HeyYou my truck only has 114k. Pretty good for a '95 model if I say so myself. But the springs might be worth replacing if I get a little lift out of it. I'm sure it's cheaper than leveling kit for sure.
Thanks!
S

 

Building suspension that will actually survive a speed bump and can be used for more then just picking up high school girls..

Building suspension that consists of a lot more then some cheap Chinese made boltons that are going to fail from daily grocery gathering duty and cost you more money in the long run.

Building suspension that uses Coilovers/rebuildable shocks, links, a handful of heims, emulsion/nitro bump stops, limit straps, engine cage, cab cage, bed cage, arms, I beams, bent/extended beams, and a lot of speed.

The kind of suspension 99% of the people like to hate on because it doesn't say "Rancho" or "Tuff Country/Muddin/GDubyaBush Edition/Chinaland" on it.

The kind of suspension that almost anyone can afford if they don't have to "have it now" and are willing to save up for.








Long Travel- Beams, 4x4 Beams, Arms, 4x4 Arms, oh man. Good stuff.

This is going to be awesome, another thread where everyone can tell me that I don't know what I'm talking about!

 

The entire purpose of this thread is for people like you to prove to use why you think you are right. This is your soapbox to teach us what it is you know about suspensions, not just tell people that everything else is out there is junk. Why is it junk? Design? Materials? Price? This is your chance to actually talk about this instead of just being a know-it-all with no facts like you usually are. If you don't want people to challenge you on anything, then you bring nothing to this discussion. If you can't defend what you preach and just want to dictate down to us, then this isn't the place for you. If you can't handle that, then your welcome to leave - this thread will go on without you. It's up to you now, what's it going to be?
Edit: Those are great pictures by the way, but it should be noted that those represent one form of off-roading. In other types of off-roading, a suspension like that will not do you a bit of good. That is one of the things I want to cover in this thread.

The way I see brand name lifts is like this. These lifts have to be built to meet a host of reliability, safety, asthetic, and pricepoint requirements. So like anything that is mass-produced for all types of applications, it probably isn't going to be as good as something you custom make yourself that is specifically design for a specific application. That said, these mass produced suspensions still work. I think the vast majority of the issues with them comes from people installing or using them incorrectly for their application. Take the example of someone using only a coil spacer and then thinking they can wheel their truck like a competition rig. Is that spacer going to fail. Probably. But the same company that made that spacer probably also made a kit with long arms, heims, lifted coil springs or even coilovers, drop pitman, sway bar disconnects and relocations, etc... Would that kit have failed in the way the spacer did - probably not. So it is not the company that was at fault for the spacer failing, it is the fault of the truck owner for installing a crappy spacer when what he really needed was the long arm kit.

Conversely, does the guy that is driving his truck to and from school because it is the only vehicle he has, never wheels it at all, but wants to run bigger tires cause he just likes how they look really need a double flex long arm kit. No. For him a spacer would probably be fine and will probably outlast the truck.

That's my view of brand name stuff. They are like anything else. Just because someone sells it, doesn't mean you need to buy it or that it is right for you. The onus should be on the owner of the truck to buy or build the suspension that meets the way he is going to use his truck. If he fails to do that, he only has himself to blame, not the company that made the part.

 

I don't want to sticky this yet because it will depend on how good it goes. Plus, sticky threads tend to get ignored. I want this to be on the top of the forum below the stickys so we can get as much participation as possible.

 

I want to know what guys are doing about rotted axle brackets, my upper and lower control arm/coil spring brackets are dangeriously thin on my 2001 ram 2500 5.9 are their aftermarket options or do I need to do a axle swap

 

This is it right here. Build your truck for what YOU want to use it for. You need to know what you want to do with it, and what your budget is. Take it from there.

I think your best bet is going to be finding a welding shop in your area that will reinforce the existing brackets... or, replace them.. as the case may be.

 

Very well said silver.

Great pics man.

If you invite criticism through the venue of attitude, people tend to defend their ideas more vehemently (read: stubborn) and with less logic. It should be preferred to invite it by means of things that can be proven fact in the real world i.e.: this is what it is, this is what it does, this is why it's better for x; rather than: f**k you i'm right.

 

^mad_scientist i love your sig pic! i just laughed for 10 mins.
where did you find a parking spot like that?

 

HeyYou, thanks for your input, the problem I think and why I havent done it already with welding a patch on these brackets is they are already thin and the possible interfearence with the cam bolts for the camber adjustment. I am looking for either aftermarket replacement or possible manafactured custom brackets/perches. that i could bolt or weld myself, also haveing a decent fabracator make me some could exceed the cost of a complete axle housing exchange and this is the route I might have to take nobody on these forums are able to advise me of viable options so I might have to go with a complete axle swap, what is surpriseing is out of all my hours of research I have not found any other people with this issue or a need for replacement brackets Its hard to believe I am the only one on this small blue dot with this issue

 

Thanks man, had to do it lol. It was taken at a medical center here in baytown, about 20mi southeast of Houston