I like my 52's too however they're 2" lift spring packs and I bought them new.
Most people start with some blown out pack and wonder why they handle like shit on the street
CK5
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Abusfullofnuns Suburban going long in the rear
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I like my 52's too however they're 2" lift spring packs and I bought them new.
Most people start with some blown out pack and wonder why they handle like shit on the street
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Second (third? Seventeeth?) against front 52"s. They're great for rock buggies when you want insane flex, but for a truck that sees street time and/or speeds above, say, 30MPH ... not so much. This is the voice of experience
As to what you SHOULD use, IMO, do it once, do it right. Take your truck to the scales and get weights for both front and back axles. Then (and only then, as he'll ask about the weights) call Stephen @ ORD, and decide on off-the-shelf lift springs or their custom packs.
-- A
I like my 52's too however they're 2" lift spring packs and I bought them new.
Most people start with some blown out pack and wonder why they handle like shit on the street
Well, I don't want to do all of this work and still be unhappy with the suspension. I also don't need to learn a lesson than others have already been shown the answer. I would rather not spend the custom spring money until I am certain I won't link it up front. I could always go toward 52s with 2" lift. I am just not sure whether to do that or 6" springs up front. I think part of my fear is being able to match the rear height. I suppose that I won't know until the 56" packs are installed with the flip.
Thanks for the tips. Makes sense on the wear issue, but I hadn't come across that yet. That's one of the builds that I tried to read through before paying for the membership. I'll need to go back through that one, but the length of these threads are insane. It would be nice if they were periodically trimmed of the extraneous comments.
I would love to link it up front, but do not have the shop or welding skills to get it going. I'm working on a gravel pad in Nashville right now. We are looking at some places with better work space, but I am not looking forward to moving. This is kind of the reason that I wanted to see if I could get it dialed enough without linking it for now.
Cool Burb!
superbuickguy
1/2 ton status
nobody believes me (despite having done on the avatar rig) - but in the end of the day, there really isn't that much of a cost difference between linking and lifting with leaf springs. With that said, it's not something I'd recommend to someone who doesn't have a few suspension builds and/or upgrades under their belt. That's on top of being a good enough welder to trust your welds. Before I do links on the front of mine, I'll have to convince myself not to repurpose a Dodge coil front suspension or even that 4 letter F word suspension (though, if you take a Ford off the road, the shoulders will be clear for others to use).
Best upgrade you can do now (and it's FREE!!) is to take a razorblade and scrape off the ROUGH COUNTRY windshield sticker. 
People who meet you are going to think you don't know anything about trucks when they see it.... so it's going to be hard to meet the right kind of enthusiasts. People who are impressed with that sticker are definitely NOT going to be giving you good advice about this build anyway. It's sort of like putting a rainbow flag sticker on your vehicle, it will get you attention but maybe not the kind you want.
-G
People who meet you are going to think you don't know anything about trucks when they see it.... so it's going to be hard to meet the right kind of enthusiasts. People who are impressed with that sticker are definitely NOT going to be giving you good advice about this build anyway. It's sort of like putting a rainbow flag sticker on your vehicle, it will get you attention but maybe not the kind you want.
-G
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Best upgrade you can do now (and it's FREE!!) is to take a razorblade and scrape off the ROUGH COUNTRY windshield sticker.
People who meet you are going to think you don't know anything about trucks when they see it.... so it's going to be hard to meet the right kind of enthusiasts. People who are impressed with that sticker are definitely NOT going to be giving you good advice about this build anyway. It's sort of like putting a rainbow flag sticker on your vehicle, it will get you attention but maybe not the kind you want.
-G
lol. Good looking out! It took me a day or two to get started, but all the stickers have all come off. There was a side window full of beer stickers and the rears were pretty covered too. I'm a no sticker kind of guy.
I put my 56's in like 8 years ago drove in on the street for like four with no issues. I love them for the street, thing rode like a Caddy. The only issue that I have been having with them is they tend to separate when you are flexing the crap out of them.
On your rig I would do 56's and 63's in a heart beat. They ride great body roll is minimal, its a Burb. They react way different with the longer wheel base then Blazer do.
The swap is basically a bolt on. Drill some rivets move some brackets, good to go. find a set of centered 56's aka a van set, and you front wheels stay in the same spot.
If I ever build a DD square burb I would do that again.
On your rig I would do 56's and 63's in a heart beat. They ride great body roll is minimal, its a Burb. They react way different with the longer wheel base then Blazer do.
The swap is basically a bolt on. Drill some rivets move some brackets, good to go. find a set of centered 56's aka a van set, and you front wheels stay in the same spot.
If I ever build a DD square burb I would do that again.
So should I put on my Tuff Country window sticker or no? LOLBest upgrade you can do now (and it's FREE!!) is to take a razorblade and scrape off the ROUGH COUNTRY windshield sticker.
People who meet you are going to think you don't know anything about trucks when they see it.... so it's going to be hard to meet the right kind of enthusiasts. People who are impressed with that sticker are definitely NOT going to be giving you good advice about this build anyway. It's sort of like putting a rainbow flag sticker on your vehicle, it will get you attention but maybe not the kind you want.
-G
Tuff Country, yes.
superbuickguy
1/2 ton status
it's so hard to keep straight who you're supposed to hate this week, here I thought it was Rancho that was the current-most-hated.... I really need to get out more.
