Product Review: BDS Suspension - Trucks 4x4 @ Off-Road.com
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Product Review: BDS Suspension
Publish date: May 1, 2000
By:  Shawn Spickler
Source: Chevy at Off-Road.com
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The quest for soft and flexy springs is sometimes difficult. Everyone is claiming to have a soft ride spring these days. How do you know it's that soft compared to other brands. True, you could compare the spring rate on each manufacture but everyone tests their own spring and there's different ways to test the spring rate. Our project Blazer already had a so-called "Softride" spring but trust me; it wasn't that soft… After doing some research, we found a well respected manufacturer called BDS (formally Big Dicks Suspension). A few recommendations from a few local shops here led us to call them directly to get more info. Usually when you call a huge manufacture of lifts, you get treated like they could care less if you buy their product or not. With BDS it was totally different. We talked to both Rene' and Glenn who was more than happy to spend some time talking about their brand and comparing to others. As a matter of fact, we called a couple times with technical questions and we were always able to talk to somebody knowledgeable who didn't mind spending some time giving some advice. BDS has set out to accomplish one goal, that is producing high quality products at affordable prices that you will be happy with and recommend to your friends. BDS has a high level of confidence in their products which is reflected in the warranty (see below). BDS continues to increase and develop their product line so if you don't see your application, give them a call. After talking to BDS several times, we ended up ordering a set of BDS Glide-Ride springs.

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BDS Front Springs installed. Notice the multiple leafs and the round teflon pads.
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The best thing that stands out is their warranty:

-NO FINE PRINT WARRANTY-

IF YOU ARE THE ORIGINAL PURCHASER OF ANY BDS PRODUCT AND IT BREAKS -

BDS WILL GIVE YOU A NEW PART. PERIOD.

Compare this warranty to the ones used by the other major suspension companies. No questions are asked if something does break. This is the best part about BDS. For those of you who abuse your vehicle and are constantly breaking something, you might want to check these out.

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BDS carries all the necessary parts needed to install the lift.
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All BDS are well made and come shot peened with tapered ends, and teflon pads installed to provide a soft ride and good articulation. The Teflon pads actually make the springs move freely between each other. BDS springs also have larger holes for bushings. This helps a little with articulation and allows more flex on the trail. The installation kits come with polyurethane bushings and the necessary hardware.

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BDS rear springs.
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Installation: Installing the springs was easy. Fronts were done first. Since shocks will limit the axle and will need to be replaced, they are removed. If the lift is 4" or more, the brake lines should be replaced with longer ones or the existing lines can be lowered with the brackets provided. We chose to replace our lines with steel braided. The old lines are removed. Now the truck must be supported on the frame so the leafs can be taken off. The best way to do this was to jack the vehicle up and set the frame on tall jack stands. Since our jack stands didn't reach, we used large pieces of a railroad tie. Since we always think safety when doing this, we placed extra stands next to the main stands for added protection. The tires are stacked and placed under the transmission for more safety. The rear tires are kept on until the front is done. After the frame is on stands and the tires are off, we used a floor jack to lower the axle. The u-bolts were loosened a little. This helps show when the springs have drooped to the fullest when a gap is seen between the spring and axle. Blocks are then added to support the axle and the same should be done on the other side. The u-bolts are then removed. Now the spring can finally come off. Now is a good time to grease the shackle. This will also have to be removed so that it can be lubed. Plenty of grease was used at the bushings. We also purchased a set of greaseable bolts so that the spring and shackle bushings can be lubed over time. After the bushings and sleeves are placed in the springs and greased, the springs are then installed. We found that the axle had to be lowered more to compensate for the lifted springs. After the springs are installed, the axle is raised so that the springs centering pin aligns with the hole in the axle. Our axle was off a little so a come-along was used to help. New u-bolts are then installed that came with the BDS install kit. The same thing is done on the other side. Longer brake lines and shocks are installed. The axle is then raised and the front tires are installed.

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The front springs are installed.
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The rear was done the same way. We did have a problem with the rear shackles. The bolts were rusted to the sleeves. This took many hours of heating and hammering the bolts out. Penetrating oil did not seem to help either. We eventually got them out and replaced the shackle bushings with new poly bushings and greasable bolts. Others usually overlook the shackle and never touch it. If the shackle is not free to move, it will hinder the spring performance. A new bushing was installed in the shackle along with plenty of grease. BDS bushings were then installed in the rear springs. The rear spring is installed so that the axle pinion is raised up. This will help with the drive shaft angle. Be sure your t-case is close to the same angle as the axle pinion. If the angles are off, vibration may result. BDS includes t-case lowering bushings to do this. After the rear springs are installed, the axle is bolted up with the u-bolts. A longer brake line was installed in the rear along with longer shocks. The wheels were then installed.

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The BDS front and rear springs were taller than the previous springs. Their 5.5" was more like 6.5". This was good since all springs will settle a bit over time.
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A final check for torque on all bolts was done in accordance with the torque specs in the service manual. The last step was to bleed the brakes. We finally got to test drive the Blazer. The springs are much softer than the previous brand we were running and the ride was much better. It's great to know these springs have a great warranty behind them but I doubt we'll ever use it. We will soon be taking it to a ramp for RTI testing. Keep checking back to see the RTI results.
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Source: Chevy at Off-Road.com, 5/1/2000
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