BDS 1762FS 4 Inch Radius Arm Suspension System Installation Guide

BDS 1762FS 4 Inch Radius Arm Suspension System

Your truck is about to be fitted with the best suspension system on the market today. That means you will be driving the baddest-looking truck in the neighborhood, and you’ll have the warranty to ensure that it stays that way for years to come. Thank you for choosing BDS Suspension!

BEFORE YOU START

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.

FOR YOUR SAFETY

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 modified 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 modified vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Always drive your modified vehicle at reduced speeds to ensure your ability to control your vehicle under all driving conditions. Always wear your seat belt.

BEFORE INSTALLATION

Special literature required: OE Service Manual for model/year of ve­hicle. Refer to the manual for proper disassembly/reassembly procedures of OE and related components. Adhere to recommendations when replacement fasteners, retainers, and keepers are called out in the OE manual. 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. Post-suspension system vehicles may experience drive line vibrations. Angles may require tuning, the slider on the shaft may require replacement, shafts may need to be lengthened or trued, and U-joints may need to be replaced. Secure and properly block vehicles before installation of BDS Suspen­sion components. Always wear safety glasses when using power tools.If installation is to be performed without a hoist, BDS Suspension Co. recommends rear alterations first. Due to payload options and initial ride height variances, the amount of lift is a base figure. Final ride height dimensions may vary in accor­dance to the original vehicle attitude. Always measure the attitude before beginning installation. 2 j 012432

BEFORE YOU DRIVE

Check all fasteners for proper torque. Check to ensure adequate clearance between all rotating, mobile, fixed, and heated members. Verify clearance between exhaust and brake lines, fuel lines, fuel tank, floor boards, and wiring harness. Check the steering gear for clearance. Test and inspect the brake system. Perform a 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. Perform headlight check and adjustment. Re-torque all fasteners after 500 miles. Always inspect fasteners and components during routine servicing.

CONTENTS OF YOUR KIT

012432

Part#| Qty| Description
082405R|  | Pitman Arm
02446|  | Trackbar bracket
27031|  | Fish Wire
01797|  | 1/2″ BoltTab
01499|  | 1/4″Spacer
03855|  | Brake Bracket – Drv
03856|  | Brake Bracket – Pass
99000| 2| Cable Tie
342701|  | Loctite
02322BK| 2| Bump Stop
792|  | Bolt Pack – Trackbar Bracket
 | ****

3

2

| 1/2″-13 x 1-3/4″ bolt- grade 8 – yellow zinc 1 /2″-13 Prevailing torque nut – yellow zinc 1/2″-13 Nut (non locking) – yellow zinc

1 /2″-13 USS Washer- yellow zinc

18mm-2.50 x 80mm bolt – class 10.9 clear zinc

18mm-2.50 Prevailing torque nut- clear zinc 3/4″ SAE Washers – Clear zinc

495|  | Bolt Pack- Brake Line Brackets
 | 2| 1/4″ USS Washer, Clear Zinc
2| 5/16″-18 Nylock Nut, Clear Zinc
122321

Part#| Qty| Description
A243| 2| Dodge Ram 2500/3500 Radius Arm
02802| 2| BDS Badge
995|  | Bolt Pack
 | 4| 1/8″ x 0.251-0.312 18-8 Stainless Steel Blind Rivet
032401

Part#| Qty| Description
032401R|  | Front 4″ Driver Coil – Air Ride
032402R|  | Front 4″ Passenger Coil – Air Ride
032302

Part#| Qty| Description
032302R| 2| Front 4″ Coils – Gas
032491

Part#| Qty| Description
032401R| 2| Front 4″ Coils – Diesel

PRE-INSTALLATION

IMPORTANT

It is required that ride height measurements be taken before and after installation. Measure from the WHEEL AXLE CENTER up to the FENDER LIP of the wheel opening. Do this for all 4 wheels. Record measurements below.**

BEFORE

Left Front__ Right Front__
Left Rear__ Right Rear___

AFTAR

Left Front__ Right Front__
Left Rear__ Right Rear__

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

PRE-INSTALLATION NOTES:

6.4L Gas models will require exhaust modification to clear the front driveshaft. 5.7L Gas models may require modification – but not in all cases. The vehicle can be driven without the front driveshaft to an exhaust shop for modification and reinstalled after modification.

