#021700, 021701 7 Suspension System 2000-2004 Chevy/GMC 1500 2wd Extended Cab w/ Front Coil Springs READ AND UNDERSTAND ALL INSTRUCTIONS AND WARNINGS PRIOR TO INSTALLATION OF SYSTEM AND OPERATION OF VEHICLE. SAFETY WARNING BDS Suspension Co. recommends this system be installed by a professional technician. In addition to these instructions, professional knowledge of disassembly/ reassembly procedures and post installation checks must be known. PRODUCT SAFETY WARNING Certain BDS Suspension products are intended to improve off-road performance. Modifying your vehicle for off-road use may result in the vehicle handling differently than a factory equipped vehicle. Extreme care must be used to prevent loss of control or vehicle rollover. Failure to drive your modifi ed vehicle safely may result in serious injury or death. BDS Suspension Co. does not recommend the combined use of suspension lifts, body lifts, or other lifting devices. You should never operate your modifi ed vehicle under the infl uence of alcohol or drugs. Always drive your modifi ed vehicle at reduced speeds to ensure your ability to control your vehicle under all driving conditions. Always wear your seat belt. PRE-INSTALLATION NOTES 1. Special literature required: OE Service Manual for model/year of vehicle. Refer to manual for proper disassembly/reassembly procedures of OE and related components. 2. Adhere to recommendations when replacement fasteners, retainers and keepers are called out in the OE manual. 3. Larger rim and tire combinations may increase leverage on suspension, steering, and related components. When selecting combinations larger than OE, consider the additional stress you could be inducing on the OE and related components. 4. Post suspension system vehicles may experience drive line vibrations. Angles may require tuning, slider on shaft may require replacement, shafts may need to be lengthened or trued, and U-joints may need to be replaced. 5. Secure and properly block vehicle prior to installation of BDS Suspension components. Always wear safety glasses when using power tools. 6. If installation is to be performed without a hoist, BDS Suspension Co. recommends rear alterations fi rst. 7. Due to payload options and initial ride height variances, the amount of lift is a base fi gure. Final ride height dimensions may vary in accordance to original vehicle attitude. Always measure the attitude prior to beginning installation. POST-INSTALLATION WARNINGS 1. Check all fasteners for proper torque. Check to ensure for adequate clearance between all rotating, mobile, fi xed, and heated members. Verify clearance between exhaust and brake lines, fuel lines, fuel tank, fl oor boards and wiring harness. Check steering gear for clearance. Test and inspect brake system. 2. Perform steering sweep to ensure front brake hoses have adequate slack and do not contact any rotating, mobile or heated members. Inspect rear brake hoses at full extension for adequate slack. Failure to perform hose check/ replacement may result in component failure. Longer replacement hoses, if needed can be purchased from a local parts supplier. 3. Perform head light check and adjustment. 4. Re-torque all fasteners after 500 miles. Always inspect fasteners and components during routine servicing. 102 S. Michigan Avenue Coldwater, MI 49036 517-279-2135 www.bds-suspension.com Page 1 of 5
PARTS LIST Part # Qty Description 548 1 Bolt Pack 549 1 Bolt Pack 031701 2 Coil Spring 01171 1 Steering Knuckle (drv) 01172 1 Steering Knuckle (pass) 01127 1 Front Crossmember 01128 1 Rear Crossmember M02060RB-03 2 Bump Stop 01188 2 Compression Strut 01189 2 Compression Strut Mount 01190 2 Compression Strut Nut Tab 02111 1 Carrier Bearing Drop 01000 2 Rear Bump Stop Extension 32-1 4 Sleeve 2081BK 8 Bushing 12-1 2 Sleeve 4805 8 Stem Bushing S10024 8 Stem Washer 342701 1 Loctite BOLT PACK 548 Qty Description 2 5/8-11 x 5-1/2 bolt grade 8 yellow zinc 2 5/8-11 x 4-1/2 bolt grade 8 yellow zinc 4 5/8-11 prevailing torque nut yellow zinc 8 5/8 SAE fl at washer thru-hardened yellow zinc 4 7/16-14 x 3-1/2 bolt grade 8 yellow zinc 4 7/16-14 x 1-1/4 bolt grade 8 yellow zinc 4 7/16-14 prevailing torque nut yellow zinc 12 7/16 SAE fl at washer yellow zinc 2 10mm-1.50 x 25mm bolt class 8.8 clear zinc 2 10mm split lock washer clear zinc 2 1/4-20 x 3/4 bolt grade 5 clear zinc 2 1/4 SAE fl at washer clear zinc 2 1/4 split lock washer clear zinc 2 3/8-16 x 7-1/2 bolt grade 8 yellow zinc 4 3/8-16 prevailing torque nut yellow zinc 2 3/8-16 x 1-1/4 bolt grade 5 clear zinc 4 3/8 SAE fl at washer clear zinc 2 3/8 split lock washer clear zinc 2 3/8-16 hex nut clear zinc BOLT PACK 549 Qty Description 2 3/8-16 x 3-1/2 bolt grade 8 yellow zinc 2 3/8-16 prevailing torque nut yellow zinc 4 3/8 SAE fl at washer thru-hardened yellow zinc PRE-INSTALLATION MEASUREMENTS Measure from the center of the wheel up to the bottom edge of the wheel opening LF RF LR RR FRONT INSTALLATION 1. Park the vehicle on a clean, level surface and block the rear wheels for safety. 