I have allways been less than satisfied with the performace of the front suspension. The biggest complaint is the lack of front up travel and the very harsh bang that occurs frequently when the van bottoms out in front. I was under the van studying the supension the other day for possible improvements and I noticed that my van makes metal to metal contact when the suspension is compressed! THis is a major flaw. Here are the photos
This photo shows the top of the differential. The rusty area is where the diff is contacting the frame. It's rusty because the van has not been off-road in several months.
Here you see the bigger picture.
Here you can see the total amout of travel allowed! Not much at all.
Plans for improvement are
1. Cut back the area of the frame in the picture where it hits the front diff and reweld the frame.
2. Relocate the transmisson and stock engine oil filters further away from the front driveshaft to allow more travel and better clearance.
3. Install some bilistein hydralic bump stops instead of the rubber ones