Here's my upgrade fellas! It works and has been on my truck for over a year now. Way better handling, tracking, cornering. Air ride is intact but I did have to make some changes in Alpha OBD height calibrations to level it right and allow the air ride levels to work. All in all a pretty easy DIY upgrade.
My first time doing this upgrade I made it way harder than it needed to be but like anything else once i learned how the components work it's really not all that hard.
For this procedure you'll need:
Vice grips
Wrenches
Small flathead screwdrivers
A nut and washer or wing nut to fit on one of the strut tower studs
C-clamp
Needlenose pliers
Panel popper screw driver
Small hammer
Grease
Allen key for Bilstein shock threaded end.
2 - Bilstein 5100 shocks 24-187367
First things first you'll want to remove the banding clamps holding the rubber boots on. I wanted to re-use these so I simply used a flathead and hammer and bent the hook back to release the clamps. On the top of the strut there is a brass one-way valve that you will need to unscrew using a wrench and vice grips or if you have the special channel lock tool. Be careful if there is still some pressure in the shock. Use a small flathead and remove the dust cap from the top of the strut Using a nut or wing nut that fits the strut tower bolts, place the box end of wrench on the stud and put the nut on a couple of threads. Take your c- clamp and use the edge of the strut tower and the other end of the wrench to apply pressure to the cap of the strut. With enough pressure there is a spring clip that you will use a flathead to carefully pry out of the channel. You do not want to know how I got that out the first time.. Once that is out remove the sketchy pry bar system and pull out the cap.
Using a small wrench and a biggerish wrench unbolt the shock bolt. Remove the rubber spacer and mind it's orientation for replacement. Flip the assembly upside down, and pull down the rubber boot to expose the coller of the strut. Place a larger-ish screw driver in the strut yoke and suspend between two benches. Place a soft matt or your favourite shop hoodie underneath the shock. Using precision pounding on the strut collar, forcibly remove the airbag from the shock. After it lands on your toes and then your shins, remove the boot from the shock and remove the rubber O-ring and plastic ring from the OG shock. Make your peace with the OG shock and discard. Clean O-ring and the airbag Collar where the O-ring seats with a scouring Pad and lightly grease. Place the metal lock ring at your desired height on the Bilstein shock. I just used the lowest setting for factory-ish height. Note* the Bilstein shock body is just a hair smaller than the factory one at where the collar sits, so you'll need to have to utilize the Bilstein collar and have a machine shop Slightly modify the OD and trim the thinner bit off. Dimensions are at the bottom. Place the O-ring on new shock and grease inside and outside of O-ring. Discard the rubber bump stop from top of the new shock, and don't forget to put the airbag boot on the shock body, and re insert into airbag. Put back together in reverse order. Place the included washer onto the shock and then rubber spacer and using an Allen key and a wrench tighten it down. Push the spacer back into the airbag top. Re-grease the shock top-cap O-ring and replace. Using the sketchy wrench method, apply pressure to the cap and put lock ring back in groove. Using a screwdriver and a hammer tap the ring back into place to ensure its seated properly. With the yoke on the floor, push the lower boot down and force the airbag lower collar onto the O-ring. You should feel it seat into its position. Place the boots back on and re clamp using a small flathead to pry the hook of the clamp into the retainer and hammer the hook closed. Reinstall brass one-way valve, and top dust cap. At this point you could/should pressurize the shock up using a fitting that fits the top and an air compressor/bike pump. The lower shock collar should seat nicely once pressurized.
Install suspension and get re-alignment.
Bottom of Air strut collar ID 58.6mm
Plastic collar OD 58.25mm
BILSTEIN collar OD 59.5mm
BILSTEIN collar ID 50.35mm
Notes:
-The OD of Bilstein ring needs to match the OD of the plastic one
-Cut off the thinner section of the Bilstein ring and square off the face. Slightly bevel outside edge.
-Re-use bottom seal o rings if in good shape or find a few new ones. Thicker is acceptable.
-Use a marine grease to lubricate o-ring seat and o-ring prior to installation.