Jack's 2007 Chevy Build

[locrwln]

1999-up Super Dutys have the crazy frame flex too? Didn't think there was anything with the massive frame flex of my older vintage F-series.

Yeah, the 80-97's are the worst, but the SD have their share, much more than a similar era GM/Dodge.
Here is mine at full twist (rear tire is about 8" off of the ground):


And here is a video showing the differences and keep in mind that there was substantial frame strength improvements by Ford in 2005 and of course GM in 2011.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CGYA04DNTY

I know there are going to be people saying that it is a "chevy" video, but as you know from owning my SD, I watched it twist numerous times. So if you take away the chevy "slant," it still is pretty indicative of the difference. Was I ever worried about the frame in my SD, no. I put some pretty substantial loads in the truck over a lot of miles on bad roads and even when I sold it the body lines lined up perfectly. But for the purposes of a wind deflector, I'm not sure I would attach it to the camper and not expect it to hit the cab of the truck.

Also, I ordered my King 2.5" shocks yesterday. It will probably be a month before I see them, which is ok, I won't be able to put them on right away. Can't wait to experience them. This will be my first time with true high end shocks, let's hope they live up to their reputation.

Jack

 

[bob91yj]

Damn you get after it in that truck! I'll be interested to see how the King's work out for you.

 

[Redline]

snip...
And here is a video showing the differences and keep in mind that there was substantial frame strength improvements by Ford in 2005 and of course GM in 2011.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CGYA04DNTY
I know there are going to be people saying that it is a "chevy" video, but as you know from owning my SD, I watched it twist numerous times. So if you take away the chevy "slant," it still is pretty indicative of the difference. Was I ever worried about the frame in my SD, no. I put some pretty substantial loads in the truck over a lot of miles on bad roads and even when I sold it the body lines lined up perfectly. But for the purposes of a wind deflector, I'm not sure I would attach it to the camper and not expect it to hit the cab of the truck. snip...

Admittedly, I've never been a G.M. truck fan but the picture of your truck, as well as the video you linked show very little frame flex. I was impressed. Heck, the frame flex of those 2011 Super Duty trucks doesn't look much better than my 1996. I've had my '96 super twisted, and my tailgate has yet to buckle.

You decided to go with the the King shocks after all...hope they are good and you don't need to service them often.

 

[locrwln]

Damn you get after it in that truck! I'll be interested to see how the King's work out for you.

I try and me too. I will be sure to let everyone know what I think of them good or bad.

Admittedly, I've never been a G.M. truck fan but the picture of your truck, as well as the video you linked show very little frame flex. I was impressed. Heck, the frame flex of those 2011 Super Duty trucks doesn't look much better than my 1996. I've had my '96 super twisted, and my tailgate has yet to buckle.

You decided to go with the the King shocks after all...hope they are good and you don't need to service them often.

The SD's have stuck with the open channel C frame design while GM and Dodge have both gone to fully boxed hydroformed frames. My era GM is only about half boxed and the rear is open C channel. The difference between my '02 F350 and my current truck though was considerable in frame height difference, especially in the rear. The SD's are about 6 inches (from memory) and the GM's are around 8 inches and the material looks thicker.

Believe me, I do too on the Kings. I'm looking forward to them and I hope they don't disappoint.

Jack

 

[SLO_F-250]

Interesting Discussion. I was under the impression that the 97 and earlier fords were the "flexy" ones. I have not noticed much in mine. That said, I have not gotten after it like you did in the picture above! NICE WORK! I have something to aspire too now! :elkgrin:

I'm interested to see how you like the Kings as well. Coming from a desert racing background I couldn't imagine they would be too much improvement on a bigger rig with less travel at slower speeds. Hopefully it is $$$ well spent! I was just planning on getting dual Bilstiens up front.

 

[DoMiNiC1]

(rear tire is about 8" off of the ground):

Keep in mind there is a camper in the bed. :victory: That a stout frame.

 

[locrwln]

Interesting Discussion. I was under the impression that the 97 and earlier fords were the "flexy" ones. I have not noticed much in mine. That said, I have not gotten after it like you did in the picture above! NICE WORK! I have something to aspire too now! :elkgrin:

I'm interested to see how you like the Kings as well. Coming from a desert racing background I couldn't imagine they would be too much improvement on a bigger rig with less travel at slower speeds. Hopefully it is $$$ well spent! I was just planning on getting dual Bilstiens up front.

I has amazed me as to where it will go, with very little drama (usually).

I am too. I have the same concerns. There is only 6-7 inches of wheel travel upfront, which means even less at the shock, so the shock is going to have to do a lot of work in a very short amount of travel. That is one of the reasons for using a 2.5" shock, there is going to be a lot happening within the shock and a lot of heat as a result.

Keep in mind there is a camper in the bed. :victory: That a stout frame.

It impressed me when I looked at the picture the first time. I have had it in several similar situations and there is very little twist overall.

Jack

 

[Treybiz]

Interested to see what you think of the kings as well. My Fox 2.0s are being built for my 1/2 ton as we speak. I liked that they are rebuildable and valvable. Hopefully they work well for the $$$.

