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'72 K5 - Where do I go from here?

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Dirsuper said:
I will keep the wheels that are on it now and just sandblast/paint them. They are the same wheels that came stock on my '88 (and are still on it), and I love those wheels. So, 15x8 for the wheel. I'm going to upgrade my little 'experiment' tonight (unless wife gets pissed off that I am in the shop, again, right before I leave for 5 days). I'll put the tires on 2x4s, find another 4" high...something for the floor, keep the one on the seat, and see what it is like to get in and out. Last night, right after I say, "Screw it, I am going 4" the wife throws out, "We are not getting any younger (we're mid 40s) and as many injuries as you have had (retired from the Navy with an impressively large medical record!).....blah blah" (she's an RN so she thinks of things like that). Of course I could just carry around a friggin milk crate.........with a string to pull it in the cab behind me......
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Keep in mind, it's a lot easier to climb in on the drivers side because you have the steering wheel to pull against.... I know, I know... You aren't supposed to pull on the steering wheel because it ruins the steering wheel bushings (especially on a tilt wheel) but we've all done it. :deal: In fact, there is a nice rhythm to climbing in there....grab the wheel... Swing a leg in as you start pulling with your arms and push off the ground with the remaining leg. It ends up being pretty easy once you get the hang of it.

Passenger side.....not so much. :D. Without a rollcage and/or a-pillar grab handle its real struggle to find a graceful way to climb in... I feel bad for my passengers. :haha:


-G
 
Appreciate all, will look into steps. I put it up on 3 2x4s/2x6s I had in shop. From ground to bottom of door - 27". From ground to bottom of rear fender lip - 41". Can anyone, with 35s and any lift please give me those measurements for their First Gen K5? Would be a huge help.

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campfire said:
I've seen that done. It works out pretty well.
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I'm going to whisper this so nobody else can hear it..........


You could also just put the whole truck on an AirRide suspension. You could lower it to climb in, and then raise it for driving.




Shhhhh..... :D


-G
 
I don't mind being a bit poserish by building an awesome looking 4x4 and not taking it off road, but air ride is a bit far......I do appreciate the idea though. The more I think about it, the more I believe I might be over thinking this whole thing. I'm in pretty good shape these days (thanks to shots in both shoulders!) Hell, right now I can do a friggin 48" box jump, I am pretty sure I will be able to climb in and out of a lifted vehicle for at least another few years. By then I will have figured out the 'step problem', and should be good. If the wife does not want to climb into it.........I'll let her use a milk crate. If someone would give me those measurements (ground to bottom of door and ground to bottom of rear fender lip), I would really appreciate it.
 
The pic below (lifted from another site) is exactly what I want. He said he has 4" in front and 6" in back to get it level. Given that mine has two extra leafs per side in the rear to sit level, is it safe to assume that I would need the same?
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Dirsuper said:
The pic below (lifted from another site) is exactly what I want. He said he has 4" in front and 6" in back to get it level. Given that mine has two extra leafs per side in the rear to sit level, is it safe to assume that I would need the same?
attachment.php
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It seems like a lot of guys do a 4"/6" spring but keep in mind that's with a tension-style rear shackle (stock). If you go with a shackle-flip kit (recommended) you're going to get most of the lift you want for free even with a stock rear spring..... the fine-tuning for rear height (to match the front height) can be done with a rear zero-rate (a good idea to move the axle back 1"....look at that photo again and notice how his rear tire is jammed to the forward part of the wheelwell?)... the final tweak that is pretty easy to do is to lengthen the rear shackles themselves. A 2" longer shackle gives you 1" of lift.....1" longer = 1/2" etc. When you want to get the stance "just right"... you can play with shackle lengths to nail it perfectly.

The rear shackle flip gives a really nice ride. I've said it a million times before, but if you can find a set of late-model K5 rear springs (stock) from like '88 or '89 they are softer than the 1st Gens and bolt right in (same length) most guys throw them away when they do a lift, so you can probably find some for almost free.

For the record: My old suspension was a shackleflip, '89 springs and a 2" longer rear shackle. I had a 2" bodylift also so if you come across old photos keep that in mind. I was also trying to fit 38's so I needed more lift than you will.


-G
 
Great ideas! Anyone have a set of springs they want to sell? I'll start digging around for some on the side. I was all set to do a rear shackle flip until I discovered my two extra leafs.
 
Dirsuper said:
Appreciate all, will look into steps. I put it up on 3 2x4s/2x6s I had in shop. From ground to bottom of door - 27". From ground to bottom of rear fender lip - 41". Can anyone, with 35s and any lift please give me those measurements for their First Gen K5? Would be a huge help.
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I'm on 35's . My measurements are 31" at the door and 47" at the lip of the rear fender.
Stance1.jpg

My lift is 6" all around plus a 3" body lift. Honestly I think it's too high. I could probably drop 2-3" and still clear the 35s.
 
Thank you Ashman. Yesterday I went to a shop that sells/installs lifts and all associated items. The guy I spoke with has been there a long time, and has done a number of K5s. He convinced me that I would be stupid to attempt 35s on anything less than a 4". I showed him the pic above of mine sitting on blocks, told him measurements, etc, and he thought I was pretty closely simulating what the actual height will end up being with a 4" and 35s. He also said something about the rear springs of an all spring 4" lift usually leaving the rear about an inch higher on K5s.....I didn't want to really drive him nuts by pressing for details, so I let it be. Anyone else heard that? I just assume that if I get 4 new springs, all designed to lift it 4", the thing damn near has to sit level. I have no problem getting in and out at the height it is on the blocks, don't even need to pull on anything. The wife had to use the rollbar, but was just fine with it. So, as soon as I sell an extra car (we have 6 vehicles, 2 drivers....), I'll be on the phone with ORD.

