ReadyLift and CCD strut top hats.

[NukeLife]

Wondering if anyone that has put the ReadyLift kit on with CCD suspension did it themselves?

Pulled the struts off the front this afternoon, and could not get the top hats off.
Per the instructions, you have to rotate the top hat 180 degrees to ensure the CCD solenoid is pointing inboard.

I bought a strut spring compression tool last week that grabs the spring coils and pulls them together (compresses), but even with the spring compressed significantly the top hat retaining nut had significant pressure on it, so I didn’t attempt to remove it.

Reluctantly I am looking at having to take the struts to a local shop tomorrow to do it.

Anyone have experience with these?

 

[Going_Going_Gone]

I am not interested enough in the ReadyLift kit to try it, but what I have read suggests that swapping the strut assemblies from side-to-side will realign the CCD connection with the "lever"

 

[Fozzy]

Swapping the front shocks side to side was the answer before they came out with a CCD kit. Mine have been that way for two years.


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[NukeLife]

Swapping the front shocks side to side was the answer before they came out with a CCD kit. Mine have been that way for two years.


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Fozzy, did you do the work yourself? So you know that worked? Because I thought about that, but when I brought the right side strut around to the left side it still didn’t line up with the solenoid turned in.
But maybe I was tired and need to look at it this morning with fresh eyes

 

[Fozzy]

No, my dealer did it. They did a Non CCD vehicle and I wanted the lift as well. They said they would install the lift not knowing the differences with the CCD’s. They said the solenoid was in the way. Hitting the CV boot/axle. But if they flipped them side to side they thought it would work. I told them to try it. Been that way ever since. They showed me what they did and to watch it and make sure nothing was hitting. They never said one thing about taking the top cap off. Pretty sure other members have done the same. But if RL recommends doing the top cap there must be a reason.


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[NukeLife]

No, my dealer did it. They did a Non CCD vehicle and I wanted the lift as well. They said they would install the lift not knowing the differences with the CCD’s. They said the solenoid was in the way. Hitting the CV boot/axle. But if they flipped them side to side they thought it would work. I told them to try it. Been that way ever since. They showed me what they did and to watch it and make sure nothing was hitting. They never said one thing about taking the top cap off. Pretty sure other members have done the same. But if RL recommends doing the top cap there must be a reason.


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Well unless my 2018 is a one-off, the swapping struts story is just that.. a story.

I went back out this morning and laid the struts side by side, and they are identical. The top bolt patterns are exactly the same with the solenoids facing up. So swapping struts accomplishes exactly zilch.

What is different is the bolt hole pattern at the top of the strut tower.
If you pop your hood and look down you will see on one side of the truck the 2 holes closer together are at the front, and on the other side they are at the back.
This allows you to order a front CCD strut and it doesn’t matter what side it goes on, the solenoid will face inward.

So yep, the strut spring must be compressed and the top hat loosened ..rotated 180 degrees... and re-tightened.

 

[Fozzy]

That’s very interesting, even if the spacers are swapped it still holds the shock in the same location? Outside marking in the spacer is inside and shocks swapped? Sucks if you have to go get it done at a shop. But if my dealer did it that way, that makes me feel better, knowing it’s how RL intended it. I have always wondered if the spring rates where different from right to left and they changed something swapping them.


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