 

[1stDeuce]

Seeing your truck at full droop really shows how much suspension travel I'm losing with my airbag setup... I needed some more clearance under the back of the truck yesterday while working on the rear diff, so I aired the bags up to 80psi. Wanted a little more, so I tossed the high lift under the hitch and within 2 pumps, I was lifting one of the rear tires off the ground! I think I'm getting close to full compression with them in there, but the droop is very limited. (You'd think that would be pretty hard on the tiny little bolts that hold the airbags on! I'm going to unbolt them and see just how much I'm limiting, but I may look to do an add-a leaf instead pretty soon. Or find some bags that will allow a little more travel, like the factory H2 bags.

I see you have 5 leafs... Any idea if they're stock or if you have an add-a-leaf in there? Pretty sure my 2500 CC only has 4 leafs.
C

 

[locrwln]

Seeing your truck at full droop really shows how much suspension travel I'm losing with my airbag setup... I needed some more clearance under the back of the truck yesterday while working on the rear diff, so I aired the bags up to 80psi. Wanted a little more, so I tossed the high lift under the hitch and within 2 pumps, I was lifting one of the rear tires off the ground! I think I'm getting close to full compression with them in there, but the droop is very limited. (You'd think that would be pretty hard on the tiny little bolts that hold the airbags on! I'm going to unbolt them and see just how much I'm limiting, but I may look to do an add-a leaf instead pretty soon. Or find some bags that will allow a little more travel, like the factory H2 bags.

I see you have 5 leafs... Any idea if they're stock or if you have an add-a-leaf in there? Pretty sure my 2500 CC only has 4 leafs.
C

Mine are kind of a hybrid pack. I got a set of 63" 1 ton springs from a friend that were from a '99 truck. I cleaned and painted them and got ready for the install. That's when I learned that there is a difference between the 88-2000 springs and the 2001 and newer. The bolts are bigger (if I remember right) for the spring bushings, so I cut the spring clamps on my stockers and removed the top/main spring. I did the same thing with the '99 springs and then I put my '07 main spring on top of the '99 pack and put everything back together. On the '99 springs, the spring clamp is the bolt type, whereas the '07's are the bent over/non-serviceable type. It was just what I needed for my uses. It sits like a truck unloaded and still rides great and sits level when loaded for a trip and rides even better. I have another set of springs at the house that I picked up for free, they are from an '08 Dually/3500. Those are some serious springs. Every leaf is thicker, including the bottom overload and they have an upper overload spring as well. I don't plan on installing them as is, but if I ever destroy or have a problem with my current springs, I have choices on how to fix them.

The stock rear shocks are the limit of travel in the rear on mine. The spring has much more droop available, not that I have been in a situation where I needed more travel, it was just something I observed when crossed up like that.

Jack

 

[SChandler]

Seeing your truck at full droop really shows how much suspension travel I'm losing with my airbag setup... I needed some more clearance under the back of the truck yesterday while working on the rear diff, so I aired the bags up to 80psi. Wanted a little more, so I tossed the high lift under the hitch and within 2 pumps, I was lifting one of the rear tires off the ground! I think I'm getting close to full compression with them in there, but the droop is very limited. (You'd think that would be pretty hard on the tiny little bolts that hold the airbags on! I'm going to unbolt them and see just how much I'm limiting, but I may look to do an add-a leaf instead pretty soon. Or find some bags that will allow a little more travel, like the factory H2 bags.

I see you have 5 leafs... Any idea if they're stock or if you have an add-a-leaf in there? Pretty sure my 2500 CC only has 4 leafs.
C

Daystar recently released these: http://daystarweb.com/productdetail.php?productID=1232 They might be worth a look at since they should let you keep your current air bags.

I will echo the previous posts about the shocks on your truck locrwln. I have considered getting some nice 2.5" body shocks for my truck someday, but I'm not sure I use the truck hard enough to justify them over the cost of a set of Bilstein 5100's.

 

[24HOURSOFNEVADA]

Don't you have four things to add to this?

 

[locrwln]

They are still safely sitting inside the house where you last saw them. I have been too busy and the weather too crappy to install them.

FYI for those that have no idea what we are talking about, I have the King 2.5" shocks sitting at my house. I need to get some pictures and post them just for the eye candy effect. I am actually thinking about installing the fronts this weekend. I think the weather is supposed to be somewhat decent. We will see...

Jack

 

[contento]

Love to know if you think the Kings are worth the extra $$$.



Is your truck still on the original stock shocks at this point?

 

[locrwln]

Love to know if you think the Kings are worth the extra $$$.



Is your truck still on the original stock shocks at this point?

I would love to tell you that they are, but I haven't installed them yet. I really hope so. I did wrap the body of the shock and the remote reservoir with "3M Invisible Bra" material. I figured that especially on the rear, the rock/sand damage do a number on them. My thinking was that the bra material would slow that down and hopefully keep them from getting damaged as quickly. Here is what they look like:

Rears and they are marked "driver's side" and "passenger side"


Fronts and they too are marked driver's side and passenger side.


I do still have the stock shocks on, 103k miles and counting.

Jack