Saw a First Gen drive by in Southern Louisiana while 'running' with my 92 year old WWII vet buddy on Hwy 190 near Krotz Springs Saturday morning. It was grayish in color and lifted....I don't know.....2-6". Damn was it nice to spend a little time back in the South......great people down there. Been away for over 25 years, so you forget.
 
Dirsuper said:
Thank you Ashman. Yesterday I went to a shop that sells/installs lifts and all associated items. The guy I spoke with has been there a long time, and has done a number of K5s. He convinced me that I would be stupid to attempt 35s on anything less than a 4". I showed him the pic above of mine sitting on blocks, told him measurements, etc, and he thought I was pretty closely simulating what the actual height will end up being with a 4" and 35s. He also said something about the rear springs of an all spring 4" lift usually leaving the rear about an inch higher on K5s.....I didn't want to really drive him nuts by pressing for details, so I let it be. Anyone else heard that? I just assume that if I get 4 new springs, all designed to lift it 4", the thing damn near has to sit level. I have no problem getting in and out at the height it is on the blocks, don't even need to pull on anything. The wife had to use the rollbar, but was just fine with it. So, as soon as I sell an extra car (we have 6 vehicles, 2 drivers....), I'll be on the phone with ORD.

Saw a First Gen drive by in Southern Louisiana while 'running' with my 92 year old WWII vet buddy on Hwy 190 near Krotz Springs Saturday morning. It was grayish in color and lifted....I don't know.....2-6". Damn was it nice to spend a little time back in the South......great people down there. Been away for over 25 years, so you forget.
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I will tell you that going with an "all spring" lift (front and rear) is going to be a stiffer ride than going with the tried-and-true method of using a soft 4" front lift spring, and using a rear shackleflip (like ORD) with a stock late-model K5 spring.

Keep in mind that if you do the all-spring lift and you don't like how tall it is out back you really don't have any good options to lower it. With the shackleflip method, you will start out a lot closer to level (front to back) and give you the option to add the rear zero-rate and longer shackle to align the rear tire correctly to the wheel well and get the stance EXACTLY the way you want it.


-G
 
Dirsuper said:
He also said something about the rear springs of an all spring 4" lift usually leaving the rear about an inch higher on K5s.....I didn't want to really drive him nuts by pressing for details, so I let it be. Anyone else heard that? I just assume that if I get 4 new springs, all designed to lift it 4", the thing damn near has to sit level.
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You'd think so, but I've heard enough counter examples to no longer expect front and back to match when buying lift springs. :doah:

I assume this is one of the reasons that zero rates are so popular. :dunno:
 
Greg, I am hesitant to do a shackle flip because of that cheesy 'add a leaf' that is already in the rear, 2 on each side. That tells me the stock springs are shot and I don't want to get into a game of trying to determine what size shackle flip to use to get it right. I am sure someone who knows lifts really well could climb under it and make a pretty accurate guesstimate of what size flip would get me level, but I don't personally know anyone with that much expertise. If I had better foresight, I would have taken it to a place which does lifts back when it was still running, but.....too late now. Also, I'm not too worried about a stiff ride. Hell, my '72 C20 4X4 drives like a tank, and it does not bother me......it's kind of.......'retro' in a way. If it were a DD I would care, but not for a toy. Regardless, I really appreciate the insight/tips.

I hear ya Campfire. Hopefully the people at ORD can help me get close to start with. I have pictures of it when it was still together, and I have/can take all the pictures of the current suspension they might need. I already spoke to them once, and the guy (sorry, I am terrible at remembering names) has a '72 K5, so he obviously is familiar with them.

Last night I spent an hour or so with the manuals (service and overhaul) sitting on a milk crate schooling myself on the front end. I hope to get the rocks outside the shop next week so that I can power wash it all and then start tearing it apart. I don't want to power wash it on dirt......would end up making more of a mess, as I learned the hard way! Not to mention the enviro Nazis probably have a satellite watching my land as it is.........
 
I'm not going to berate you for your final decision, but please consider the following BEFORE you decide:

1. There is only ONE size of shackle flip kit. If you get the one for the 1st Gen Blazer the hangers will be the proper width for our trucks. I think you are confusing it with the shackle itself... which usually gets reused, but as I mentioned can also be either swapped out for a longer one, or modified slightly to increase the hole spacing (which is what I did) for the "fine tuning" of ride height.

2. You live in So.Cal.... that should just about be the easiest place to find a set of 80's K5 rear springs. If you can't find a local 4x4 shop willing to give you a pair of "takeoffs" for free, you could always go to a local Pick-and-Pull and get them for next to nothing.

3. Rear lift springs will do nothing for your rear tire location, and you will end up with the same goofy "pushed forward tire" look that is on the black truck (in your post above).


My biggest concern is that you are going to buy rear lift springs and end up paying MORE, for a solution that rides harsh and doesn't have any "tunability" for your final ride height.


-G
 
I'll echo Gregs advice. I used 4" lift ezRide springs on the front of mine and 2" lift springs with an ORD shackle flip bracket. Even the 2" lift springs on the rear are pretty stiff. I have to slow down even more than the low-riders when going over speed bumps it's so harsh. The stiff ride made it easy to run 35" tires though.

You can reuse your existing rear springs with a shackle flip kit and see how everything sits and then decide on different springs for the rear (either 80's k5 or new 1-2" lift).
 
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