That's why I roll with my Trump/Hillary 2020 sticker... gotta cover my bases.
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I appreciate your input. You've definitely just thrown me for a loop, though. I was walking back my original plan, and considering different spring options. I don't have much invested in the 52s or 56s. I was leaning toward sticking with the flip in the rear and using springs(possibly TC) to get me the rest of the height. I had also considered that plan with 52s in the front. I could go with 2" springs, skip the body lift, and just flip/b52.
I suppose that same option exists for your 56/63 combo. More noodling is needed.
I went with 56's in the front because you do not have to move the rear shackle hole. I just took off the front mounts and swapped them side to side. Put a longer shackle in and that was it. Did a F.U.S.H kit a few years later to get the bigger bolt. The rear you have to move the rear shackle back and the front forward but you can use have the rivet holes for both of them.
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Back from snowboarding and time to start making some decisions. I'm still up in the air on spring length and version, but leaning away from custom springs for now. I am open to the TC springs and may do that front and rear. Still need to decide on the length for this rig. I need to put together an order for DIY4x and get the small stuff coming.
I may get crazy and pull the HVAC unit out to attempt to get better air flow. I feel like there is room for improvement in the amount of air coming through the vents. I replaced the blower motor and resistor pack to confirm it's good, and I guess that I still need to verify proper voltage to the blower. I assume that the seals between vents and air handler, as well as blend doors need to be checked. I've got the LS compressor, strong fans for condensor, tinted windows and r134 that blows super cold but it's not as strong as I would hope. Anything else I should check?
I may get crazy and pull the HVAC unit out to attempt to get better air flow. I feel like there is room for improvement in the amount of air coming through the vents. I replaced the blower motor and resistor pack to confirm it's good, and I guess that I still need to verify proper voltage to the blower. I assume that the seals between vents and air handler, as well as blend doors need to be checked. I've got the LS compressor, strong fans for condensor, tinted windows and r134 that blows super cold but it's not as strong as I would hope. Anything else I should check?
superbuickguy
1/2 ton status
there's levels of ac - the stock system should be more then enough as it handles Arizona and Texas temps pretty well. I agree with all the things you are doing, but that's like the last 10% not the first 90% of cooling which is stuff like a good pump, clean filters, clean condenser - stuff like that. Mild leaks in the duct system - unless it's allowing warm air to blow in, - blower voltage usually don't give you much if anything.
do be sure the vent doors are opening because those actuators and the hoses that run vacuum to them often fail closed...
With that said, I'll never understand people who do this - but there's an equalizer in the cabin that allows the pressure to equalize inside/outside. If that is blocked (cold air is denser) then your system is trying to blow air into a block straw. The easy test is crack a window when the ac is on, if it gets cooler then on 'max' then either the cabin door equalizer (part of the box under the dash) or the ones that allow air to escape (bottom of the doors - those grills vent out to atmosphere) are blocked at need to be reopened.
for reference, I run turbo-6.2-diesels with the ac on in the mountainous West Coast and rarely have trouble with the ac on and driving in town or highway....
do be sure the vent doors are opening because those actuators and the hoses that run vacuum to them often fail closed...
With that said, I'll never understand people who do this - but there's an equalizer in the cabin that allows the pressure to equalize inside/outside. If that is blocked (cold air is denser) then your system is trying to blow air into a block straw. The easy test is crack a window when the ac is on, if it gets cooler then on 'max' then either the cabin door equalizer (part of the box under the dash) or the ones that allow air to escape (bottom of the doors - those grills vent out to atmosphere) are blocked at need to be reopened.
for reference, I run turbo-6.2-diesels with the ac on in the mountainous West Coast and rarely have trouble with the ac on and driving in town or highway....
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Thanks, I guess I should expand on the current set up. The compressor was new in last 8K and the condensor is clean and sealed fairly tight for good air flow. I'm not sure what filter you are talking about being clean?? Temperature isn't a problem as far as I can tell. Super cold.
The blower motor sounds like its moving a ton of air, but that doesn't seem to translate to the vents. I really haven't spent much time looking at it because its been cold. Now that we are having 70 degree days I need to address before the days are 90 degrees. I'll play with it on the ride home from work (daily driving it some).
The blower motor sounds like its moving a ton of air, but that doesn't seem to translate to the vents. I really haven't spent much time looking at it because its been cold. Now that we are having 70 degree days I need to address before the days are 90 degrees. I'll play with it on the ride home from work (daily driving it some).
superbuickguy
1/2 ton status
It really sounds like at least one of the internal doors isn't opening - for example, there's a door that allows heat or cool or a mix to go through the ductwork - if that door is malfunctioning that can cause issues like you describe. The filter is actually in the freon system - but if it's blowing cold (just not enough volume of air), then that's not an issue.
I've had lots of these rigs with the factory AC and can attest that even at 130* in Death Valley, they are more then adequate to keep you cool - aftermarket systems? no so much.
I've had lots of these rigs with the factory AC and can attest that even at 130* in Death Valley, they are more then adequate to keep you cool - aftermarket systems? no so much.
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Well.....you were right. I tried it on the way home from work and realized that "Max" on the selector is actually a little toward "Off". It's moving some good air on that setting. I still think the "Normal" leaves a lot to be desired and will investigate further for door or seal issues tonight.
superbuickguy
1/2 ton status
I love it when it's simple (never happens to me, but glad it worked for you)
