Theres a ton of blocks out there and I have no experience with them whatsoever. From what I've read on searches, aluminum blocks will compact over time and that cast iron will not. Also, for the dakotas, a straight block (non tapered) is recommended. (right?)

I want to get 1.5" blocks in the rear, I've found some that are cast iron pretty cheap but I just don't know if they will fit. They all look to be universal but there are minor differences...

The main differences that I see are the width, the diameter of the hole, and the diameter of the pin.

I'm not worried about the bolts, I'll get those from stengle bros.

What should I look for to be certain they will work?

Thanks!!!

 

What ever you go with, make sure they are cast iron if you are lifting.

Our axle has a metal stud that is welded to the leaf spring seat and goes through the leaf spring pack to align the axle with the leafs. The biggest issue with cast iron blocks is the hole and opposing nipple does not fit our truck due to this stud sticking up.

height wise you are probably ok with straight at 1" to 1.5". Anymore and you want tapper. The higher the block, the more taper it will need.

Width wise you will want the same width of the of your leafs.

I bought dodge ram lift blocks and had to put the block on my end mill at work and drill deeper hole the size of the stud on the axle.

Then I had to flip it over and mill down the nipple to the size of the stud so it would align with the leaf spring holes.

With out these holes in the perfect location you really have no way of aligning the rear axle once you unbolt it.

IMAG0077-1.jpg

 

Many simply went to Advance Auto for there cast iron lift blocks, because they are a direct fit. No issues with the stud mentioned. Fits 100% out of the box.

How good are they? That I cannot say. I know more then 2 or 3 members run them though.

 

What could cause my axle to stick out further on one side than the other? Could these guide bolts you mentioned be bent or broken? I never noticed it until I got these wheels/tires. The difference is about a half an inch, the truck rides straight and true so I just think it's shifted in the leafpack and hardware.

I think there was in an accident at the drivers side bed, it's had apparent body work and is a slightly different color than the rest of the truck. It sticks out further on the passenger side so I think it was hit and never readjusted?

 

You can measure the axle on each side of the frame to see if your axle has shifted or if your truck bed is misaligned. If the axle has shifted, you should be able to see if anything holding the axle is loose. Are the tires wearing evenly? Reason for the question is that if the axle has slipped to one side, it could also have slipped a bit forward or back on one side, giving you a slight "angle of attack" between the tires and the road.

With Jeeps, the preferred approach is to weld on new perches of the correct height. These are much easier to fabricate or modify and won't slip the way a block can.

 

FrendiX - I would start with taking a look at, and maybe taking some pictures of how the leaf springs line up with the welded on leaf spring perches to the axle.

Do you have any rear suspension changes? lift block/lowering

 

Advance sells lift blocks?

 

Yes .. as does Autozone ..

....They are aluminum ....

 

I have lowering shackles, they are pretty straight so I don't think it's them. However, since they are longer than stock ones, they are a weak point since there's more leverage. But I wasn't sure before but I thought the axle looked offset before the new wheels, but the new wheels made it much easier to see.

Making a new thread with pics.

 

My Advance sells cast iron blocks, as well as painted steel.