BDS 4" Install Notes

[tobyw]

Just finished my install of the BDS 4" lift, p/n 1638H. Overall it was pretty much what I had expected, having installed several similar kits on various makes/models. There were, however, a couple of subtle nuances that I thought others might be interested in...

First and foremost, I'm not sure what kind of tool exists to access them, but I certainly don't own it, and the two bolts directly above the differential pumpkin were a nightmare. I ended up actually removing the entire driver-side motor mount assembly, which the differential mount bolts to. Not a big deal, but not in accordance with the instructions and it took me a good 20-30 minutes of futzing around to finally admit defeat and find the workaround.

Here is the differential finally dropped, and you can see the motor mount still attached. I was able to get the front-most bolt about a third of the way out, you can see it partially removed, but there was simply zero-zip-nada access to the rear bolt:



Here is a shot looking up at where the motor/differential mount assembly came from:



The crossmember cuts were more or less exactly what I've seen on other similar systems:





The next surprise came when I was bolting the upper controls arms to the new BDS knuckles. I had previously installed a ReadyLift system with UCA's, and the ball joint they use in their UCA is just slightly too long to for the BDS knuckle:



I had to raid my bolt bins and find a hardened washer with an ID and thickness that would swallow the ball joint shank, and thus allow the castle nut to torque up properly.

The next issue, and this one was self-created, had to do with my previously installed AirLift 1000HD airbags. The new BDS coils are, obviously, longer than the factory coils for which the airbags were designed. To eat up the additional space, I took a page out of my Jeep bumpstop playbook and drilled out some hockey pucks to stack above the airbag:



Then using a large plate washer from an old Jeep rear suspension kit, I stacked the assembly above the airbag and stuffed it all inside the new coils:



The final issue, and it's not really an issue, was the front braided brake lines provided with the kit do not route very well to stay out of the tires. The banjo bolt block essentially dictates the orientation of the line, and in it's natural/relaxed state the lines just stay fairly straight and rub the inside of the tire. I whipped up a couple quick brackets to allow me to fasten the hose to the knuckle and well away from the tire:



Overall a pretty simple install. Took about 7 hours start to finish, a good hour of which was spent dealing with these minor details.

 

[Troyoffroad]

How does it drive with the BDS kit? Did you get it with the Fox shocks?

 

[Pribilof]

Braver than I. Not only would I never use hockey pucks in a truck suspension, I'm not cutting my frame for a lift.

 

[tobyw]

How does it drive with the BDS kit? Did you get it with the Fox shocks?

Not sure yet, have only put about 5 miles on it because I need to get the front end aligned. With it being Veteran's Day today, all of the shops are closed so I probably won't get an appointment until Wednesday at the earliest. No FOX shocks, I just went with the standard BDS units.

Braver than I. Not only would I never use hockey pucks in a truck suspension, I'm not cutting my frame for a lift.

Cutting the frame seems a little daunting, but when you actually look at what the factory rear crossemember does, replacing the cut sections with something that would perform the task would be brutally simple if you ever wanted to go back to stock suspension. With regard to the hockey pucks, they work perfectly for this type of application, not sure what your hesitancy there is about?

 

[Troyoffroad]

Not sure yet, have only put about 5 miles on it because I need to get the front end aligned. With it being Veteran's Day today, all of the shops are closed so I probably won't get an appointment until Wednesday at the earliest. No FOX shocks, I just went with the standard BDS units.

Gotcha. Keep us posted on how she drives. I’m 95% sure I’m going this route. Just need the final push

 

[PorBoy]

^^^. Will you be going with the Fox shocks, or sticking with what B.D.S offers ?

 

[Pribilof]

Not sure yet, have only put about 5 miles on it because I need to get the front end aligned. With it being Veteran's Day today, all of the shops are closed so I probably won't get an appointment until Wednesday at the earliest. No FOX shocks, I just went with the standard BDS units.



Cutting the frame seems a little daunting, but when you actually look at what the factory rear crossemember does, replacing the cut sections with something that would perform the task would be brutally simple if you ever wanted to go back to stock suspension. With regard to the hockey pucks, they work perfectly for this type of application, not sure what your hesitancy there is about?

Hockey pucks aren't designed for those types forces or environmental conditions. They will eventually dry out, deform, and crack.

Have you ever used one as a jack pad? Yeah, they eventually dry out, deform, crack, and require replacement. However, as a jack pad it's easy to see the damage and take action. Up in your suspension coil, the hockey puck could fail completely before you notice.

 

[RichT]

i think you need to keep them frozen

 

[tobyw]

Hockey pucks aren't designed for those types forces or environmental conditions. They will eventually dry out, deform, and crack.

Have you ever used one as a jack pad? Yeah, they eventually dry out, deform, crack, and require replacement. However, as a jack pad it's easy to see the damage and take action. Up in your suspension coil, the hockey puck could fail completely before you notice.

