1990 K5 stock suspension/ride quality help needed

[mtnman]

ORD..... I'm running springs and shocks (daily driver 90 K5) Stephen suggested.... Absolutely amazing ride quality, worth EVERY PENNY!!!

 

[Blue85]

You might try swapping out the crusty, rusty stock rubber spring bushings for some poly ones with grease-able hardware. I think it helps, as the leafs are able to cycle better without all the friction of seized up bushings.

Stock rubber bushings never seize up because they have no moving parts. The rubber is bonded inside and out and twists as the spring moves. This is very quiet and works great until the springs start traveling a long way (i.e. off road only). Aftermarket poly bushings have a sleeve that does rust to the bolt, so you get your movement from the poly sliding on the outside of the sleeve. So it requires grease and can still be squeaky. Also, the on-road ride is slightly harsher since the poly is stiffer, but you'll probably never notice it - especially with stiff springs.

If you have stock springs and it rides really harsh, something is hitting. Especially with the 2-leaf front, it should be soft unless something is bottoming out or binding. Also make sure you have the correct tire pressure for the load and NOT the pressure listed on the sidewall. That is the MAX pressure, which should only be used when the tire sees the maximum rated load. The pressure listed on the door sticker is for the stock tires, so it should be close if you have the same size and load range. As you increase tire size, your street pressure goes down.

 

[Snoozer]

I guess I didn't need to take a propane torch to the 8 leaf springs I've swapped over to poly bushings then.

Since they "never seize", they should have just popped right out! Now I'm embarassed.

I get what you're saying though; maybe "seize" was the wrong word, but my point was that the rubber ones don't allow free movement and spring cycling like the poly ones do. Is "cycle" the right word? His springs are stock and so his bushings probably are too. I bet 30+ years of rust and crud has... um... "frozen" (?) them up.

 

[Blue85]

Yeah, you'll never get them out intact, short of sort giant press, but that's not to say they don't still work. They are supposed to be frozen to the spring eye and frozen to the inner sleeve. They work as intended indefinitely, until the rubber crumbles and lets metal hit metal.

 

[my kids took the truck]

I get what you're saying though; maybe "seize" was the wrong word, but my point was that the rubber ones don't allow free movement and spring cycling like the poly ones do.

Only because I am trying to figure out my sway bar bushing I think what Blue85 is saying about the rubber bushings is specific to his comment "The rubber is bonded inside and out and twists as the spring moves." The outside of the rubber is bonded to the spring and the inside of the rubber is bonded to the sleeve (impossible to remove w/o torch or similar). All the movement is done by the rubber itself as it 'twists.'. The rubber has a limited range of 'twist.' So when we go offroad and let our axles drop three feet it tears the rubber and now the bushings work really nice offroad but like shit on the street.

The poly bushing will never tear. They don't twist. All the movement is poly bushing to steel spring eye or poly to steel sleeve. There is no bonding to anything (so no torch). There is zero resistance and no limit to travel. But, they dry out and make noise. Or they eventually wear out.

The rubber bonded bushings, if taken care of, will last forever.