I was quite excited to get home yesterday and find my Sulastic springs waiting on the doorstep for me. I read through the instructions and went out this morning to put them on. Despite the instructions stating that this would be a thirty minute job, I was pretty confident that it was going to be at least double that.

The first problem I ran into is that my old floor jack and jack stands with a 14" max range really won't do much for a truck with a frame 14" from the ground :) So off to sears to get a larger jack and jack stands.

Once I got that all taken care of, I set about following the instructions, all was going well until I was trying to remove the inferior and superior bolts. For starters, I have no idea which bolt was superior or inferior, but in the end, I finally decided that they are both superior to me.

From the looks of things, the only way that the bolts can be removed is to remove the hitch from the truck as well. Am I missing something here? Is there a way to get the bolts out of the shackles without having to remove the hitch from the truck in the process?

I have attached a picture showing bolt hitting the hitch so you can see what I am talking about.

Any ideas on how to pull this off without having to resort to removing and re-installing the hitch would be greatly appreciated.

Nope,I had to remove mine and also I had to lift my truck bed and removed the overload bumpers to get the bolt over the rail.This was on a GMC 1 ton Dually application.It was a bitch I am sure some models are easier then others though-good luck stick with it.I also used a small bottle jack to to help with pushing up the leaf springs -it sat in where the bracket is to hold the shackle.

You must pull the hitch, after the bolt pulls right out. Also on some of the trucks the bed pinch weld is pretty tall and keeps the spring from pushing up against the bed so you may need to trim that as well so the top bolts can clear the top of the frame.

Sorry,
-No it's not a 30min job :o:, I wish mfg's would not stat things like that so people feel better about installing it because it just leads to more frustration in the end because it can make someone feel they are not doing something right.


Hope this helps.... I will check back in a hour and see how your doing.:)

You must pull the hitch, after the bolt pulls right out. Also on some of the trucks the bed pinch weld is pretty tall and keeps the spring from pushing up against the bed so you may need to trim that as well so the top bolts can clear the top of the frame.

Sorry,
-No it's not a 30min job :o:, I wish mfg's would not stat things like that so people feel better about installing it because it just leads to more frustration in the end because it can make someone feel they are not doing something right.


Hope this helps.... I will check back in a hour and see how your doing.:)

It was worth it though rides much better now.Hey Nick someone was looking for you did you get the message?

Can't wait till tuesday when I'm installing mine and a set of Bilsteins. Learned alot from you guys !!!!!!!!!!

I found enough clearance by removing the bolts to the hitch that are towards the bumper and loosening the bolts that are toward the front of the truck.

It was worth it though rides much better now.Hey Nick someone was looking for you did you get the message?

You ??

I was in LA all day Thursday and I will be out again all day Mon. No Vacation all for business:(. If anyone needs help Jeff "Navvy" will be answering the phones.

Well did you get it done?

You ??

I was in LA all day Thursday and I will be out again all day Mon. No Vacation all for business:(. If anyone needs help Jeff "Navvy" will be answering the phones.

Not me lol,I'm on too many of these sites ha ha,just can't get enough.I cant find it now but he might of found you :).
Guess you don't get a day off do you?:rolleyes:

I was able to do it without dropping the hitch. It did require removing the hitch bolts that go through the rear bumper and then loosening up the frame bolts almost all the way and letting the hitch hang from them.

Also, another tip; Don't try doing one side at a time. Pull both bottom shackle bolts on both sides and then jack the axle up to get the top ones.
Problem I had with doing only one side first is that when you try jacking the axle up to pull the top bolt out, the axle is at an angle because the other side is still connected and you can't pull the top bolt out straight.

Good Tips--- Installing mine Thursday morn!!

Good Tips--- Installing mine Thursday morn!!


Me toooooooooo :cool:

After a week of coming home to find it raining, I finally got mine done this morning before the rain. What a pain! I ended up having to remove not only the hitch, but also the 4 rear bolts on the bed and lifting the bed up about an inch as I could not bend the seam enough to get the bolts out. I went ahead and did my airbag install at the same time since I had the truck up on jack stands. Total time was 4 hours for the whole thing.

On the plus side, took the wife for a quick ride down the road from our house which is about 2 miles of construction and one of the rougher roads in the area. Things are definitely more muted and less jolting. She approved!

I cut the bolts down with a reciprocating saw. They then wiggled/wriggled out with my Putnam XDR hitch and the bed still in place. The toughest part was getting the top bolts to pass by the seam and big rivet head on the top of the frame rail. As far a shortening the bolts. I am under the impression that the longer bolts are on there to prevent them from accidentally falling out, should the nuts back off..... I also understand that they are not on the earlier models. I have checked mine periodically and they are still there! :-) If they do loosen up, I will use some GMAW lock nuts!

Either way it was a B!tch.

Not sure to what extent MA had to go to installing mine, but I'll tell you what- sure as hell was worth it. Love these things!

