The DT Ram 1500 makes this job easier than most trucks: the front spring and shock are a single coil-over that bolts in with three nuts up top and one long through-bolt at the bottom. Buy complete (pre-assembled) units and you never touch a spring compressor. The real work is supporting the lower control arm with a second jack and wrestling the unit out through the wheel opening without bending a brake line or ABS wire.
The thing people get wrong is the air-suspension trucks. If you do not put the 4-corner system into service/transport mode before you start, the compressor fights you and you end up with stored faults and a truck that sits crooked; and even with everything done right you need a scan tool to run the ride-height calibration when you are finished. Second most common mistake: skipping the alignment. Pulling the coil-over changes camber and toe enough to eat a front tire.
| Item | Type | |
|---|---|---|
| Scan tool with Ram chassis coverage Air-suspension equipped trucks only (service/transport mode, ride-height relearn) Puts 4-corner air suspension into service mode so it will not try to level itself, and re-calibrates ride height afterward. | Required | shop |
| Breaker bar 1/2 in drive, 24 in Cracks the 22 mm lug nuts and the lower shock through-bolt loose. | Required | shop |
| Lug nut socket 22 mm 6-point, 1/2 in drive (thin-wall for alloy wheels) All DT 1500 wheels use 22 mm hex, M14x1.5 lug nuts. | Required | shop |
| Floor jack 2.5 ton minimum, low profile Lifts the truck at the frame; a half-ton truck needs real capacity. | Required | shop |
| Jack stands 3 ton pair, tall Supports the frame while the front wheels hang. | Safety | shop |
| Second floor jack or bottle jack 2 ton Supports and controls the lower control arm as spring load is released and reapplied. | Required | shop |
| Wheel chocks Keeps the truck from rolling with the front end in the air. | Safety | shop |
| Socket set, metric 3/8 in drive, 10-19 mm 6-point Upper mount nuts (15 mm) plus brackets, splash shields and wire clips in the way. | Required | shop |
| Socket and wrench for lower through-bolt 21 mm socket, 1/2 in drive, plus 21 mm combination wrench Holds the nut while turning the long lower control arm through-bolt. | Required | shop |
| Extensions and swivel/wobble adapter 3/8 in and 1/2 in drive, 3 in and 6 in The three upper mount nuts sit in a tight frame pocket above the tire. | Required | shop |
| Torque wrench 1/2 in drive, 30-250 ft-lb Lug nuts and lower through-bolt are high-torque and must be set correctly. | Required | shop |
| Torque wrench 3/8 in drive, 10-100 ft-lb Upper mount nuts and sway bar links are in the low range. | Recommended | shop |
| Stabilizer bar link tools 18 mm or 19 mm socket plus hex/Torx counterhold (commonly 6 mm hex or T50) Disconnecting the sway bar link gains the extra control arm droop needed to drop the unit out. | Recommended | shop |
| Pry bar 18-24 in Persuades the lower control arm and shock eye into alignment for the through-bolt. | Recommended | shop |
| Alignment punch / tapered drift 3/8 in Lines up the lower shock eye with the control arm ears so the bolt slides through. | Recommended | shop |
| Air line disconnect pick set Air suspension trucks only Releases the quick-connect air line collar at the front air spring without damaging it. | Recommended | shop |
| Penetrating oil Lower through-bolt and upper nuts seize in salt-belt trucks. | Consumables | shop |
| Wire brush Cleans the frame bracket and control arm bores so the new unit seats flat. | Consumables | shop |
| Anti-seize or clean thread lube Light coat on the lower bolt shank (not the threads under torque spec) helps future removal. | Consumables | shop |
| Complete front strut assemblies Pair, correct for engine/trim and suspension type (coil or air) Spring rates differ between 3.6, 5.7 and EcoDiesel and between coil and air trucks. | Parts | shop |
| Safety glasses and gloves Rust and road grit fall out of the wheel well constantly. | Safety | shop |
Fastener sizes are the same across 3.6 Pentastar eTorque, 5.7 Hemi eTorque and 3.0 EcoDiesel — 22 mm lugs, 15 mm upper mount nuts, 21 mm lower through-bolt hardware. What changes is the part: spring rates differ by engine weight (the EcoDiesel and Hemi carry more nose weight than the V6), and trims with the optional 4-corner air suspension use a front air spring/shock module with a quick-connect air line instead of a steel coil, which requires service mode and a ride-height relearn. Off-road and Rebel packages also use their own taller/valved units, so order by VIN.
| Wheel lug nuts (M14x1.5, 22 mm hex) | 130 ft-lb (176 Nm) |
| Shock/strut lower through-bolt and nut at lower control arm | verify in the service manual (high-torque, typically re-torqued at ride height) |
| Shock/strut upper mount nuts (3) | verify in the service manual |
| Stabilizer bar link nut | verify in the service manual |
| Air spring air line fitting / retainer | verify in the service manual |
Lug nuts are definitely 22 mm at 130 ft-lb; the upper mount nuts are 15 mm and the lower through-bolt hardware is 21 mm on the trucks I have worked on, but late-build and air-suspension variants can differ, so check your own fasteners and get the torque values from the FCA/Stellantis service manual for your build date.
No, as long as you buy complete (loaded) strut assemblies with the spring already installed. You only need a spring compressor if you are reusing your old spring on a bare shock, which is not worth the risk on this truck.
Lug nuts are 22 mm hex (M14x1.5) torqued to 130 ft-lb. The three upper strut mount nuts are 15 mm and the lower control arm through-bolt uses 21 mm hardware, though you should confirm on your own truck before buying sockets.
Yes, but you need a scan tool that can put the 4-corner system into Service/Transport mode and then run the ride-height calibration afterward. Without it the compressor will run while you work and the truck will store suspension faults and sit at the wrong height.
Yes. Removing the coil-over unloads and shifts the lower control arm, which changes camber and toe. Get a front alignment within a few days or you will scrub the inner or outer edge off your front tires.