I almost forgot to post this after being way too busy scrambling to get finished with the truck early last summer. Timbrens are basically big, compressible rubber bump stops. They work really well as helper springs for carrying heavy loads. The Skyjacker SoftRide springs make the truck’s ride bearable, but only just. It just rides like a softer buckboard. And cargo capacity was down, at least in terms of stability while handling heavier weights. The ass-end of this truck has numerous issues caused by my modifications making it squirrel-y under many conditions, exacerbated with higher power output. It could probably literally tear itself apart pushed hard under a heavy enough load. Dodge was testing the limits of light truck tech when they decided to put a Cummins in one of these things.
The first thing I decided to do when it came time to address the rear suspension (this time around) was upgrade the Timbren install. I adjusted the stops under them twice before along with the spring sag issue already. But it was a non-optimal process of basically rebuilding the part, so I designed a better, adjustable piece. Making the stops adjustable has 2 benefits and eliminates the Timbren’s only real drawback. They make the rear a little too bouncy sometimes with the stops positioned at the recommended 1/2″ clearance. It was only noticeable running empty on bad roads and speed bumps, so not that big a deal. Now I can leave a full inch of clearance and adjust them in for heavy hauling only when needed. And of course, any ride height issue from spring sag is easily compensated for now, as well.
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