I was reading a thread on these leaf springs and it said you have to remove the bumper to get the spring off. Is there a way you can get these off without removing the bumper? I just put a custom bumper on and it was a pain to install and am trying to get my pickup level without taking the bumper off. If not, is there another kit I could level out the pickup without taking the bumper off?

Thanks

 

Theres all types of kits out there. Add-a-leafs, spring packs, and hanger kits. Just got to do some research and see what everyone has and likes. Im running zoneoffroad spring packs and hangers.

 

I don't believe it can be done, not easily anyway.

Look into an add a leaf or shackle lift if you don't want to remove the bumper.

 

I swapped suspensions out with another truck, and we got the driver sides off with the bumpers on, but it was so difficult we pulled the bumpers for the rest of the build. If you can get the front leaf bracket bolt out and back in without pulling the bumper then you can leave it on.

We did have to pull off the lower trans cooler brackets though to get enough clearance for the bolts to clear. They were a PITA to go back on for some reason.

My bumper was just the 4 bolts to take off with the impact. I've installed a few customs and agree they can be a pain. Here's a pic of how accessible it is with the bumper off



Also, if its 4wd you'll have to pull the front driveshaft to get the driver side rear bolt out. Not a big deal.

Edit: breaker bar breaker bar breaker bar...

 

I never had to drop my driveshaft, I can't see any other way to do it then removing the bumper. An add a leaf kit it's probably your best bet.

 

My truck and the donor truck both had the bolts put in from the center with the nut on the outside. The front shaft from the transfer case to the front axle was keeping the bolt from going all the way out the hole. We reinstalled with the nut in the inside so we wouldn't have the issue next time.

 

You may already have access, depending on how your front custom bumper was made.

The reason the front bumper is taken off is to access the front spring eye bolts. The OEM bumper blocks proper access to the spring eye bolt, but it's possible your custom bumper doesn't.

There is also another way, but it is labor intensive, as you would have to remove the corner bumper support brackets.

Stewart

 

I did mine last week and did not remove the bumper,on the driver side which was the harder of the two i had to disconnect the front drive shaft and remove a bracket by the font spring bolt,it was a pain in the ***,passenger was easier than driver side but still a pain took about 3 hours or so start to finish

 

You can manipulate (use a floor jack) the suspension on that side to clear the drive shaft.

Stewart

 

I think we dropped the shaft because we couldn't get the clearance even with a skylift jack on the tow hook. But, it may have been prior to taking off the stabilizer bar links. Those have to come off anyway, so try that first. If you don't take them off you won't have enough clearance to get the springs in and out.

 

I know it is a pain to remove the bumper(custom, not stock) but it makes the job so much easier.

The first time I modified the front suspension in my truck was to install a 4" lift. What a PITA that was.
No lift, one floor jack and 2 6 ton jack stands. I literally had to set the front axle on the floor to install the new leaf springs. I never disconnected the front driveshaft.
I did remove the bumper, it is only 6 bolts(on mine anyway). Also had to remove the brackets for the A/C condenser and the plow mount that was on the truck.

The last time the suspension was modified, just 2 weeks ago, was to remove the 4" front springs and install a pair of new X codes. I did everything the same except this time I had a lift.

 

I did not have to remove drive shaft to get the rear spring hanger bolt out. Simply let the jack on the axle DOWN and the bolt will go right over the top of the drive shaft with plenty of clearance.

 

Makes life a lot easier, doesn't it Mike?

Stewart

 

Thanks for the advice guys, much appreciated. I will crawl under and see if I can access the front eye bolt today.

 

Yes, it sure does.


Good luck and let us know how it goes.