Rite-Ride 2217 - Manual (Page 3)

AIR SPRING
UPPER BRACKET
FRAME RAIL
AXLE
LOWER BRACKET
DRIVER'S SIDE
FRONT
FIGURE "B"
FIGURE "C"
S
TEP
1 - P
REPARE THE VEHICLE
Remove the negative battery cable. With the vehicle on a solid level surface,
chock the front wheels. Raise the vehicle by the 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. This installation assumes that there is no load
in the bed of the truck.
S
TEP
2 - P
RE
-
ASSEMBLE THE KIT
Pre-assembly will begin with the left or driver's side of the vehicle. All pictures
show the left side unless noted otherwise. Select one air helper spring and an
upper bracket from your kit. Thread the air fitting into the inflation hole in the top
of the spring see Figure "A". Tighten the air fitting so that the nylon ring contacts
the top of the air spring and then tighten 1/4 turn to snug the fitting. No thread
sealant is needed. Align the air spring's threaded mounting holes with the
mounting holes on the upper bracket. Attach the upper bracket to the air spring
using two 3/8" -16 x 3/4" flanged hex bolts. Select a lower bracket and orient it so
that the lip will be closest to the tire see Figure "A". Fasten the lower bracket to
the air spring using a 3/8"-16 x 3/4" flanged hex bolt through the center slot in the
lower bracket see Figure "A" (finger tight).
S
TEP
3 - P
RE
-
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 see Figure "B". Depending on the application,
the lower bracket may have to be raised due to interference with the U-bolts, leaf
spring retainer, brake drum, or other vehicle components. Two pairs of bracket
straps/shims are included in this kit. These are included to provide adjustment
to the air spring height, as well as allowing the air spring and lower bracket to clear
the leaf spring retainer or any other component of the vehicle. One set is 1/2" tall
while the other set is 1" tall. The bracket straps/shims may be interchanged to
provide maximum clearance and proper air spring height. Furthermore, the shims
can be mixed (using the 1/2" on one side and the 1" or none on the other side) to
adjust for leaf spring slant. Use the proper combination of bracket straps/shims
to ensure that the upper and lower brackets are as parallel as possible see Figure "C".
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. It may be necessary to slide the entire assembly fore or aft along the leaf spring in order
to provide proper mounting on the frame rail. Before marking and drilling the holes for the upper bracket, make sure the mounted
height of the air spring is between 7-1/2" and 8-1/4" see Figure "C", and the upper and lower brackets are as parallel as possible.
Using the mounting holes in the upper bracket as a template, mark the four holes to be drilled in the frame rail with a center punch,
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 7/16" drill bit see Figure "A".
S
TEP
4 - I
NSTALL THE ASSEMBLY TO THE VEHICLE
After drilling the holes in the frame rail, place the air spring assembly back on the leaf stack, making sure the lower bracket is
placed over the leaf spring retainer see Figures "A" & "C". Insert the 3/8"-16 x 1-1/2" flanged hex bolts through the holes in the
upper bracket and the holes drilled in the frame rail. Fasten the upper bracket to the frame rail using the 3/8"-16 flanged hex nuts
and flat washers see Figure "A". Next, attach the lower bracket to the leaf stack. Use the bracket strap/shims that are not being
used as spacers and attach the air spring assembly to the leaf stack using the 3/8"-16 x 4-1/2" carriage bolts and 3/8"-16 flanged
hex nuts see Figure "B". Ensure that the air spring is aligned as close to vertical as possible, see Figure "B" and then tighten the
3/8" -16 x 3/4" flanged hex bolt securing the bottom of the air spring to the lower bracket.
S
TEP
5 - I
NSTALL THE PASSENGER
'
S SIDE ASSEMBLY
Follow steps 1 - 4 for the assembly and installation of the right, or passenger's side of the vehicle. Reverse any orientations
when assembling and installing the right side of the vehicle.
FRONT
7-1/2” - 8-1/4”