Thanks for the replies, everyone. Just getting it dialed in now. The steering brace that goes beneath the engine was done back when I had a 4.5" RE lift and the steering box was flexing the unibody around it. That was put in to keep the area solid. It goes directly across in line with the track bar mount... I don't think it's been contacting the track bar at all, but I want to lower the rig an inch or so in the front so I hope it doesn't cause issues then.
As for the ride, it's rough right now. I've never set rates on coilovers or air bumps, and I stressed the importance of not contacting the Bushwackers at full compression to the installers, so they set me up for a hard ride. Here are the stats:
- 300/250 lbs coils for the coilovers
- 150 lbs for the front shocks
- 90 lbs for the rear air bumps, about 1/2" from contact plate
- 100 lbs for rear shocks
- RE Super-Flex 4.5" pack received an add-a-leaf
Any thoughts on better rates for a softer ride that won't pop off the Bushwackers...? I can change out the springs for free, so that's not a big deal. Just curious what you guys are running.
Here are some pics I just took...
As you can see, the under-engine cross-member is directly in line with the track bar mount.
Passenger side shock hoop area (not a great shot because there's so much crap packed in there).
Driver's side shock hoop area. The engine cage and bumper are flanged so they can come off.
Driver's side coilover.
This is how we fixed the steering wheel's 1/4 turn dead spot: we put some thick rubber washers with metal centers on the bushings at each side of the tie rod (it's the piece that flares out on the bottom). I heard about this on the
forums, someone said people will slice sections of the RE track bar bushings to do this for 1 Ton steering setups. It fixed my issue:
Let me know if you have any more questions or want more pics. I can get higher quality pics too if you're interested.
Any thoughts on the spring/shock/bump rates? I could really use some expert advice... thanks!