83 Blazer Comfortable Suspension and Handling

['83blazer]

I have an 83 blazer with, I wanna say 33" tires on it and a 4" lift. This of course is going to change the way it handles and drives, but I was wondering what are some ways to improve suspension and steering? I don't take it wheeling very much, mostly to the beach and maybe up in the snow, therefore I don't need anything too rugged for suspension, so I was wondering what are some improvements I can make to the suspension to make it more comfortable? When I got my lift they gave me heavy-duty springs, I think I had 6 in the back and 4 or 5 in the front. I don't tow anything so I removed a couple and have I think 3 in the back and 2 in the front, which has softened it up a bit but seems very janky and I'd like something a little more legit.
On top of the bad suspension, the steering has gotten really bad, and after some research I am guessing the frame has cracked at the steering box. If so, what is a good reinforcement plate for that? Is there anything else that should help with steering, especially with having bigger tires? I have some steering stabilizers on there but I didn't notice a difference at all. I know it's an old truck with bigger tires so it's not ever going to drive like a Cadillac, but it's gotten to the point where I'm just trying to stay on the road and out of the ditch haha.
Thanks in advance

Question Summary
What are some suspension upgrades I can do for a more comfortable ride?
What are some steering box frame reinforcement kit recommendations?
What are some steering upgrades to reduce wobble and looseness, and increase handling?

 

[90RedBurb]

for the frame plates there are many options but offroad design has nice products for this as well as steering box braces and things to help. For reducing the looseness good quality tie rod ends and new leaf spring bushings will help reduce this if your not looking to change the whole system to say crossover steering. also check the rag joint on the steering shaft and the steering gearbox itself. redhead steering gear makes nice replacement gear boxes and borgeson has replacement shafts that eliminate the rag joint in lieu of CV joints, or the XJ steering shaft mod does a similar job for cheaper. For the suspension offroad design also has nice kits at varying price points but i have found over the years that if you spend a little more money on better quality shocks it makes a pretty noticeable difference in ride quality. hope some of this help. Im sure others will be along with more info

 

['83blazer]

All that was great info, I'll look into the things you suggested, thanks again. I have a buddy that says he likes his Bilsteins 5100 and he does have a nice ride, however, it's just a Tacoma that they're on. Do you have any shocks you suggest? Maybe the Bilsteins are a good way to go?

 

[90RedBurb]

i have the 5100s on my 97 f350 and they helped the ride on it. im actually going to pick up a set of new 5100s for the front of my suburban tonight after work that i found on marketplace for a good deal. There may be better shocks out there but from a price stand point they seem to be very good for the money as after the 5100s it seems like prices jump a lot per shock (like double or more) and i have not tried real high end shocks.

 

['83blazer]

Good to hear. Yeah they do seem to be on the pricier side of things. Another pair of shocks that seem to be a little controversial are the Rancho's RS5000x and the RS9000xl. From my understanding, the 9000's are adjustable whereas the 5000's are not. Some say they're both great, some say they're pretty stiff. Anyone know anything about the Rancho's?

 

[90RedBurb]

I have had rancho 5000s and wasn’t overly impressed by the ride or the life I got out of them but could be a fluke not sure. That actually may be what’s on the front of my suburban now I can’t remember. Either way I’ve had good luck with the bilsteins although I have not had them long enough to know the life expectancy. I see many sets on marketplace and the set I’m going to pick up today are brand new and are $100. 50 a shock is less than cheap box store shocks. I see a lot of them on there for that $100 to $150 a pair price. Off-road design also has some skyjacker black max shocks for fairly cheap. Those guys know these trucks and I assume for them to even carry them they must be a good cheaper option. Btw I’m not sponsored by ORD or anything I’ve just had good luck with their service and parts which is why I keep bringing them up lol

 

['83blazer]

I have had rancho 5000s and wasn’t overly impressed by the ride or the life I got out of them but could be a fluke not sure. That actually may be what’s on the front of my suburban now I can’t remember. Either way I’ve had good luck with the bilsteins although I have not had them long enough to know the life expectancy. I see many sets on marketplace and the set I’m going to pick up today are brand new and are $100. 50 a shock is less than cheap box store shocks. I see a lot of them on there for that $100 to $150 a pair price. Off-road design also has some skyjacker black max shocks for fairly cheap. Those guys know these trucks and I assume for them to even carry them they must be a good cheaper option. Btw I’m not sponsored by ORD or anything I’ve just had good luck with their service and parts which is why I keep bringing them up lol

Just found a thread on here talking about Bilsteins and Ranchos. Definitely seems that the large majority love their Bilsteins and are not fans of the Ranchos. I'll start looking on market place and such for a set of them, thanks for the tip. Speaking of, I got a set of brand new shocks I just took off my Blazer that I need to sell. Anyone interested? Lol

 

['83blazer]

