Question about front shock/strut installation

Hi.
I want to put Bilstein 5100s on the front to level my truck. I’ve watched a few “how to” videos. They are all a little different. I don’t think I’m physically able to get 220 ft/lbs on the lower ball joint bolts, so I’m trying to avoid that route. Looks like some folks took the upper ball joint apart instead. I’m wondering if it might be easier to just throw a couple spring compressors on and leave both ball joints assembled, if there’s enough room to get the spring/shock assembly out and back in. Maybe too risky/dangerous? Has anyone tried that?

Any advice and/or links to good install videos are welcomed. Thanks.

 

A spring compressor like this one might do the job: https://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-macpherson-strut-and-coil-spring-compressor.html

There's some cheaper spring compressor options, but they're usually not up for the job. They're made for softer springs like on a car. I tried the cheaper compressors once to compress my springs and it was obvious it wasn't going to work.

 

Last time I did it I freed up the UCA. First time I did the LCA. I think the UCA is easier.

Don’t think there is any way it’s coming out without doing one of them.

Speaking for myself, there is NFW I’m trying to move around a strut with a spring compressor on. I’m getting that baby assembled and then getting it off.

 

The lower ball joint route is easiest in my opinion. It's shouldn't be to hard to get 220 lbs on the lower bolts with a breaker bar or torque wrench. I'm 165 lbs soaking wet and it was a breeze. It's all about leverage.

 

Maybe so, but I’m only a 100 lb weakling. I know my limitations.

 

I think you'll be surprised what a 4' breaker bar can do with the proper technique. I personally had a tougher time positioning the coilovers into place one handed than breaking the ball joint loose. Good luck which ever route you take!

 

Thanks. I definitely need to get creative sometimes to get mods done. The cat covers were kinda fun to install by myself. Work smarter, not harder.

 

The longest torque wrench at home depot will give you the leverage to get 220ft lbs.

Look up the videos on you tube about how to use your lower control arm as a spring compressor. It looks way safer than the at home spring compressors

 

Whoa there guys.
Why would anybody break any of their ball joints loose to do this job?

There are two bolts under the LCA (lower control arm) that you can unbolt to get clearance. You need to loose the LCA (which needs to be marked and does require torque to make up.

Speaking from experience: failed at upper ball joint on passenger side of the truck. somehow outta pure luck got the shock in. Realized the bolts, on the opposite side and did the job in minutes.

You'll need an alignment with the new shocks anyway. so you can have them verify torque as long as you make them reasonably tight before limping to alignment station.

And I strongly recommended you pay to have the spring swapped. Or source new springs, have them assembled and then install as a unit. Its not worth dying over when you have other options.

 

Sorry those are the bolts I was referring to because the lower ball joint is attached to that bracket. You are correct. Do not detach the ball joint itself

 

1/2 inch cordless impact wrench.. best money I have spent in a while. It will make short work of the lower control arm bolts. Just mark where the cam bolts are and loosen them just enough for the arm to drop. You need an alignment anyway so just get them back to the marks you made and dack-dack them back tight.

 

I believe the technical term is Ugga-Gugga's.

 

Here's the step by step process I followed to install my front suspension:

1. Jack truck up (place jackstands underneath)
2. Take wheel off
3. I left the tie rod attached to the spindle; turn the brake rotor as if you were turning the wheel to give you a clear look at the Upper Control Arm to Spindal mount.
4. Pull cottor pin off castle nut, break castle nut loose, then loosen a couple threads.
5. You will most likely have to hit the spindle with a mallet to break the ball joint on the upper control arm loose from the spindal, you'll see a pad on the spindal to strike- warning you will have to hit hard (if you can't manage to break the ball joint loose, get you a small torch from Home Depot and heat the spindal thats around the threads of the ball joint- then hit hard again)
6. Once the spindal and UCA are free from each other, take a ratchet strap to the brake rotor to kinda of hang it off to the side of the wheel well (be careful of the ABS sensor line and brake line)
7. From there you can bust the bottom bolt of the coilover and take that off, then loosen the 4 bolts holding the top of the coilover to the strut tower.
8. After that you'll need to take a pry bar to the base of the shock and pry it out of the mounting hole its in. Once its out of the hole, then take of the nuts on the top of the shock tower and drop your coilover out.