2. Safely raise the front of vehicle and support with jack stands under the frame rails for safety. 3. Remove the wheels. 4. Disconnect the ABS line at the connector on the frame and from the retainers on the control arm, control arm pocket and brake line bracket at the knuckle (Fig 1). FIG. 1 5. Disconnect the brake line from the knuckle and upper control arm. Retain all hardware (Fig 1). 6. Disconnect the caliper bracket from the knuckle and hang the caliper out of the way (Fig 2). Do not allow the caliper to hang by the brake hose. FIG. 2 Page 2 of 6
7. Remove the brake rotor from the hub. 8. Remove OE sway bar end links and discard (Fig 3). 9. Remove the nut from the tie rod ends at the knuckle. Strike the knuckle near the tie rod end to free it from the tapered hole. Remove the tie rod end from the knuckle (Fig 3). Retain tie rod end nut. Note: Do not hit the threads on the tie rod end. FIG. 4 FIG. 3 10. Working on one side at a time, support the lower control arm with a hydraulic jack. Disconnect the upper and lower shock mounts and remove the shock from the vehicle. Discard the shock and upper mounting hardware. Retain the lower shock mounting hardware. 11. With the lower control arm well supported with a hydraulic jack, remove the upper ball joint nut. Thread the nut back on a couple of turns by hand. Strike the knuckle near the ball joint to dislodge the joint. Repeat the process with the lower ball joint. WARNING: Be certain that the lower control arm is well supported before removing any ball joint nuts. The coil springs are under extreme load. Care must be taken to avoid personal injury. 12. With both ball joints loose in the knuckle, remove the ball joint nuts and retain. Remove the knuckle assembly from the control arms. 13. Carefully lower the fl oor jack supporting the lower control arm to release the coil spring. Caution: Be extremely careful when working with coil springs under load. Lower the control arm until there is no load on the spring and remove the spring from the vehicle. Retain the OE upper and lower coil spring insulators they will be used with the new springs. 14. Remove the OE lower control arms from the vehicle by removing the pivot bolts. Retain hardware. 15. Remove the OE lower control arm compression bump stops from the frame and discard (Fig 1). 16. Remove the OE strut supports from the rear control arm pocket crossmember and frame rails (Fig 4). Discard the strut tubes and hardware. 17. The OE strut support mounts on the crossmember must be cut off fl ush with the bottom of the crossmember (Fig 5). Mark the cut lines as shown and remove the mounts with a cutoff wheel or sawzall. Paint any bare metal to prevent corrosion. Crossmember Installation Notes: BDS crossmembers have slotted mounting holes to ease installation and compensate for any variances in OE frame bracket locations. Once the crossmembers are installed, visually center the crossmembers in the frame before the mounting bolts are tightened. Before installing either crossmember, be sure that the inside surfaces of the OE lower control arm pockets are free of burrs. Commonly, the OE bolts and washers stretch the mounting holes when installed and leave a rolled edge that could hinder the installation of the new crossmembers. These edges can be smoothed with a fi le or rotary grinding tool. FIG. 5 18. Install the new BDS front crossmember (01127) in the OE front lower control arm pockets using the original control arm hardware (Fig 6). Install the bolts from front to rear. Leave hardware loose. 19. Install the provided bump stops (M02060RB-03) in the new rear crossmember (01128) with 3/8 nuts, 3/8 SAE washers and lock washers. Tighten hardware securely. Page 3 of 5