I have an 83 blazer with, I wanna say 33" tires on it and a 4" lift. This of course is going to change the way it handles and drives, but I was wondering what are some ways to improve suspension and steering? I don't take it wheeling very much, mostly to the beach and maybe up in the snow, therefore I don't need anything too rugged for suspension, so I was wondering what are some improvements I can make to the suspension to make it more comfortable? When I got my lift they gave me heavy-duty springs, I think I had 6 in the back and 4 or 5 in the front. I don't tow anything so I removed a couple and have I think 3 in the back and 2 in the front, which has softened it up a bit but seems very janky and I'd like something a little more legit.
On top of the bad suspension, the steering has gotten really bad, and after some research I am guessing the frame has cracked at the steering box. If so, what is a good reinforcement plate for that? Is there anything else that should help with steering, especially with having bigger tires? I have some steering stabilizers on there but I didn't notice a difference at all. I know it's an old truck with bigger tires so it's not ever going to drive like a Cadillac, but it's gotten to the point where I'm just trying to stay on the road and out of the ditch haha.
Thanks in advance

Question Summary
What are some suspension upgrades I can do for a more comfortable ride?
What are some steering box frame reinforcement kit recommendations?
What are some steering upgrades to reduce wobble and looseness, and increase handling?

Wanted to add, headed down to the shop to see some things. The frame seems to be in perfect condition, no cracks. As for steering, all the joints seem to be in good condition as well, checked for play and there was very little, maybe 1/32nd of an inch at most on a few. Seems like that wouldn't be much, but it could be? As for the steering column and rag joint, nothing popped out as being worn, but I am not totally sure how to check for wear. Any suggestions of what I should be checking for? Both on the steering column and steering joints?

 

[6872xtc]

I didn't like the Rancho 9K shocks on my '70. Bought generic Bilstiens and it improved.
I bought ORD spec Bilstiens for my '90. They are nice, however I can't compare the 2 trucks due to the big differences in them. I like everything that I have bought from ORD.

If you have any noticeable play in any of the tie rod and drag link joints, or ball joints, it can make a bigger difference than you realize. I replace them if there is any play in them. The steering box can wear and get some play. It can be adjusted oftentimes. There's a procedure, and go slowly.

 

['83blazer]

I didn't like the Rancho 9K shocks on my '70. Bought generic Bilstiens and it improved.
I bought ORD spec Bilstiens for my '90. They are nice, however I can't compare the 2 trucks due to the big differences in them. I like everything that I have bought from ORD.

If you have any noticeable play in any of the tie rod and drag link joints, or ball joints, it can make a bigger difference than you realize. I replace them if there is any play in them. The steering box can wear and get some play. It can be adjusted oftentimes. There's a procedure, and go slowly.

Thanks for the input, I'll look into the steering box adjustment

 

[90RedBurb]

That’s good to hear about your frame. Still a good idea to plate them if you plan to run larger than stock tires and it’s easier to reinforce now rather than repair and reinforce later. As for the steering play little bits here and there can add up “tolerance stacking” and feel like a lot. Adjusting the box could help. Should be write ups and videos online about doing it. I usually use a large pair of channel locks and try to squeeze the rod ends if that makes sense to see if the ball is loose in the socket.

 

['83blazer]

That’s good to hear about your frame. Still a good idea to plate them if you plan to run larger than stock tires and it’s easier to reinforce now rather than repair and reinforce later. As for the steering play little bits here and there can add up “tolerance stacking” and feel like a lot. Adjusting the box could help. Should be write ups and videos online about doing it. I usually use a large pair of channel locks and try to squeeze the rod ends if that makes sense to see if the ball is loose in the socket.

Yeah I think I will reinforce it, especially since they’re not that expensive. I looked into the steering box adjustment and I imagine getting the right adjustment on there would be a lot of help. As for the the ball joints, could you explain the channel lock method a little more? Are you just holding them in place to see the tolerance?

 

[90RedBurb]

I use the channel locks to squeeze the tie rod and/or drag link ends straight down into the piece they go into ( pitman arm, knuckle etc) I may be able to find a picture to help illustrate what I mean. As for ball joints if you raise the front tires off the ground and try to push and pull the top and bottom of the tires in and out you can see if there is play in them or the wheel bearings. How are the tires wearing. A lot of times I’ve seen tires wear in an alternating pattern on the tire lugs on the inside edge when they have ball joint issues. Our company runs dodge diesels exclusively and for whatever reason they eat ball joints like a kid eats candy and we see that wear pattern on the tires. One lug worn down the next not then a worn down lug and so on all the way around the inner most part of the tire

I marked up this next photo to better explain what I mean. Put channel locks on areas where arrows are and squeeze them together

Trying to push and pull the front and back of the tires while raised will also help to find play

 

['83blazer]

