Hey everyone so a couple months ago I installed a 3" top gun customs lift on my 99 dodge ram sport. The other day i was under my truck and noticed both rear lift blocks wear cracked in half both were cracked in the same spot about a inch and a half off the rear. There was about a half inch gap were it was cracked. Top gun customz sent me two new rear lift blocks, i have not installed them yet since i just received them. But im wondering if this problem is going to happen again once i install the new ones. Kind of strange to me how they just cracked so soon, and I dont haul or tow anything with my truck and i dont go offroading. Has anyone experienced this before? Have any of you looked at your blocks since it has been installed? They are 1.5 inch blocks, the plan is to install the new ones and eventually just put add a leafs in since everyone says are way better then blocks, how hard are the aal to install? whats a good brand to go with?

 

May have been just a bad batch that they hadn't caught.
AAL can be easy if you take the time pull the springs apart to install the AAL.

 

you may not have tourqued them dowm tight enough slapping around made them crack

 

theres nothing on the rear leafs that would cause a crack like that. a few things could have happened: 1) the blocks were bad to begin with and they cracked under pressure, 2) you did not tighten them down enough causing a rattle or vibration that could have caused a fracture, 3) you tightened them down too much causing them to stress fracture after hitting a bump or hauling something with decent weight.

basicaly theres nothing mechanicaly on the rear leafs that would cause a fracture like that to happen (not that i'm aware of). i would say its safe to put the new ones on. just make sure they're torqued to the right spec.

 

I install rear blocks at least once a week and I would think that it would have just been a bad cast.
The leaf pack just sits on these blocks and it is all held in by the U-bolts, it is hard to overtighten these and too loose would be a very obvious.

 

 

I had the EXACT same problem. Mine broke after about 3 months and i had same kit. But if you dont replace them quickly the front broken halfs will fall out and then your axle rolls forward and itll break your u joint on the driveshaft, and trust me thts no fun. THe replacement ones that they sent me i have had in for 2 months and they arent cracked, they appear to be in a lot better quality.

 

One thing that most people do not take into consideration is that U-bolts stretch. Thay are never recommended to be re-used. I am guilty or re-using them just like everyone else, but if I had an issue like yours I wouldn't replace the blocks without installing new u-bolts too.

 

%100 true U bolts should not be re-used. Kits should have come with new ones though.