SPECIAL TOOLS

1. Pitman arm puller
2. 11/16″ drill (step drill highly recommended)
3. Welder

MEASURE FIRST

Measure and record ride heights before and after as described on page 4.

RADIUS ARM INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

1. Park the vehicle on a clean flat and level surface. Block the rear wheels for safety.

2. Disconnect the battery/batteries, welding will be required. Do not weld on the vehicle with the batteries connected.

3. Remove the front trackbar bolt from the frame rail. Retain all hardware. (Fig. 1)

4. Raise the front of the vehicle and support the frame rails with jackstands. Do not support the radius arms, they will be removed during the installation.
   SUSPENSION DISASSEMBLY

5. Support the front axle with a hydraulic jack.

6. Remove the factory wheels, remove the retaining clips that hold the rotor on, and may interfere with aftermarket wheels.

7. Break the jam nuts loose on the adjusting collar of the drag link. (Fig 2)

8. Disconnect the tie rod from the pitman arm, do not damage the tie rod boot. Mark the orientation of the pitman arm and remove the pit­man arm from the sector shaft. (Fig. 3)

9. Disconnect the sway bar mounting hardware from the frame, and allow the sway bar to swing down. Retain all hardware. (Fig. 4)

10. Disconnect the brake line brackets from the top of the radius arm mount on both sides of the axle, retain bolts, and discard brackets. (Fig. 5)

11. Disconnect the factory shocks from the lower shock mount. (Fig. 6) Lower the front axle and remove the factory coil springs.

12. Raise the front axle and reattach the factory shocks with the factory bolt. It is not necessary to put the nut tab back on. The shocks will be there to keep the axle secure. Keep a jack under the axle for extra support.
    RADIUS ARM INSTALLATION:

13. Working on one side of the vehicle at a time, remove the factory radius arm. Retain all hardware. It will be necessary to remove the shock bolt and move the shock out of the way to get the upper hardware out. Reinsert the lower shock bolt when the arm is removed.

14. Replace the radius arm with the new one, both sides are the same. Reattach with factory hardware. Adjust the cams so the bolt is centered. (Fig 8a Driver Side shown) Note: Due to the increased caster built into the arms, it may not be possible to reinstall the factory hardware with the opposite side hardware in. Remove one of the opposing bolts at the axle to allow the axle to rotate. (Fig 8b)

15. Repeat radius arm installation on the opposite side.

16. Tighten the upper bolt at the axle to 258 ft-lbs. Tighten lower cams to 258 ft-lbs. Do not tighten the pivot bushing hardware at the frame at this time.
    BUMP STOP INSTALLATION:

17. Remove the factory bump stops, it is easiest to hit them from side with a hammer to pop them out. (Fig. 12)

18. Grease new replacement bump stops and raise axle to press the bump stops into position. These will be a tight fit. It is easiest to lift the axle with a jack to compress the bump stops into position. (Fig. 13) TRACK BAR BRACKET INSTALLATION

19. Install the trackbar bracket with factory bolt through the original trackbar hole.

20. Clearance the factory hole on the frame cross member where the trackbar bracket meets to 9/16”.

21. The upper slot in the trackbar bracket will align with the hole in the factory trackbar bracket. These holes have variations in their position, and minor grinding of the hole horizontally may be required. Clearance the hole so½” hardware will fit through it. (Fig. 14)

22. 22. Fish the bolt tab through the frame rail with the included bolt wire and attach to the trackbar bracket with½” USS washer and regular nut. Apply loctite to the bolt threads. Attach the upper hole with ½”x 1-3/4 (#792) bolt with spacer washer as shown. (Fig. 15A, 15B)

23. Tighten½” trackbar hardware to 65 ft-lbs. Tighten 18mm factory bolt to 150 ft-lbs.

24. Support front axle and remove the factory shocks. Retain the lower hardware, discard shocks and upper hardware.
    COIL BUCKET MODIFICATION AND COIL/SHOCK INSTALL

