Help?: Lift install error? Pics of your OEM Spring Orientation on Off Road?

[KRunner]

Hi all! Hoping for some help.

I have a Westcott Designs pre collar lift that was installed & I am trying to confirm that it was installed correctly by my installer.

To my knowledge, it is a best practice to mark the orientation of the spring in relation to the the OEM top hat & OEM collar so that you can reinstall the spring in this exact configuration after the aftermarket precollar is installed.

I don’t see any markings from the installer on my springs besides the OEM paint marks, and I’m hoping someone with an Off Road can snap a pic of their springs so I can see the stock positioning?

I am experiencing what I believe to be minor spring bind (slight thud/creak felt through the steering wheel during light braking at low speeds) and am wondering if slightly mis oriented springs & precollars vs the stock setup is the root cause.

My springs and pre collars are currently sitting in reverse orientation (180 degree) when comparing the driver & passenger side. I’m not an expert, but I would have thought they’d be mirror images of each other & not reversed 180 degrees.

Pics of my struts / springs attached for reference. Taken from the front of the vehicle. Image 6133 is the drivers side, and image 6134 is the passenger.

Any insight or help with confirming the stock orientation would be super appreciated and helpful! Thanks

 

[HVLA]

The spring perch only lets the spring sit in a certain way. I wonder if they snugged the end of the spring up against the notch on the spring perch instead of backing it off an 1/8th inch?

 

[KRunner]

The spring perch only lets the spring sit in a certain way. I wonder if they snugged the end of the spring up against the notch on the spring perch instead of backing it off an 1/8th inch?

Thanks for the reply!

Is that a best practice for spring install?

Also, I had thought the pre collar on the bottom was able to be adjusted. Is that not the case? The orientation is pre set?

thanks!

 

[HVLA]

I havent seen the shocks in person, but your pic doesnt show any adjustment settings for the perch. I have always left about an 1/8 inch or so gap.

Could be that they tightened everything up while there was no load on the wheels. That can cause bind in some things and can contribute to noise. Hard to say from here.

 

[KRunner]

I havent seen the shocks in person, but your pic doesnt show any adjustment settings for the perch. I have always left about an 1/8 inch or so gap.

Could be that they tightened everything up while there was no load on the wheels. That can cause bind in some things and can contribute to noise. Hard to say from here.

That makes sense! Thanks. Appreciate your input.

Yeah, I don’t see any paint markings on the springs that would have allowed them to realign the springs exactly back to the OEM positioning after they installed the Westcott precollar & reassembled the strut.

And to your point, it does appear that both springs are contacting the lip of the precollar on both sides. If that’s not the correct way to seat the spring, then that could definitely be part of the issue.

 

[HVLA]

Regardless there should not be noises coming from the install. Bring it back to them and ask them what is going on.