Installed mine last Tuesday and left for Pismo Beach on Thursday. I never expected to feel a diff pulling the 14,000 pound 5er. I just wanted to get them installed while I was on vacation getting everything else ready for the trip so when we returned I could just chill and then see how they proformed running empty. To my amazement I felt that they smoothed out the bumps while towing. I still have not droped off the 5er to storage but I can't wait to see how the do empty. I'm another pro sulastic owner!

Griz

i installed mine while i had the bed off the truck to fix my fuel gauge problem,make sure you have some good blocks of wood or a big jack.they were well worth the money and time it took to install them.

I installed mine 2 weeks ago, The install took about 1 1/2 hrs with no problems. The ride in town is great, but the ride on the freeway is still just as bad as it was from the factory, but I blame it on the (Ventura county 101 freeway). Other than that, I am happy with the product, I was hoping it would improve the freeway ride more. I still have not towed the trailer after the install, I am hoping it will improve the ride while towing.

, but the ride on the freeway is still just as bad as it was from the factory,

that doesn't seem like a $350 upgrade that's worth considering--especially when I have read that they don't really help with towing--WTF? I have heard more good things about the air lift bags for all around ride improvement then I have these.

I read someplace that this new style of shackles has parts that wear out and need to be replaces every so often. Is that true?

that doesn't seem like a $350 upgrade that's worth considering--especially when I have read that they don't really help with towing--WTF? I have heard more good things about the air lift bags for all around ride improvement then I have these.

I'm not sure if you are looking at these the right way. Helper bags help added weight/load. If you don't have a load you release the air psi so your factory rear suspension works like it is supposed to. On the Sulastic shackles they are mainly to help the deloaded ride. Most of our truck have such a heavy payload that they ride like crap de loaded. These help that and at the point of adding load your truck works like factory. Feel free to look at my 08 Dually in my garage and how I did the rear. Since I haul alot I added helper bags to help as if I would all stock. 2 products that help in different ways and together work GREAT. Now not to toss 1 more thing into the mix but a good valved rear shock will just top the great ride off. Many shocks have valving to them but again since our trucks have such stiff springs many shocks don't offer enough control so the ride suffers. In the world of after market products catering to each persons needs parts to start adding up when searching to make you completely happy starting with a off the self truck.


I read someplace that this new style of shackles has parts that wear out and need to be replaces every so often. Is that true?

They are stated to have a 10 year life. That's not bad if think about it, your factory shackle bushings probably would last that if not as long. Of course this depends on the weather conditions. Yes they have replacement frame side bushing that are just like any other bushing replacement on the market.

That's a better understanding--I do more unloaded then loaded travel so I think the Sulastic's and Bilsteins may be in order then add the bags.

Nick--why no more air lift sales on your website?

That's a better understanding--I do more unloaded then loaded travel so I think the Sulastic's and Bilsteins may be in order then add the bags.

Nick--why no more air lift sales on your website?


There is a ton of stuff we sale that is not on the site:(. We started as just a retail installer that turned into a on line store. We started the site trying to get as much stuff up but as we have been sought after customers that want more than just cheap parts that say they do something I know have a new goal and I pulled a ton off to get it to be easy and basic for people to find the product we are known for. You will see things changing as we have more detailed suspension packages for customer to chose from that best suites there personal needs. I am constantly on the look out for product new and old to get the best working suspension possible. I first learned of Sulastic shackles about 3-4 years ago, funny I just started selling them this Jan. 08. Sometimes great product is right under your nose. I saw a thread on DP about members talking about them so I ordered a set. We had a great out come with using there product and a couple other combinations started selling them and as of last talking to the owner of Sulastic we are one of there largest volume dealers for the Chevy, Ford and Dodge market.

Oh and yes a Sulastic/Bilstein/Helper bag package is one that will be found soon. Till then if there is any product you see us using on installs or talking about fill free to call in and we can get it shipped out or installed in house for you.


REMEMBER for any members that are local to our shop, my Dually is available for a demo ride:).

REMEMBER for any members that are local to our shop, my Dually is available for a demo ride:).

Can I take it down the 1/4:D

id cut the head off pull the shank out and get a new bolt. balh...... i hate when i run into bolts like that

Can I take it down the 1/4:D


No but you can sit in it and log for me next week on the dyno if that makes you feel good:thumb:

I towed the trailer last night and the sulastics made a huge difference in the freeway ride wile towing. It sounds like Nor-cal Nick's comment about, how some shocks have poor valving for up travel it true. I wish I knew that before I spent $350 on rancho shocks.

myself will be purchasing sulastic and bilsteins soon.. about to get some overtime..thats play money...

Just got the Bilsteins installed that I got from Nick and couldn't be happier with the way the truck handles. As for the ride, it sounds like the Sulastics are going to get rid of that dreaded rear end hop and keep the rear wheels planted. Definately going to give Nick a call soon.