Installing Bilsteins on a 3011DS

[mbutts]

I put Bilsteins on the 3011 this past weekend and have some tips to add to all the Youtube videos and forum posts. This is for a 2017 E-450 chassis:

• Accessing the driver's side front top shock mount would be impossible without accessing the "secret" access hole under the brake pedal. Pulling up the floor mat is easy & the grommet comes out eventually without much swearing
• Once you have that hole open in the floor, you'll see that it is not quite in alignment with the top of the shock. A deep-well socket is too long, a regular socket too short, and an end wrench just doesn't fit. After I LOT of head scratching and muttering about Ford, I tried a 13/16" crowfoot on a 3/8 extension on a breaker bar. I then crammed myself under the dash to hold this wrench in place while the DW did the turning of the shock from inside the wheel well. Took about fifteen minutes to get that nut off after we were all set up.
• I agree that the left front shock was a bugger, I noticed that no one mentioned how hard it is to get the right rear shock off. It's obstructed by the muffler, muffler hanger, and heat shield. I put a 19mm open end wrench on the lower nut & the MH's frame held it in place. On top, using a 15mm Gearwrench is invaluable. I could only move it about 1/6 of turn before running into the frame so it took a LOT of back and forth to get that top nut off.
• Warning: This next tip will be controversial so use it at your own discretion! I noticed that several people talked about having trouble compressing the shocks to put them in place. If you have leveling jacks, you can easily lift one end of the vehicle so the suspension goes into full extension. This makes slipping the shocks into their spot very easy. If you need to go under the MH, put jack stands in place. I would imagine having 10,000 lbs. sit on you wouldn't be pleasant.

It took us about six hours and we saw a real improvement on the rattles/shakes in the coach while driving. I also don't feel the need to wince when hitting bumps at 65 MPH. Overall, a worthwhile investment.