So I guess it's a repost from my build thread, but everyone likes poser shots and flex pictures... 
5" suspension lift, 38" tires, 5.13 gears, slight fender trimming, axles relocated forward/rearward really help how much has to be trimmed.
Today I went up and checked my flex. Not bad. Unfortunately, it looks like my brake lines on the front are going to be my limiting factor on front droop. But, based on how "stuffed" the front tire is, I'm not sure I'd get much more. I didn't flex it out to the brake line's max, but I got it close. These pics are with a tire 2' off of the ground.
Pics are admittedly not very good due to harsh and uncooperative sunlight...
flex-2 by colbyjstephens, on Flickr
Droop is lookin pretty good! A LOT better than it has before!
flex-1 by colbyjstephens, on Flickr
With the wheel turned, I'm just BARELY making contact with the inner fender. Those 1" EZ-Inch relocating blocks do wonders! I may find that I need to trim the rear of the front fenders a touch, but I'm waiting on that for now. I did have to trim the front of the front fenders significantly.
flex-3 by colbyjstephens, on Flickr
I'm sure it'll flex up more than this, but I don't want to get it more off camber than this till I get limiting straps on the front to protect the brake line.
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flex-4 by colbyjstephens, on Flickr[/IMG]
flex-5 by colbyjstephens, on Flickr
flex-6 by colbyjstephens, on Flickr
flex-7 by colbyjstephens, on Flickr
Here's a pic I took next to the green truck. The green truck is sitting at a height where, when I lifted it from the body, the tires had just left the ground enough to remove the tires. As such, it's raised a couple inches above ride-height. So, the new truck is definitely taller by at least a couple inches.
flex-10 by colbyjstephens, on Flickr
A couple notes on more stuff:
1. I will have to trim a slight bit more off of the rear of the rear fenders.
2. I had originally hooked up just the driver's rear shock and forgot to remove it before testing flex in the first couple pictures. Since it was hooked up at full extension, there was no more travel on the rear. When I removed just that one (meaning none were left), my travel numbers changed by a good half-inch in the front. The droop decreased by 1/2" and the compression became longer by 1/2". Kind of interesting. So, what I'm saying is the body leveled out some - which is to be expected. Just interesting to see.
3. The shock length on the front of the green truck was 21" fully extended and 14.5" fully compressed. This means I only had one inch of droop at the shock tab on the green truck.
I should be much more pleased with this set up with proper shocks. Now, I'll have a total of 5" of droop at the shock tab which translates more to something like 7" or maybe more at the tire. I should've measured that. Will have to do that next time. I had enough compression before, though.
So, to do:
1. Order shocks. I'm thinking Bilstein 5100, since they get such good reviews. I'll probably try to get something with a few more inches of droop than I need - maybe 2 inches - so that when I get longer brake lines down the road, I can not be limited by my shocks. BTW, my brake lines are 22" hoses. I think I can get another inch or so out of them, since they have a little bit of metal tube at the banjo bolt, about 3" long, which I am going to try to bend upwards. What do you think of me looking for a 27" Extended shock with a 14" compression? I guess that gives me 2" extra on either end and a 13" travel shock. In the rears, I'm thinking a 30" by 21" shock, so 9"? I think I can get more travel out of the rear than that 2 foot rock was allowing me....
2. Finish E-Brake.
I got the front driveline back yesterday, but forgot I don't have u-joint straps for the Dana 60 yet, so I need to pick those up this afternoon.
5" suspension lift, 38" tires, 5.13 gears, slight fender trimming, axles relocated forward/rearward really help how much has to be trimmed.Today I went up and checked my flex. Not bad. Unfortunately, it looks like my brake lines on the front are going to be my limiting factor on front droop. But, based on how "stuffed" the front tire is, I'm not sure I'd get much more. I didn't flex it out to the brake line's max, but I got it close. These pics are with a tire 2' off of the ground.
- Shocks at ride height are looking to be 20" in the front, 24" in the rear.
- Front shocks at full extension should be over 25" long, and shorter than 16" long at full compression.
- Rear shocks at full extension should be at least 26" long, and shorter than 23" long in compression. Not much shock movement back there, but the shocks are further in-board.
Pics are admittedly not very good due to harsh and uncooperative sunlight...
flex-2 by colbyjstephens, on Flickr
Droop is lookin pretty good! A LOT better than it has before!
flex-1 by colbyjstephens, on Flickr
With the wheel turned, I'm just BARELY making contact with the inner fender. Those 1" EZ-Inch relocating blocks do wonders! I may find that I need to trim the rear of the front fenders a touch, but I'm waiting on that for now. I did have to trim the front of the front fenders significantly.
flex-3 by colbyjstephens, on Flickr
I'm sure it'll flex up more than this, but I don't want to get it more off camber than this till I get limiting straps on the front to protect the brake line.
flex-4 by colbyjstephens, on Flickr[/IMG]
flex-5 by colbyjstephens, on Flickr
flex-6 by colbyjstephens, on Flickr
flex-7 by colbyjstephens, on Flickr
Here's a pic I took next to the green truck. The green truck is sitting at a height where, when I lifted it from the body, the tires had just left the ground enough to remove the tires. As such, it's raised a couple inches above ride-height. So, the new truck is definitely taller by at least a couple inches.
flex-10 by colbyjstephens, on Flickr
A couple notes on more stuff:
1. I will have to trim a slight bit more off of the rear of the rear fenders.
2. I had originally hooked up just the driver's rear shock and forgot to remove it before testing flex in the first couple pictures. Since it was hooked up at full extension, there was no more travel on the rear. When I removed just that one (meaning none were left), my travel numbers changed by a good half-inch in the front. The droop decreased by 1/2" and the compression became longer by 1/2". Kind of interesting. So, what I'm saying is the body leveled out some - which is to be expected. Just interesting to see.
3. The shock length on the front of the green truck was 21" fully extended and 14.5" fully compressed. This means I only had one inch of droop at the shock tab on the green truck.
I should be much more pleased with this set up with proper shocks. Now, I'll have a total of 5" of droop at the shock tab which translates more to something like 7" or maybe more at the tire. I should've measured that. Will have to do that next time. I had enough compression before, though. So, to do:
1. Order shocks. I'm thinking Bilstein 5100, since they get such good reviews. I'll probably try to get something with a few more inches of droop than I need - maybe 2 inches - so that when I get longer brake lines down the road, I can not be limited by my shocks. BTW, my brake lines are 22" hoses. I think I can get another inch or so out of them, since they have a little bit of metal tube at the banjo bolt, about 3" long, which I am going to try to bend upwards. What do you think of me looking for a 27" Extended shock with a 14" compression? I guess that gives me 2" extra on either end and a 13" travel shock. In the rears, I'm thinking a 30" by 21" shock, so 9"? I think I can get more travel out of the rear than that 2 foot rock was allowing me....
2. Finish E-Brake.
I got the front driveline back yesterday, but forgot I don't have u-joint straps for the Dana 60 yet, so I need to pick those up this afternoon.
