(This is just for reference only; always follow the instructions provided by Rancho). Be very, very careful with the coils as they store a lot of energy when compressed and can be dangerous. This is what I did:
The whole process took about 3 hours in total and is pretty easy to do. Although Rancho doesn't explicitly mention it, I did have to use a compressor to get the old spring out. I suppose I could have disconnected more stuff so that the axle would drop down more, but I didn't quite feel like experimenting. Safety Note: As I mentioned before, be extremely careful while compressing the springs. I always kept in mind if the compressors broke how the spring would expand and what body parts may be in the way. As much as possible I made sure it would 'fire' sideways rather than upwards while working on them. When using the compressor, make sure that it is properly seated on the coils as any irregularities in position will very quickly adjust themselves under pressure. Also tighten both sides at the same rate -- I made sure the thread lengths on both sides were equal. I would assume the spring rate was about 150 or more lbs/inch, so the 3-4" compressed spring would be containing about 500 lbs of force. The compressors I got came in a pair and each side has two arms each with two claws to attach to the coils, reducing the chances of slippage. Driving Impressions I had to lift the front a bit more over what it was before to reestablish the 1.5" or so difference between the front and rear. The front has now become very stiff and the bumpstop clearance is about 1/4". I definitely need to do more work there to find out why it's stiffer. The height measurements are 34.125" ground to plastic fender flare rear, 32.5" in front. Well, I just checked the front, and its just the left front that's significantly stiffer, leading me to believe the left side torsion bar is on its last legs and doesn't have much elasticity left. The right side is a lot softer while I can hardly budge the left side. I also remember that the left side needed a lot more cranking up than the right side to restore to factory spec, even before the Superlift arms. So it looks like maybe new torsion bars, perhaps even dual stage ones, are in my future. I didn't really think the lift could affect the spring rate to this degree, and I feel better about my theory. What's to say about the coils? They're coiled, red, springy, and about 1" taller than the stock coils. That they're actually taller made me not worry as much about losing articulation or riding really stiffly. In terms of diameter, they're slightly larger, maybe by 1 mm at the most (stock is about 13mm). There's nothing else in the box they came in, aside from instructions, warning pamphlets, and order forms for Rancho apparel (not even a free sticker -- but they don't have too bad looking stuff).
New coil spring in place, ready for the loosening of the spring compressors. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/OffRoadDotCom
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