Quick "how to" for bump stops.

After I cranked up the bars and added extended shocks, my bump stops were way off of my lower control arm. I bought a new set of Trail Duty extended bump stops and then needed to install them. When I did a search on the forum nothing came up. When I checked the maintenance manual and the instructions they both just said "remove the old one and install the new ones. Now if you have done bump stops before, that makes perfectly good sense, but if you have never done an H3 bump stop, you are not sure where to start.

The first picture shows both old stops and a new Trail Duty extended bump stop. Note how crushed the old ones are:



I chose not to remove the front tire because I used it as a press. It made for way less working space, but a much quicker job. I started the H3 and turned the wheels away from the side I was working on (more room in the back). I jacked up one side of the front end and use a small pry bar (size of a screw driver) to dig up along the lip of the old stop until I got behind it. I pried down and twisted until it came out.

Now I took the new stop and coated the end in dish soap. In my case I also rubbed soap in the metal stop socket. Using a small board as a spacer, I started the process of wedging the new stop in place.



I did this by lowering the jack to compress the stop against the lower control arm. On one side it started on the first try, the other side took three tries. This did not completely seat the new stop, but did get it started. I then took a big hammer and a cold chisel and drove the edges of the stop into the socket.



I then jacked the H3 back up and removed the block of wood. When the H3 is back on the ground, the new bump stop is just making contact with the lower control arm.



The entire job took me about 30 minutes. 10 of which was spent figuring out how I was going to do this. I'm sure there are faster or better ways of doing this, but I thought looking at the process may help a newbie out.

 

nice tutorial. thats why I came to this board to learn when i bought my H3. leaving the tires on makes sense, based on ease of use.

where did you buy the bump stops from?

 

I would guess from Trail Duty. They sell stops and shocks and all kinds of off-road items.

 

Yes, trailduty.com they sell two different versions of the extended bump stop. I installed the shorter of the two. If you did not raise the front end, then I would just use stock replacements.

 

Thanks for taking the time to do a write-up.

 

Informative. Thanks.
Chris

 

nice job! so how do you like the ride now with the extended bump stops ?

 

There is no nose dive at all now. When I first turned the bars up it was a mess. Bouncing all over the place and heavy nose dives. I replaced the shocks with Bilstein extended units and what a difference. All the bouncing was gone and most of the nose dive went away. I then had the front alignment done. Really cleaned the feel up. What I did still have was a dip in the front when I braked hard. This is what the extended bump stops took out. I am very happy with the way the lift turned out. Although I have not checked it, I know my H3 Very well and I get the sense my milage may have gone down just a bit.

I have seen it written on this site many times that the lift is free. Free is a relative term. I will say that to do the front end lift correctly for street driving there is a cost. It is however true that there is no need to buy the keys to do the the lift.

Turning the bars = free
Amount of time to complete = 30 minutes with fine tuning a week later for another 15 minutes
Tools need = 1 1/16 socket & a tape measure (I did mine with out jacking it up)

Front shock replacement with Bilstein 5100 = $79. each - total of $158 with free S&H
Amount of time depends on the state of your old shocks. Mine were rusted bad and had to be cut off at the top. The bottom unbolted no problems. = 2 hours if you have the tools and have done them before.
Tools needed = Sockets, wrenches, jack, jack stands and possibly a grinder with a cutting wheel

Bump stop replacement = $44.95, 12.95 S&H - total $57.90
Amount of time to complete = 30 minutes if all goes well
Tools needed = Jack, block of wood, dish soap, cold chisel and a big hammer (BFH)

Front end alignment = $100 at the dealer
Amount of time = 4 hours
Tools needed = don't try this one at home

Heres the interesting part. To do the front end alignment, the dealer had to readjust the bars to keep them at 23 1/2. It may have just been easier to get them to do the lift and alignment at the same time and save me the work.

In the end, my "free lift" cost me $315.90 and 7 hours and 15 minutes to complete (including time at the dealership).

I'm sure some have paid more then me, some less then me. Some have not replaced the front shocks or bump stops and are fine with the ride. I was not. Everyone should get the alignment done by a trained professional with the correct tools as quickly as possible after raising the front end.

 

How do you like the ride of the blisten 5100's? If you had to compare them to stock, are they stiffer, better compression/rebound, etc. I am thinking about doing all four in the near future but if they are stiffer than stock, I hate too spend the money.

 

I did all four at the same time. When I removed the old ones, it became obvious three of the four were bad (leaking or not extending on their own). I guess they went bad over a peiroid of time and I just got use to it. I knew they needed to be replaced, but not that they were that bad. I tell you all of this because I believe it may cloud my judgment a bit. To me, the Bilstein shocks feel great. Stiffer then the bad stock units, but not jarring or hard. I suspect the reason my ride was so bouncy when I first raised the front end was the bad shocks and crushed bump stops. I believe ride feel is very personal. I would use the Bilstein shocks again.