6 months with AFP coil overs. (torsion bars are in temporarily)
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I installed the AFP coilover kit approximately six months ago. The actual write-up was not until several months after so I could properly torture test them. I am extremely happy with the setup. If I knew about the conversion I would have done it five years ago when I first bought the truck and would absolutely recommend the conversion to every Suburban, Tahoe and Avalanche owner out there. However it's not the best setup for blasting through the desert pretending to be a trophy truck.
Front Passenger side. Lower bracket took some abuse and I managed to bend it, pictures to come once I clean up all the parts.
This is how it sits with stock upper control arms. There was minimal trimming of the bump stop jouncer for everything to fit and work flawlessly.
Close up of the top mount. I actually had to attach the top eyelet to the bracket, bolt the bracket to the frame and then screw the shock and coil into it because the transverse bolts can not be inserted or removed once the top bracket is bolted to the frame.
This is how it had to be bolted up. Apparently I beat the crap out of the truck and the setup, I am glad AFP uses 1/4" steel, brackets would not hold up to my abuse with 3/16" steel as long.
$31.28 shipped for a pair of made in China shocks that were advertised to be oil but turned out to be oil/gas just like my Bilstein 5100s in the rear, what a pleasant surprise. Way better quality and bushings than the Skyjacker Hydro piece of crap shocks I had before which got destroyed within 6 months of mostly street driving and all Skyjacker said was to buy another pair. Never again.
This is what a torsion bar unloading tool looks like and makes short and quick work of replacing or installing torsion bar keys. FORD key are back in.
If you look closely you will notice that I did not put the adjustment screw in. There is no need, if I put it in the truck will be sitting too high and the downward suspension travel would be decreased to make the ride quality that of a paint shaker. The screw will also stick out way too far, catch on rocks and just be in the way. No need for it if you are using FORD keys.
Closer look at the drivers side bump stop from that time a few months ago when the QA1 shock broke.
Upper control mount, left side of it got bent forward or inward so it's 1/2" away from the camber adjuster. I can not remove the UCA as the bracket sits and it will need to be cut, straightened, re-inforced and re-boxed in. Can't wait for the glorious day I undertake that project.
So I absolutely love AFT coil over set up, but I took it out and went back to the torsion bars, kinda weird. Well I want more wheel travel. I can not increase the droop or downward travel because that would cause damage to the CV joints and I do not want to do a differential drop kit, because I really like factory suspension geometry and do not want to decrease my minimum ground clearance. The only place I have left to go is up.
Next step is to cut and fix the drivers side bump stop. Assemble and mock up new longer travel coil-overs. Use cardboard to make a model of the top bracket that I can use to cut the steel and weld it together. No timeline yet but realistically several weeks to several months for a low budget mid travel setup.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans!