Just repeat steps in backwards order (remember to reinstall a cottor pin) and if you got oil and dirt on your brake rotor you might want to spray with brake clean.
If you can't rotate the brake rotor back over because the CV shaft doesn't want articulate over, it could be because your CV shaft has slid out of the spindal a little bit, stick a screw driver between the lug nut studs off the brake rotor and spin the CV shaft while pulling the rotor over, the shaft should slide into place.

I might be missing some steps, I believe this was the video I followed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oo5G6j2cDF0
Granted I was also a mechanic for a year so this was pretty easy for me, and I already had the tools necessary

 

^^^^ exactly what I did last time

 

When i did this i stripped the castle nut, which was seized to my upper ball joint. Then i had to dremel it off after finding an replacement to replace.
Hence the struggle with doing this technique.
Other side i loosened the LCA bolt, then loosned the two bolts that bolt the lower ball joint to the LCA and slowly with a jack dropped it low enough to swap out the strut assembly.

Easy-peasy. Reinstalled the ball joint to the LCA with the two bolts lifting the assembly with a jack (watching to make sure i wasn't lifting the truck off the lift it was on (i was lucky enought o be able to use a lift). Then re-adjusted the cam bolts back to where they started. Finally went to get an alignment.

Not saying anybodies way is wrong. Just saying this is what worked best for me. AFter failing to get the upper ball joint apart.

 

Is your truck rusty?

 

In New England a 8 year old (truck) when i did this wasn't too bad in the rust department.

However, my bilstiens look like they've lived at the bottom of the ocean with surface rust. The aluminzeding is the chrome moly shaft i believe not the shock body. But down south you don't have these issues unless you live on the ocean front.

 

I just replaced mine about a month ago. Separate upper ball joint and removed lower strut bolt. No need to removed the 2 lower ball joint bolts that go in vertically. Of course you must disconnect sway bar link also.

 

Definitely take a look at this video:

https://youtu.be/hpFb6f8rJjU

Snailtrail4x4 makes it extremely simple to do your fronts and rears. It’s not as hard as it seems, but you’ll definitely want a breaker bar and cheater tube for some of the higher torqued nuts.

 

Best money you’ll spend for this job is a cordless impact wrench and a torque wrench.

Screw the cheater bar.

 

Totally forgot about the sway bar, had already pulled mine off for off road articulation

 

Yep that’s why I was curious, I’m in the south so no rust issues, hopefully OP won’t have any rust issues as well

 

True, but good luck fitting the impact with a 22mm when you’re trying to take out the UCA through bolt which is torqued to 173 ft/lbs…

 

Home depot sells a 2 foot long breaker bar. Still requires some mustard but it will loosen the uca bolt no problem

 

$80-100 spring compressor from ebay will do it easily. In fact, it takes me more sweat doing suspension in my old Volvo than in Tundra, you just have to compress spring lot more in Volvo.


I put 5100 in the middle setting, and the suspension turn out to be noticeably firmer than with 4600. Also you camber will be not at zero (positive) anymore, need to force technician to correct that along with the toe when you'll bring your upgraded truck for alignment. Camber will be "within the spec", but it'd better be zeroed.

It helps to unbolt ABS sensor wire, gives much more flexibility with pulling the LCA down.

 

Wow that spring compressor looks way stronger than autozones

 

I'm about to do this job this weekend at home.

I have the Milwaukee m12 right-angle impact it makes 220 lbs/ft of torque.

It's an excellent tool.
Definitely the right tool, at certain moments.

The one on the left.

 

Let us know if it fits in there to remove the UCA bolt. I have a nice DeWalt impact wrench but it wouldn't fit in that spot.

 

Are we talking the UCA bolt for the ball joint? Or the bolt actually holding the UCA onto the truck?

 

I'm talking about the long one holding the UCA in. Looking to replace the UCA when I do the lift, since I'll already have everything taken apart.