22. Remove the three bolts retaining the hub assembly to the OE steering knuckle. Remove the hub assembly and dust shield from the knuckle. Retain hardware, dust shield and hub assembly. Note: It may be necessary to press the hub out of the knuckle as a result of excessive corrosion on some vehicles. 23. Install the hub assembly and dust shield on the corresponding BDS knuckle (01171(drv), 01172(pass)) and retain with factory bolts (Fig 9). Apply Loctite to the bolts and torque to 125 ft-lbs. Note: Be sure that the hub is properly seated in the knuckle before tightening the hardware. FIG. 6 20. Install the rear crossmember in the OE rear lower control arm pockets using the original control arm hardware (Fig 7). Install the bolts from front to rear. Leave hardware loose. FIG. 9 FIG. 7 21. Install the OE lower control arms in the front and rear crossmembers with 5/8 x 4-1/2 bolts (front), 5/8 x 5-1/2 bolts (rear), nuts and 5/8 SAE washers from bolt pack #548. Leave hardware loose. The heads of the bolts should be to the front of the vehicle (Fig 8). 24. Remove the bottom spring insulators from the OE springs and install them on the corresponding new lift springs. 25. Support the lower control arm with a hydraulic fl oor jack. Note: Use a sturdy, quality fl oor jack. A bottle jack will not work for this procedure. 26. Position the coil spring in the OE frame pocket with the upper insulator above the spring. Swing the lower control arm up to the bottom of the coil spring and rotate the spring so that is seats against the spring stop in the arm properly. 27. Using the floor jack carefully raise the lower control arm to compress the spring just enough that the new steering knuckle can be installed on the upper and lower control arms. Caution: Be extremely careful when working around coil springs under load. Do not lift the jack high enough to lift the truck off of the jack stands. 28. Install the new knuckle assembly to the lower ball joint using the original nut. Torque the lower ball joint to 75 ft-lbs. 29. Pull the upper control arm ball joint down into the knuckle and attach with the OE nut. Torque the upper ball joint to 35 ft-lbs. When both ball joints are fully seated and the nuts are tight, lower the fl oor jack supporting the lower control arm (Fig 10). 30. Install the brake rotor on the hub. Install the brake caliper on the knuckle using the original mounting hardware. Apply Loctite to the bolts and torque to 125 ft-lbs. FIG. 8 Page 4 of 6
FIG. 10 31. Route the brake hose and ABS line behind the knuckle and attach to the threaded bosses on the back with ¼ x ¾ bolts, SAE fl at washers, and lock nuts from bolt pack #548. Torque to 10 ft-lbs (Fig 11). Reattach the brake hose to the upper control arm using the original hardware. Use the provided wire ties and OE retaining clips to retain the ABS wire to the upper control arm. Note: The OE brake hose brackets can be spread open to allow the brake hose to slide for better positioning if necessary. 35. Install the bushings (2081BK) and sleeves (32-1) in the new compression struts (01188). Attach the struts to the mounting tabs on the back of the rear crossmember with 7/16 x 3-1/2 bolts, nuts and 7/16 SAE fl at washers from bolt pack #548. Leave hardware loose. 36. Attach the rear compression strut mount bracket (01189) to the strut with 7/16 x 3-1/2 bolts, nuts and 7/16 SAE fl at washers from bolt pack #548. Attach the bracket so that it will sweep back toward the rear of the vehicle. 37. Swing the compression strut up to position the rear mounting bracket fl ush with the transmission crossmember. Using the bracket as a template, mark the holes to be drilled on the crossmember. 38. Drill ½ holes at the marks through the fi rst layer of metal only (Fig 12). Swing the brackets back up to the crossmember and align the holes. Insert the provided strut bracket nut tab (01190) in the access hole in the middle of the transmission crossmember and align it to the holes just drilled. Fasten the bracket with 7/16 x 1-1/4 bolts and 7/16 SAE washers from bolt pack #548. FIG. 12 FIG. 11 32. Do a steering sweep to ensure that the brake lines have enough slack to operate correctly. 33. Install the tie rods on the new knuckles and retain with the OE nut. Torque nut to 45 ft-lbs. Note: In some cases it may be necessary to trim ¼ off of the inner tie rod in order to get enough thread travel to obtain proper toe adjustment. If this is the case, remove the outer tie rod end (leave the jam nut on) and cut ¼ off of the inner rod with a cut off wheel. Thread the jam nut off to clean the threads and then reinstall the entire assembly. 