I just picked my van up from WeldTecDesigns yesterday. I am absolutely amazed at the improvement in ride quality and braking.
I'll give some history on my setup to better explain...
A little over a year ago I purchased a 2" lift kit from Boulder Off Road. At the time, it was the only option available for lifting my 2WD 1998 Express 3500. It did the job and helped me explore Anza Borrego Park a little better. The only problem was that it really messed up the geometry of my front suspension. The ball joints were at extreme angles and everything was generally stressed out. The upper control arm would crash against the frame with minimal suspension droop. I had to be very careful and drive over anything rough at very low speeds, and even then it was a very rough ride. It was just very, very stiff. I had enough of that and decided to talk to Jeremy about what he might be able to do to help me out.
Jeremy talked to me extensively (and patiently!) before and during the whole process. He installed his custom, 3" lift spindles and modified several components to create a much more harmonious situation for all of the suspension pieces. He installed custom rear leafs and had my Fox shocks (already installed) revalved up front. The old brake system was ditched in favor of a modern, two-piston caliper setup that can be found on the newest Express vans. He deleted my sway bar to allow the front suspension to articulate much more easily as well. I'm just glossing over all of the changes he made, but I can provide more detail for anyone that is interested.
After all of these changes, the van has been completely transformed. When it was stock, it rode quite smoothly and swallowed small bumps with ease. That feeling has not only been restored, but also magnified immensely! Now I can drive over rough ground and the van just swallows it up. The rear suspension used to kick over harsh bumps. Even when loaded with my MX on the rear hitch hauler, it still rode extremely rough. Now it is amazingly plush in the rear. Speed bumps used to kick the back of the van up and now I can drive over them at any speed I want and the van stays smooth and level. And probably the biggest surprise to me is how much the brakes have been improved! Unbelievable. I used to pretty much have to stand on the pedal to get the van to stop. And when going down a hill with a full load? That was downright scary, even with the brakes performing exactly as they were supposed to (I spent tons of money getting them to be perfect). I wouldn't even let my wife drive the van because I felt that she wouldn't have the strength to stop it (she's only 4'11'' and quite petite). Now, I wouldn't hesitate to let her drive it. It feels like a modern vehicle. Driving home last night, I had to stop for a light that changed at the last second. Before, it would have taken extreme pedal pressure to stop, and even then I would have worried about stopping short of the white line. This time, however, I was able to stop short of the line and I didn't feel like I had to put any more pressure on the pedal than if I were driving a small car - simply amazing! I could have stopped even sooner if I'd wanted to, and without any drama at all. Oh, and the removal of the swaybar had zero effect on the cornering abilities, much to my surprise.
I'm headed to the desert this weekend to do some more testing, and I also plan to take some pictures, but I am so excited about the improvements that I had to do a quick write-up to explain how impressed I am with Jeremy's and WeldTecDesign's work. I highly recommend them!
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