Rite-Ride 2071 - Manual (Page 3)

FRONT 5” - 6-1/2”
FRAME
1-1/2”
1-1/2”
NO DRILL AREA
NO DRILL AREA
DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT
FIGURE “B”
FIGURE “C”
FIGURE "D"
FIGURE “E”
STEP 1 — PREPARE THE VEHICLE
With the vehicle on a solid, level surface chock the front wheels. Raise
the vehicle by the rear axle and remove the rear wheels. After the removal
of the wheels lower the vehicle so the axle rests on jack stands rated
for your vehicles weight. Remove any jounce bumper bracket that is not
mounted flush with the frame which will interfere with the operation of the
air helper springs see Figure “B”. Jounce bumpers located under the
frame rail may be left in place. This installation assumes that there
is no load in the bed of the truck. Remove the negative battery cable.
On 2005 and newer Ford vehicles the emergency brake line bracket
must be relocated. Remove the screw holding the brake line. Install
the relocating bracket with the screw previously removed. NOTE: the
bracket is marked top. Next, fasten the emergency brake line bracket
to the relocation bracket using the 3/8" X 1" bolt and a 3/8" nut.
STEP 2—PREASSEMBLE THE KIT
Select one air helper spring and an upper bracket from your kit. Align the
studs of the air spring with the mounting holes of the upper bracket and
insert. Make sure the air inlet is visible through the large access hole in
the upper bracket. Fasten the upper bracket to the air spring using the
3/8"-16 flanged lock nuts, see Figure “A”. Install the elbow fitting into
the air spring through the large access hole in the upper bracket. Tighten
the air fitting securely to engage the orange thread sealant. Position
the fitting to point to the anticipated location of the air inflation valves,
see Figure “A” & “E”. Select one lower bracket and place the bracket
so the lip of the lower bracket will be next to the tire, see Figure “A”. If
you are installing this kit on a 1987 or earlier GMC pickup or a 1994 or
earlier Dodge pickup review notices on Figure “A”. Fasten the lower
bracket using a 3/8"-16 x 3/4" flange hex bolt (finger tight) through the
center slot into the threaded hole in the air spring.
STEP 3—PRE-FIT AND MARK / DRILL HOLES
Position the air spring assembly on the leaf spring stack. The lower
bracket should straddle the leaf spring retainer and the upper bracket
mounting flanges should be flush against the frame. Depending on the
application, the lower bracket may have to be raised (i.e. interference
with “U”-bolts, leaf spring retainer, brake drum, etc...). This kit comes
with two sets of bracket straps/shims. These are included to provide
adequate clearance for the air spring and lower bracket, as well as, any
other component on the vehicle. One set is 1/2" tall while the other set
is 1" tall. To raise the air spring assembly to its maximum height, install
the 1" shim between the lower bracket and the leaf spring stack. The
remaining 1/2" strap/shim will be used to clamp the assembly to the
leaf spring stack, see Figure “D”. The bracket straps/shims may be
interchanged, or not used, to provide maximum clearance and proper air
spring height. Furthermore, the shims can be mixed (i.e. use the 1/2" on
one side and the 1" or none on the other) to adjust for leaf spring slant.
Once the height of the lower bracket has been established, adjust
the position of the upper bracket so that the mounting flanges are
flush with the side of the frame rail. To do this, slide the air spring over
the lower bracket along its slotted connection. With the brackets now
positioned properly and the air spring in proper alignment, tighten the
3/8"-16 x 3/4" hex bolt securing the lower bracket to the air spring. It
may be necessary to slide the entire assembly fore or aft along the leaf
spring in order to provide clear mounting. Before marking and drilling
the holes for the upper bracket, make sure the mounted height of the
air spring is between 5.00" - 6-1/2", that there is at least 1-1/2" between
the edge of the hole and the inside of the upper and lower frame flange
, and the upper and lower brackets are as parallel as possible,see
Figure "D". Mark the four holes to be drilled with a center punch using
the upper bracket as a template, then remove the air spring assembly.
Before drilling the holes make sure all electrical, brake and fuel
lines are cleared from the path of the drill. Damage to lines can be
avoided by inserting a piece of wood between the frame rail and any
lines in the path of the drill. Drill the four holes in the frame rail using a
3/8" drill bit, see Figure “A”.
Remove any bracket
portion that is not flush
with the frame. Either
cut it away or unbolt
and remove it.
AIR HOSE
INFLATION
VALVES
BUMPER
AIR
SPRINGS
FORD FRAME ILLUSTRATED