34. Disconnect the OE front sway bar from the frame and fl ip it over. Reinstall the inverted sway bar on the frame with the OE hardware and torque to 25 ft-lbs. Note: The sway bar will now run under the steering. The new end links will be installed with the weight of the vehicle on the lower control arms. 39. Torque all compression strut mounting hardware to 45 ft-lbs. 40. Install the wheels and lower the vehicle to the ground. 41. Torque the lower control arm pivot bolts to 100 ft-lbs. 42. Install the provided new sway bar links to the lower control arm and sway bar. Each link consists of a #12-1 center sleeve with four stem bushings (4805G), stem washers (S10024) and 3/8 x 7-1/2 bolts and nuts from bolt pack #548. Install a stem washer then stem bushings on the bolt. Slide the bolt up through the lower control arm holes and install a bushing, washer, center sleeve, washer and bushing. Continue with the bolt through the sway bar and cap it off with a bushing, washer and 3/8 nut. Tighten the entire assembly until the bushings begin to swell (Fig 11). REAR INSTALLATION 1. Block the front wheels. Safely raise the rear of the vehicle and support with jack stands for safety. 2. Remove the wheels. 3. Place a fl oor jack under the rear axle for support. 4. Remove the OE shock absorbers. Page 5 of 5
5. Disconnect the rear brake line bracket from the driver s side frame rail by removing the two bolts retaining the bracket to the frame and retain the fasteners for later use. Complete the following steps one side at a time: 6. Remove the passenger s side leaf spring U-bolts. Lower the axle from the leaf springs. 7. Use C-clamps to hold the spring assembly securely together. 8. Remove the leaf spring center pin and slowly remove the C-clamps. 9. Place the add-a-leaf between the second and third leaves. 10. Slide the 3/8 pin up through the leaf pack and start the nut to hold the pack together. Do not use the center pin to draw the leaf pack together. Use a C-clamp on each side of the center pin to draw the pack together while ensuring that the leaves are in line. After the pack is drawn together, torque the center pin to 30 ft-lbs. 11. Remove the C-clamps. Cut off any excess center pin. 12. Position the provided 5 block between the spring pack and the spring perch by aligning the pin in the block with the hole in the perch. Make sure that the thick side of the block is toward the rear of the vehicle. 13. Slowly raise the fl oor jack under the axle while aligning the pins in the leaf pack with the hole in the block. 14. Install two U-bolts over the OE spring plate, spring pack, block, and axle tube. From the under side of the axle tube, place the OE lower U-bolt plate over the U-bolts and hold the assembly together with the 9/16 high nuts and washers. Torque to 120 ft-lbs. Repeat steps for other side of vehicle 15. Attach the OE brake line to the bottom of the frame rail with the OE hardware using the original frame mounting holes. 16. Remove the rear rubber bump stops from the frame by removing the nut inside the frame rails. Install the bump stops on the provided extension brackets (01000) and secure with the OE nuts. Attach the bracket to the frame in the original holes with 3/8 x 1-1/4 bolts, nuts and 3/8 SAE fl at washers from bolt pack #548. Torque 3/8 hardware to 30 ft-lbs. 17. Support the rear driveshaft with a hydraulic jack. Remove the two nuts mounting the carrier bearing to the frame crossmember. 18. Press the two OE studs out of the carrier bearing mounting fl ange. 19. Reattach the carrier bearing with the provided carrier bearing drop spacer (02111) and 3/8 x 3-1/2 bolts, nuts, and 3/8 SAE washers from bolt pack 549. Torque 3/8 bolts to 30 ft-lbs. 20. Install BDS shocks with stock hardware and torque upper and lower bolts to 65 ft-lbs. Note: The OE lower pockets will need to be spread open to accept the larger body aftermarket shock. Also, the driver s side bracket has a brake line retainer bolt that must be cut off fl ush to avoid puncturing a hole in the shock. 21. Check brake lines for proper slack and clearance. 22. Install wheels and tires. Lower vehicle. POST INSTALLATION 1. Double-check all fasteners for proper torque. 2. Check all moving parts for clearance. 3. Complete a full radius turning check to ensure that no interference occurs. 4. Align headlights 5. Double check the brake lines for adequate slack at full wheel travel. 6. Complete a vehicle alignment to OE specifi cations. 7. Check all fasteners after 500 miles. Note: Installation of larger tires may require speedometer adjustment. Page 6 of 6