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Truck not sitting level or strait..im confused.

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Old 08-20-2009, 07:08 PM
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Default Truck not sitting level or strait..im confused.

Ive noticed ever since I put the lift on my truck that it sits lower on the Driver side then it does on the passenger(Pass 39&1/2" Driver 38&1/4" on rear where the silver rocker panel meets the white on the truck bed) Ive assumed it was a leaf spring problem since the rear is more off then the front and the lift came off another truck and ive just never gotten around to getting the leafs checked out. But today I noticed something else. The bed of the truck does not seem to be centered but its lined up with the cab perfectly so now im wondering what could possible be wrong, bad body mounts, tweaked frame? I posted a pic and you can see the rear end and the Window decal are centered with the truck but the bed is sitting higher and right of center.

Im going to take it to the shop tomorrow and rack it to check out the underside and see what might be messed up but im curious if anyone here as seen this before and could point me in the right direction with what should be checked to see why its doing this. Ive taken several measurements underneath the rear and everything seems to line up perfect height wise so now Im thinking maybe a few of the body mounts on the driver side might be crushed/bent, maybe an improper payload with too much weight on that side could of done this? My truck did haul 4 52" tires a few days before the lift was put on, and those tires weighed a few hundred lbs a piece, thinking maybe that could be it.

Side note: Tires seem to line up perfectly front to rear, the truck does not dog walk so im thinking more its a body problem and not so much a frame problem.

Pic 1) Shows how the truck is sitting off the the right, tailgate handle is center with bed but does not line up with pumpkin or window decal, both are center. (LP and hitch are also center with bed).

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Pic2 & 3) Shows the height difference, look where the top of tire meets the body line. Also shows that the body meets the tire at different distances, more inside on driver and more towards the outside on passenger.

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Old 08-20-2009, 07:54 PM
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you more than likely have the dodge lean, with the driver, fuel tank, and battery on one side, these trucks are prone to leaning to the left like yours is

i walked out to my truck the other day, after picking up an irrigation pump, that weighs at least 400 lbs, they had put the pump to the left side of the truck, it looked like a case of dodge lean and then some
 
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Old 08-20-2009, 08:49 PM
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^
Never thought of that, Maybe with the lift/tires I just notice it more then when It was stock. Wonder what I can do to try and correct it, maybe put some sandbags on the passenger side of truck and try to lvl it out that way. And I just put a full tank of gas in it and I looked out and was like DAMN its leaning.. gallon = 8lbs, 24 gallons... well yo uget the picture it adds alot of weight to that side. Wonder if thats why it looks like the truck is sitting right of center.. maybe its just my eyes playing tricks on me since its so lopsided.

Thanks Maroon!
 

Last edited by Kindschi; 08-20-2009 at 09:00 PM.
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Old 08-20-2009, 09:04 PM
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How did you miss the lengthy discussion we had about this just 2 weeks ago? This is a very common problem with Dodges. Even my '79 Power Wagon had it. On my RAM it is a little more pronounced because I also have the 35 gal gas tank and the heavier V10. When I put in my front end spacers I swapped the left side coil with the right side coil because it was about 3/4 inch shorter from the sag. It still isn't completely level, but it's better than it was. New springs would probably help, but it isn't enough of an issue to warrant the expense and effort. Find a fat chick to use as a passenger and it might balance out in a couple years.
 
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Old 08-20-2009, 09:16 PM
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This is a common problem with Chevy S-10s. The stock height S-10 acually comes 3/4'' higher on the driver's side. YOu dont notice it because of the weight of the gas tank. But when you would lift or lower it, the lean becomes more apparent. They make Polyurethane coil spring spacers for the S-10s that will fix the lean. Now I dont know if they make spacers like that for Rams but I could see that putting an Off-Road edition coil spring on the driver's side of a stock 1500 Ram to fix the lean. My truck does not have the lean (But my S-10 does!), so I dont know. But it is worth a try.
 
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Old 08-20-2009, 10:20 PM
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i know mine leans when my fat *** gets in, especially when i got a full 35 gallons of fuel
 
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Old 08-20-2009, 10:24 PM
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Originally Posted by Miami_Son
I Find a fat chick to use as a passenger and it might balance out in a couple years.
Ummm...doesn't help. But many of us could lose a few ourselves to help the cause.

Since the OP didn't see the last thread (or was that in another forum?) Superlift makes a 1 inch weld in lower spacer for this, and you might try an extra AAL on the drivers side.
 
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Old 08-20-2009, 10:27 PM
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id be careful putting a leaf on only one side, as when you load it up, it may not sit level, which can be a safety issue, depending on how much you have loaded in the box
 
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Old 08-20-2009, 10:27 PM
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The problem is only 5% with the front coil spring. 95% of this problem is related to the rear leaf springs.

Trust me, when my truck was leaning over an inch to the driver's side, I went all bezerk about it. Purchased a brand new coil spring for the driver's side, installed it... no change. Still had the lean.

I finally fixed it by purchasing a 4-leaf leaf spring from a junk yard Ram and installing it on my passenger side (the stock leaf springs were 5-leafers). I then moved the passenger side leaf spring over to the driver's side, as it was still decently stiff and the driver's side was almost flat with almost no curve left in it at all.

I now am 1/4" higher on the driver's side in the rear, and 1/8" lower on the driver's side in the front. Close enough for me.

The correct way would have been to purchase new leaf springs altogether, but I paid $65 for a used one from the junk yard, as opposed to $400-ish for two new ones from a reputable company.
 

Last edited by jasonw; 08-20-2009 at 10:31 PM.
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Old 08-21-2009, 12:17 AM
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Why not just swap the stock leaf springs side for side? On my truck the lean was definitely more pronounced on the driver's side front than in the back, but as I have a 2500 with the camper and towing packages I would expect it not to sag as bad as a 1500.
 


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