BajaRunner

Hey everyone.

Today after work, I decided to start putting on my OME setup.

So I decided to start on the back, and well, it took me 4 hours just to do the drivers side rear shock/coil.

The top/bottom shock nuts were easy to take off. The swaybar was easy to disconnect, and the old coil popped out like butter.

My problems that I ran into: The jackstands were too short to keep the dooping axle high enough w/o hitting the ground, and the damn coil compressors got stuck once I got the OME coil into the seat. The threaded bar of the compressors got wedged into the body of the truck...that sucked.

I guess my main questions are these:
1) Does it matter if I do the shock first or the coil first? I took out the shock then the coil, then put the coil in first and then the shock after. Seemed to work out okay.

2) If the swaybar and shock are disconnected, what else is holding up the axel on that one side? Do I need to keep the floor jack underneath the diff. at all times supporting the middle?

3) Where do I place the damn jack-stands on the frame? I have 3-ton normal sized ones, I guess I need bigger ones? I ended up using some scrap wood, but, damn it was sketchy.

Thanks.

Birdman

I'm not sure why you had so much trouble. Here's what I remember doing:

I jacked up the rear of the vehicle with the stock bottle jack under each side of the axle, placed a jack stand on the frame just in front of the lower control arm pivots on each side, removed the rear tires, disconnected the sway bar end link, then one rear shock, let it droop, the stock spring fell out, I pushed down on the axle, wedged the OME spring in, rotated it into the proper position, bolted in the new OME shock, then repeated on the other side. I dont remember using the spring compressor on the rear. If I did I definitely removed it before lowering each side of the vehicle. Is that what you did?

Now the front, that's a whole other story.........

TDiddy

I didn't use compressors for the back either. I had mine up on a lift, so we unbolted everything first and actually used a tranny jack to keep the axle from drooping too low.

BajaRunner

I mean, Im thinking I guess I didnt have to use the compressors for the rear... today Im going to try to stick the passenger side in there w/o one.

I dont understand why everyone tells me to take the shock out while the truck is held up on the frame, and the sway bar is disconnected. Thats when it starts to droop. It freaks me out under there whne the axle is like that and Im trying to work on getting the top shock nut off...plus its longer for me to reach. I think it would be easier to take the shock off while its still just sitting there on normal ground!!! Im going to try that.

Then jack up the truck, put the jack stands on the frame nad let the axle droop...pull out the spring put a new one in, jack up the axle nad then lower the vehicle and put the new shock on.

Whats wrong with this technique?

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

Rear OME

Front OME

You shouldn't have to compress the rears and taller jack stands help out a bunch! A set cost $20 at SEARS.

Good luck!