So, I have my new Dynatrac ball joints, all new tie rod ends, spicer u-joints (all 7 of them), Thuren track bar, rough country dual steering damper, Zone 5" lift kit (for the front) and a pair of Skyjacker 4" lift rear spring packs.

Today I managed to get the hub and axle out of the front passenger side. Ready to do the axle u-joint....how do I get the $#!@ inside clips off the freakin u-joint so I can press it out?????

I've tapped, pried, chiseled, pressed the joint caps in to try to relieve pressure, etc and I can't get the friggin things off!

 

i always just ues a screwdriver, but you must have some good rust going on, you can heat them with a torch and it will take the spring out of them and should loosen them up, or my favorite way is just to torch the entire center out of the u-joint then nock the caps out

 

Well, finally after quite a few interruptions due to a family illness, weather and other time constraints the truck is done!

Overall the entire project wasn't particularly difficult, but there were certainly some things that didn't go as expected and required some changes in procedures.

Task #1 was the ball joints. Taking things apart went quickly except for popping out the hub/axle shaft. Using the socket, extension and power steering trick initially resulted in a brand new 90 degree extension (note: don't use chinese made 3/8 " extension, use Craftsman 1/2" instead).

The OTC press was worth every penny of its $300 price tag. Although it wasn't capable of popping out the lower ball joints alone, the uppers came out and went in rather easily. The lowers required some hefty and liberal use of the 4lb "persuader" and PB Blaster, but they eventually succumbed. The press worked to pop them out the last little bit. Installing the Dynatrac's was pretty straight forward and easy with the adapters in the OTC press kit.
Anti-seize grease applied for easier removal in the future.

Task #2 was new u-joints on the front drive axles. A bit of a struggle to get the inside clips off (why can't all u-joints be outside clipped???) but managed it. Install of the new Spicer units was easy and uneventful. Anti-seize grease applied on the caps here for easier replacement in the future.

Reinstallation of the axles and hubs was easy also and the hub flange received some anti-seize grease for future ease of removal. Fortunately the wheel bearings look like they'll last a while longer.

Task #3 was on to the front lift. The Zone Offroad 5" lift is pretty straight forward like pretty much all spring lifts. Taller springs, track bar bracket, link arms and pitman drop bracket. Fortunately this lift came with 4 long shocks as well. Since I purchased only the front lift from them this saved in having to purchase the shocks for the new Skyjacker lifted leaf packs for the rear.

Installing the new taller springs required some wood planks under the jack to get enough lift, but we managed. The hardest part of the install was getting the link arms installed. Getting the ends to line up with the holes was a challenge.

Task #4 was changing out the tire rod ends, installing the new track bar and the steering brace. Nothing difficult here other than getting the old tie rods out of the sleeves. That required some PB Blaster and a little prying to open the sleeves a little. The steering brace is a bit fiddly and definitely requires 2 people to do.

We eyballed the toe-in alignment as best we could as it isn't far to the shop to get it aligned properly.

Task #5 was the installation of the Skyjacker lifted leaf packs. Interestingly this ended up being far more difficult than anticipated. Removing the bolt on the front end of the leaf was a chore. Getting the nut off was easy, but getting the bolt to come out is another story. It required a lot of fiddling with a small 2-ton jack t lift up on the spring to take pressure off the bolt and working the bolt out. This worked fine on the driver's side, but the passenger side bolt just simply would not come out. I ended buying a new bolt ($13 at the Dodge dealership...ouch) and I just cut the old one with the Sawzall.

Jacking the back of the truck up high enough to get the new springs in required 5 layers of 2x4's to set the jack on. I also discovered that I needed to remove the U bolts off the other side so the truck doesn't torque over, otherwise you can't get the new springs to fit in their brackets on each end.

Lifting the new springs up and over the axle and getting them in place was difficult for me and my 14 year old son (the spring packs are 104lbs each), especially on the passenger side where the rear of the spring had to go up and over the exhaust pipe. With the truck jacked so high it also had the emergency brake cable taught on the driver side and this made getting the leaf pack past it and lined up with the mounting holes difficult. It took a while, but we got it.

The last task was adding the new extended brake lines and this caused one more slight problem. The bleeder screw on the driver side front snapped off when I tried to loosen it. I was unable to drill it out and get it removed completely so I had to buy a new brake caliper.

The truck then went to the shop for a new main seal in the back of the engine, a new pinion seal on the front differential, an aligment and installation of my snow tires. Unfortunately the Dodge shop said they could only adjust the toe-in on the alignment because of the lift. Right now there is definitely some negative caster and I am going to have to gradually adjust this out myself until it drives good without binding the u-joints on the front drive shaft, but I don't see this being too much of a problem.

I still need to install the dual steering dampers, the drive shaft u-joints, and the new nerf bars (Christmas present) but that's relatively easy to do.

Even with the caster still needing adjustment I am pleased with the ride. It feels like a new truck again, and even lifted it rides great, still corners well, but those tiny 265/70/17 snow tires look kinda goofy with the lift.

Overall finding sockets to fit some of the nuts was a challenge without spending a small fortune, but I have a Tractor Supply nearby. Their tools are cheapo chinese, but they do have a lifetime warranty and they're 1/4 the price of Craftsman and they were more than adequate for the job. Having to stop and go get sockets or other small, unexpected parts accounted for a fair amount of time and some aggravation.

Of course, doing this on a dirt/gravel driveway in the rain and snow didn't exactly make it fun either. I think if a buddy calls me up asking me to help do this to his truck, I'll pass or ask for enough $$$ to make him decline, lol.

Next up this coming summer is some 18x10 Mazzi Hulk wheels clad in 36x15.50R18 tires and some fender flares.

After that will be an e-mail to RoadArmor to see if they will make a front and rear bumper in stainless and to see what it'll cost.

A stereo system with a sub under the rear seat, and more bits and pieces to make it look better.