Does anyone have experience with Energy Suspension's poly bushings? I used them before on another project and really liked how they beefed up the control. The ride didn't seem any rougher, either. However, the set I have (5.2109) does not look like it will work with my 99 Ram 1500 2WD.

I pushed out the old bushings and metal sleeves with some lubricant, a Harbor Freight Ball Joint Press (item# 4065), a 1-1/8" socket, and an impact gun. The random pieces I pulled out of the box for the shackle eye fit perfectly (1.55") so I thought I was cooking with gas. But the enclosed parts for the leaf springs are too large, measuring 1.75". And there are some ridiculously oversized bushings enclosed as well that look more like body mounts than anything I could use on my rear suspension.

I would assume then that leaf spring ID is the same as the shackle eye (~1.5") and that I would another set. But I plan on looking again tonight to see if I can't press the 1.75" into the leaves. In the meantime I wanted to know if anyone had these problems with their bushing install, what set they used, and how they did it.

Thanks!

PS: for anyone looking to replace the rear leaf springs, it is helpful to drop the spare, and if you have a Class III hitch receiver you will probably have to remove it as well.

PPS: Harbor Freight "Bushing" Press (4065) image attached

 

I bought the energy suspension bushing kit from them as well. They do come with body mount bushings. I haven't put the bushings on the rear leafspring's yet because I was waiting for it to warm up, hopefully I don't run into the same problem. Did you have to remove your gas tank to get the springs off on the left side?

 

The Energy Suspension leaf kits fit our Dodges that have either 2.5" or 1.75" ID eyes. The problem is that mine has 1.5" spring eyes and they don't have a kit for a 99 Dodge Ram 1500 RWD with 1.5" ID leaves.

I don't think there's any way to tell what size leaf eye you have (1.5" or 1.75") unless you remove them beforehand, and unless you have a 2.5" ID leaf I don't think either of these kits will work. I found that one out while destroying my set beyond capacity to return.

I wound up taking two of the 1.75" bushings down on a bench grinder, fitting them into the main eye (towards the front). When I went back for two more I realized that there weren't enough parts in the kit to finish the project. Both kits available for my truck stipulate that these leaves must use a 2.5" bushing in the main eye (sub component number 2185). This is the one that is so ridiculously large it looks like a body mount.

My OEM application requires sub component 2176 (the 1.55" bushing bodies) and it looks like I'm going to need 12 of them, or 6 pair, at all fittings.

I really don't see any way around the tank drop either, but I'm going to look at it again tonight and will report back. I dropped the tank last year but it was almost empty. Not so this time (drag), but I think I'll be able to get around with lowering the rear.

As well, I'll get some more photos of the spring setup. The folks at Energy Suspension warrantied it, so I'll have a ton of the 1.55" bushings heading my way, but for now the rear of my truck looks pretty sorry and it sure isn't going anywhere this week.

I guess the point is to make sure what size leaf eyes you have before ordering a kit. I've stuck my head under a lot of Dodges in the junkyard recently but never seen a 2.5" bushing setup, and the 1.75" leaf spring kit wouldn't have worked for my truck either.

 

No gas tank removal necessary. I tapped the front eye bolt through the frame and should be able to finesse it back into the eyelet whenever the proper parts arrive.

 

By the way the black Energy Suspension bushings are graphite impregnated, which they claim to be self-lubricating. The red ones don't have graphite.

 

I measured the inside diameter of the leafspring last night and mine were 1.75 inches hopefully everything will go on pretty easy this weekend, their technical department told me he would take about an hour per side. So I'm guessing four hours per side the way I work. I appreciate you giving me the information about the gas tank hopefully that'll save you some time not having to remove it.

 

I can confirm that this kit does not work for a 1500.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ens-5-2111g

I was really pissed off, however, Jeep buddy fortunately had the right size bushings (bought from Ruff Stuff) for use in the leaf springs. We didn't bother with the shackle bushing.

You can get the bolt out on the gas tank side w/o dropping it. Impact gun does wonders.

However, use PB blaster or similar followed by some heat from a torch.

 

Thanks for all the information and help you gave me for this project. You guys were right they do not have the right bushings in that kit. The leafspring shackle eye is 1.5"ID not the 1.75"ID that they send in the kit. After speaking with a technical support department again they're sending out the right bushings. The only other question I have is the bushings that there sending me #2176 1.5" ID and is 2.5 OD, the overall shackle is 2.78" inches.These are going to be about 3/8 of a inch too short, will that hurt any thing?

Thanks

 

Drill the cylinder for a zerk fitting the goes into the void. Fill it with grease.

 

You can put a zerk fitting on the leaf spring? Here is pic of the bushings that they'er sending me.