25. 4″ Gas: Lower the axle and install the new coils with the factory isolator. The driver side will install with the isolator tab in the fac The end of the spring with the windings closer together will go at the top, do not install upside down. The passenger’s side upper mount will need to be re-indexed just over 45 degrees .. There is a template at the end of the instruction sheet. Cut this out and place it over the passenger’s side upper mount, mark the center of the hole, and drill to 1/2”. The hole should now be direct to the rear of the vehicle. Install the isolator with the new coil spring. Ensure that coils are seated properly, have someone help if necessary. (Fig 12a, 12b, 13a, 13b)

26. 4″ Diesel: Lower the axle and install the new coils with the factory isolator. The coils are side-specific. They are marked “PASS’for passenger side and nothing is marked on the driver side. Install into the correct side of the vehcile. The windings of the coild that are closer together will be located at the top. Do not install upside down.

27. Grease and install bushings and sleeves into the shocks. Install new shocks with cup washers, bushings, and½” nut at the top mount. Tighten the nut until the bushings begin to swell.

28. Attach the lower shock with factory hardware. Tighten hardware to 65 ft-lbs.

29. Disassemble the drag link. Trim the tab from the tie rod end flush with the end of the threads. (Fig 17 A, 17B). Trim the end of the tab on the drag link to 1-1 /4″ long (Fig. 17c).

30. Reassemble the drag link, and adjust so that there is approximately ¾”~7 /8″ of thread exposed past the jam nuts and that the tie rod end faces up. (Fig. 18A)

31. Install a new pitman arm, use the alignment mark made earlier. The included pitman’s arm can be installed in 2 different positions. Ensure that the pit­ man arm is installed in the most counterclockwise position (towards the driver side) as shown in (Fig. 18B).

32. Loctite factory nut and install with lock washer tighten the nut to 225 ft-lbs.

33. Attach drag link to pitman’s arm with factory nut. Tighten to 65 ft-lbs. (Fig. 19)

34. Mount the brake line relocation bracket to the factory brake line mount location at the frame with factory hardware, torque to 9 ft-lbs. Mount the brake line to the relocation bracket using the provided hardware (Bolt pack 495), torque to 101 in-lbs. (Fig. 20 Driver Side shown, Fig. 21 Passenger side)

35. Install wheels and tighten lug nuts to factory specifications. Lower the vehicle to the ground.

36. Tighten radius arm hardware to 133 ft-lbs Plus 90 deg.

37. Turn the steering wheel to get the trackbar to align with the bracket. Install a new 18mm bolt and tighten to 150 ft-lbs (#792).

REFER TO REAR INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS AT THIS TIME

POST-INSTALLATION

1. Adjust the steering wheel to center with the collar on the drag link. Securely lock off the jam nuts once the wheel is straight. Do not drive the vehicle with the steering wheel off-center or adverse traction control problems may arise.
2. Recheck all hardware, check again at 500 miles, and again at regularly scheduled maintenance intervals. Check brake lines and ABS wires for proper clearance through steering sweep, use zip ties on the ABS wires if necessary. An alignment must now be performed.

WE WANT TD SEE YOUR RIDE!
Grab photos of your BOS-equipped truck in action and send them in for a chance to be featured. Send it into our Bad Ass Rides customer gallery at bds-suspension.com/bar and post them on the BOS Fan Page on Facebook at facebook.com/BDSSuspensions. Don’t forget about your BOS swag! BOS offers t-shirts, hoodies, decals, and more available on the BOS website or through your local BOS distributor.

Thank you for choosing BDS Suspension.

For questions, technical support, and warranty issues relating to this BOS Suspension product, please contact your distributor/installer before contacting BOS Suspension directly.

FAQs

• Q: What should I do if the ride heights are not as expected after installation?
  A: If you have concerns about the ride heights post-installation, provide the recorded measurements of Left Front, Right Front, Left Rear, and Right Rear to Technical Support for further assistance.

• Q: How often should I check the product for maintenance?
  A: It is recommended to inspect the product for wear and tear regularly, especially after driving in harsh conditions or off-road environments.

491 W. Garfield Ave., Coldwater, MI 49036
Phone: 517-279-2135
Web: www.bds-suspension.com
E-mail: tech-bds@ridefox.com

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