a pan hard bar issue.. It keeps the axle centered. could be another bushing thats worn.