'89 K5 The Bulldozer

[Fastereddie]

You can figure out your unsprung weight via calculating from your existing coil springs on the truck. The rear will be different though.
Measure each spring length as its sitting on the truck and use this ((s1+s2)-(Z1+Z2))*Rate
S1- spring 1 free lgnth
S2-spring 2 free length
Z1-spring 1 compressed length
Z2-spring 2 compressed length
Rate: total Spring rate. (s1*s2)/(s1+s2)

My truck is not really a good match for a regular k5, as my truck is tube backhalfed with .040 aluminum skins and shortened 12". My front is pretty light too, its all tube, and an aluminum motor and rad. Skinned hood, no core support etc..

Personally, what I would do is get it built, and use one of your existing springs to get the unsprung weight. Then you'll know and can calculate it to figure your rates to buy based on the preload you want.

Thanks, yeah I thought yours was lightened quite a bit. My is a heavy loaded down girl. My rear shock mounting is going to be a compromise/challenge, because I can’t go through the bed. I’m going to get the links all done and measure where I can best get a shock to fit at what length and then order them.

 

[Tnsejed]

Thanks, yeah I thought yours was lightened quite a bit. My is a heavy loaded down girl. My rear shock mounting is going to be a compromise/challenge, because I can’t go through the bed. I’m going to get the links all done and measure where I can best get a shock to fit at what length and then order them.

That's the challenge. I spent so much time figuring out where stuff would go and building to that. 4 seats and enough room for a week of camping with the kids.

The good news is there's lots of options. Something like the coilover mounted below the axle centerline, as far outboard as possible. And the wheel tubs boxed out in back for mounts, etc.. There's lots of possibilities without destroying the functionality of things.

 

[Capt Ron]

Should I bring a scale to blazer bash?

I'd need concrete or asphalt and an electrical connection. I have a single, 5k lb, wheel scale. Weight as many wheels as you want.

I can picture beers and gambling.

Links will probably be in the future for the soon to be mine Truggy, I might have to self invite for the scale party. I can bring at least 3 and 1/2 beers.

 

[Tnsejed]

Links will probably be in the future for the soon to be mine Truggy, I might have to self invite for the scale party. I can bring at least 3 and 1/2 beers.

I also have extra springs you can borrow to get the unsprung weight. You know where I live.

 

[Fastereddie]

Should I bring a scale to blazer bash?

I'd need concrete or asphalt and an electrical connection. I have a single, 5k lb, wheel scale. Weight as many wheels as you want.

I can picture beers and gambling.

Hell yeah, bring it! I have an inverter in my rig that should power it yeah?

 

[Tnsejed]

Hell yeah, bring it! I have an inverter in my rig that should power it yeah?

I also have an inverter, I didn't think about that. I'll bring the scale. Its pretty cool to see what the shit weighs, and what the distribution is.

 

[Bent77]

I’m sure mine is 70/30

 

[Tnsejed]

Just got a video from a trail run earlier in the year.

Lib20

• Tnsejed
• Aug 5, 2020

Before BB I've only got a few things to do. Some heat shielding on the floorboards and a little maintenance. Also some trailer and tow rig work..

 

[mrk5]

Your truck has changed a lot since we did Spring Creek! Is it still gray? Don't know if it's my phone, or what, but it almost looked dark green.

 

[Tnsejed]

Your truck has changed a lot since we did Spring Creek! Is it still gray? Don't know if it's my phone, or what, but it almost looked dark green.

Always been Dark Green Metallic. It was the factory color on the truck, but for some reason the underbody paint is baby blue. I just get some touch up spray in the factory color and keep layering it on.

 

[mrk5]

Oh, I was remembering it as gray. Guess you don't wheel with me enough.

 

[Tnsejed]

Ran down to BV yesterday with @rderosier and ran chinamans.

CM20

• Tnsejed
• Aug 16, 2020

 

[Tnsejed]

Got one item checked off the list I've been meaning to do. My skid was always mounted with carriage bolts. They would work loose all the time, and you couldn't get to the nuts easily. It was like an act of god to get the stupid thing off.

So I redid that. We'll see how welding the AR500 goes. I did a light preheat and tried to do the most post weld annealing cool I could. Welded both sides of the countersink plugs. We'll see. The plate was HT'd when I built it. Worse comes to worse if it cracks at the haz and it falls off the Hero case is pretty stout. Lol

Also with BB coming up I wanted to run some heat shielding on the floorboards.

 

[Tnsejed]

Just so everything doesn't get lost here's some videos from Blazer Bash 2020

 

[Tnsejed]

 

[Tnsejed]

Now its after BB and time to figure out why my rear ARB is not happy... You can see in the videos it working and not working all the time. Been in the truck since I built it.

I had heard some noises from it early on, and I think even before I left for the trip when I was in BV. But I chalked that up to spring and heim noise, which happens. Especially with springs that were settling weird. It was never as loud as it was on Pritchett though. My guess is its been unhappy for awhile. Gears look great though! Ring gear bolts are tweaked just a bit. Passenger axle shaft looks like it was hit by the crosspin. Weird. Housing and or spindle is tweaked but not by much (2.2 degrees negative camber) . Enough that i'd say its fine to run. Time to rip the arb apart.

 

[Tnsejed]

There's the locking problem. Shitloads of wear on the sliding collar. All those years will take a toll...

But what's up with the axle shaft? It came out and the axle shafts and housing were cleaned and inspected before last season. Something happened there since that time. Splines have maybe .002 of twist. I'd run 'em if I had an answer for this. Crosspin has super minimal rubbing from this axle. The axle end itself has quite a burr from this. Torsional bending in the plastic region causing elongation of the shaft? The magnet looks like a metallic marvel. Or bent crosspin? Going to dig further.....

 

[Bent77]

This is curious. Axle tubes move enough to eliminate the previous clearance?

 

[Fastereddie]

Are you saying 2.2 degrees bent? Because that’s a lot.

 

[Tnsejed]

This is curious. Axle tubes move enough to eliminate the previous clearance?

That's a thought as well. I have no idea what the previous clearance was. I wish I knew. I'll say this, the splines have insanely minimal scrubbing wear (only seen through my 10x loupe), which I would think would be shown if there was enough bend to close that tolerance. The splines look pretty good, for what they take. Passenger side definitely worse than driver.