I use the channel locks to squeeze the tie rod and/or drag link ends straight down into the piece they go into ( pitman arm, knuckle etc) I may be able to find a picture to help illustrate what I mean. As for ball joints if you raise the front tires off the ground and try to push and pull the top and bottom of the tires in and out you can see if there is play in them or the wheel bearings. How are the tires wearing. A lot of times I’ve seen tires wear in an alternating pattern on the tire lugs on the inside edge when they have ball joint issues. Our company runs dodge diesels exclusively and for whatever reason they eat ball joints like a kid eats candy and we see that wear pattern on the tires. One lug worn down the next not then a worn down lug and so on all the way around the inner most part of the tire
View attachment 442965
I marked up this next photo to better explain what I mean. Put channel locks on areas where arrows are and squeeze them together
View attachment 442966
Trying to push and pull the front and back of the tires while raised will also help to find play

I think I know what you're talking about now, I've seen it done before, thanks for that. I'll have to upgrade my account before I can see those pics so I'll see about doing that. The tires are pretty new so the wear is minimal, but from what I can tell the wear is pretty even. However, I don't think there would be enough wear yet to accurately tell.

I adjusted my steering box with the adjustment screw just this morning. There was quite a lot of play in the wheel before this, I wanna say I could move the wheel 25 degrees to the left and 25 degrees to the right before there were any movement in the tires. After adjustment, I maybe got the play down to 15-20 degrees left and right, but maxed out the adjustment screw before I could get the wheel to not have play in it. Because of this, I'm assuming the gears in the steering box are pretty worn? I was checking the steering shaft while moving the wheel and it moved consistently with the wheel, and the rag joint seemed to be having no play in it either, although I didn't test it to see really, just observing it while moving the wheel. For how much play there is, if the steering box is the main problem, I imagine getting a new box or replacing the gears will fix most of my steering problems.

 

[6872xtc]

Replacement gear boxes can be problematic from parts stores.

I hope that you found the proper procedure and didn't overdo the adjustment. It gets tighter in the middle of the travel. And too tight can tear it up big time!

 

['83blazer]

Replacement gear boxes can be problematic from parts stores.

I hope that you found the proper procedure and didn't overdo the adjustment. It gets tighter in the middle of the travel. And too tight can tear it up big time!

Previously in this thread, the Redhead gearbox was suggested for a replacement. Haven't done my research on whether or not it's a good box, let me know if you know anything about it. nut
As for the adjustment procedure, would you mind expanding a little more on your concern as to what could go wrong in the procedure? To do the adjustment I had the steering set going straight, checked the play in the wheel, loosened the nut on the adjustment screw, turned the adjustment screw tight 1/8 turn, checked play, turned screw, etc. Play was cut in half before the adjustment screw seemed to of bottomed out, and basically stopped turning while the nut was still loose.
If you could expand on your concern that'd be helpful. Seems like I overdid the adjustment but the play was getting better as the screw was tightened so I'm not sure whether to back the screw out and deal with the play or leave it there. I checked for binding issues after I was done and everything seemed to turn as usual without binding.

 

[6872xtc]

It's great that you checked for binding.
If I remember the number correctly, it supposed to be 11 inch pounds of rolling torque, through the center of the travel. This is with the steering box on the bench.
As far as I understand, this low number is to allow for thermal expansion and to avoid excess pressure between the rack and pitman gear inside of the box. This could push the rack offset in the bore of the box and cause drag and excessive wear on the sealing rings, or maybe bypass oil on the opposite side of the bore.
This is my speculation, based on building 2 steering boxes years ago. I am not a professional.

My personal suggestion would be to back the adjustment back up a quarter of a turn and take a drive. If it feels good, and holds center better, then you may be good.

I have no experience with Redhead, but they would be better than a parts store IMO. There is also a company consisting of some ex Redhead guys, which is supposed to be good.

I have had a couple of boxes built by Benchworks in Phoenix that have been very well done. But they are both 10 years old, so no recent experience.

And not to preach, but I also feel that the tiny bit of looseness in the tie rods can add up to make it feel worse than it looks.
Maybe this and the box as it was, is all of your problem. Take a couple of drives now and see if it warrants replacing the tie rod ends and drag link ends.

 

['83blazer]

That was a lot of great info thanks. I get what you're saying about the excessive wear possibly occurring. I'll look at getting a new gearbox after this that I know doesn't have wear in it because it was something I was going to upgrade anyways, and after that, I'll be able to tell if the rest of the play is coming from the tie rods or not. I'll be driving it as a daily soon so if I could get it to drive and ride to the best of its abilities, it would be all the better.

 

[swettysblazer]

We offer the below for steering box reinforcement:

1973-1991 GM Squarebody Frame Plates

We're here to help you wheel with the right parts! Reliable offroad and 4 wheel drive parts from top manufacturers! Free Shipping on orders $99+!

4xstore.com

These work with either the ORD brace or the Smittybilt, which we can supply as well.

THanks!

 

['83blazer]

We offer the below for steering box reinforcement:

1973-1991 GM Squarebody Frame Plates

We're here to help you wheel with the right parts! Reliable offroad and 4 wheel drive parts from top manufacturers! Free Shipping on orders $99+!

4xstore.com

These work with either the ORD brace or the Smittybilt, which we can supply as well.

THanks!

Thanks for reaching out!