Cannot disagree... Hockey pucks were most certainly not designed to be used as a suspension bumpstop spacer. That said, I have been using them as such for over 2 decades in various coil spring suspension applications, and they work great.

Also cannot disagree that they will eventually dry out, deform, crack, and need replacement. Have you ever looked at the factory bumpstops on any vehicle that actually engages the bumpstops on even a semi-regular basis? If you have, I'd wager that you've noticed they also dry out, deform, crack, and need replacement. So does every single "soft" item throughout your vehicle's suspension system, ie bushings, and they are to be considered wear items that need routine inspection/maintenance/replacement.

Can't say I've ever used one as a jack pad

 

[tobyw]

Just got the truck back from the alignment shop, they had no issues getting things into spec. It drives great, but there is no mistaking the new Load Range 'E' tires compared to the stock 'C' rated rubber... It picks up a lot more of the small road imperfections and just feels a little more jittery thanks to the stiff tires. I'm running them at 40psi right now, and unfortunately it's been foggy and raining here so I can't perform a chalk test to get the pressure set where it truly needs to be. Fingers crossed I can drop it down to the low 30's, as that should improve the ride dramatically. Speedometer is off 2mph at 70mph, not even sure it's really worth using a calibrator but I probably will just so I sleep better Truck has no problems dropping into 8th gear and holding it on the rolling hills around here, so overall I'm extremely happy with things at this point. Should have the trailer/Jeep hooked up this weekend so we'll see how it performs with 7k behind it

 

[PorBoy]

Nice, looking forward to seeing photos of it.

 

[tobyw]

Some pics in this thread:

4" Lift Thread

 

[Troyoffroad]

Just got the truck back from the alignment shop, they had no issues getting things into spec. It drives great, but there is no mistaking the new Load Range 'E' tires compared to the stock 'C' rated rubber... It picks up a lot more of the small road imperfections and just feels a little more jittery thanks to the stiff tires. I'm running them at 40psi right now, and unfortunately it's been foggy and raining here so I can't perform a chalk test to get the pressure set where it truly needs to be. Fingers crossed I can drop it down to the low 30's, as that should improve the ride dramatically. Speedometer is off 2mph at 70mph, not even sure it's really worth using a calibrator but I probably will just so I sleep better Truck has no problems dropping into 8th gear and holding it on the rolling hills around here, so overall I'm extremely happy with things at this point. Should have the trailer/Jeep hooked up this weekend so we'll see how it performs with 7k behind it

So what your saying is that I should stop dragging my feet and just order the kit already

 

[tobyw]

Absolutely!! I love spending other people's money

 

[tobyw]

Just following up on towing after install of the 4" BDS system. Overall impressions are pretty good, but I do have some driveline vibration under hard acceleration when towing. I'm out of options at this point to get the driveshaft angles perfect, so I'm going to have to look into adjustable upper control arms to dial in the pinion angle, as it's too flat compared to the angle up at the carrier bearing. That aside, it was very stable and predictable, even when I came into a corner a little hotter than expected On the open freeway, the truck didn't seem to drive out any differently than it did when towing the same setup bone stock. It dropped right into 7th gear and held it where I expected it to, and downshifted to 6th/5th to maintain speed on the bigger hills, again just as expected and as before. I attribute a lot of that to the 3.92 axle gears, and the fact that the new tire/wheel combo is only 9lbs heavier per corner, so the truck isn't working all that much harder compared to stock. For the 280 mile round trip, the dash readout was 9.9mpg when I parked back in the driveway.

 

[RichT]

Sorry, dumb question, but since this is the lift I am considering, asking it here...

When people discuss tire sizes and rubbing and trimming, are they talking flat stance or at full articulation?

With that in mind, for a Rebel with a BDS 4" lift and 35" tires, can I expect full turn radius at full articulation?

Thanks for any info.

 

[tobyw]

Kind of a loaded question, as there can be significant variations between similar trucks simply due to tolerance stacking... Also, the offset of the wheel plays a tremendous role in what hits/fits, but generally keeping the tires flush or even tucked inside the fenders will help avoid rubbing issues. With all of that said, most of the issues you will see with rubbing on these trucks are likely to present at normal ride height, as the contact is made between the tire and either the lower air dam or the rear edge of the fender liner. When turned, as the suspension is compressed or extended, the sidewall of the tire essentially moves straight up and down, and if it contacts at static height it's likely to contact during the entire distance of vertical wheel travel. Again this is grossly simplified, but you get the idea. That is, however, one significant benefit of this type of suspension lift over a comparatively "simple" set of extended coil overs or strut spacers, because the drop bracketry incorporates a slight forward shift of the entire front axle centerline, helping avoid the rear of the fenders with larger/wider rolling stock