In order to bring the alignment back to normal,
I decided to install the 2.5" I beam drop brackets from Rancho.
There are few things that is hard to do like taking the rivets out .
A sander and good drill with bits for hard metal will make rivets job faster and easier.
Also, I used drimel tool for grinding the holes
to proper size (Grade 8, 9/16" and some different sizes).
First, I put the truck on jack stand (on frame) then take the tires off.
While the jacks under the coil springs, I took sway bar link off and brake calipers off.
Calipers need to be hanged with wire.
Then remove jacks that will relieve the tension of coil springs.
I did not remove coils.
Then you can start using the sander to take the head of rivets.
Next, you drill a hole into the center of rivet.
If you drill about half way, you may be able to use
a hammer and a punch to take out the rivets (I only used a small hammer).
Of course, you have to work in limited space;
I borrowed a big and powerful Makita drill. But it was too big.
My small rechargeable drill came in handy in limited space (length of the 1/2" bit was about 5").
I got drill bits from Sears; they were for hard metal (Covalt bits) which worked very well ($16 for a 1/2" bit!).
To drill holes thru rivets, use a punch to mark the center.
I drilled small hole first then used bigger bits step by step to 1/2".
Then I used Drimel tool with grind bit to make 1/2" holes to 9/16" holes.
After grinding and drilling the holes, I placed
the brackets in position and the holes do not match..... :o
So I had to make holes a little bigger : )
After matching the holes, I tried to put I beam back in the brackets.
This was hard to do because location of I beams have changed (lowered).
I put I beam in its place first then bolted the brackets to the frame.
It sounds easy, but it was not...(~_~)
Total hours I spent was about 20 hours; I was trying to find the way
to do this with improper tools which caused me to work more hours.
I Beam Drop Brackets Installation
