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Best Front Suspension For Daily Driver

LeadFoot69

LeadFoot69

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HELP!!!!!!
Right now I have a very very good flexing and articulate suspension in the rear that can take me anywhere, on or off road. My problem is the front. :(

I have a GM 12 bolt that is open, superwinch hubs, and a sway bar disconnect. It has six inch lift springs, which are limited in articulation due to a high angle from the transfer case. My driveshaft becomes damaged when anything below normal ride height occurs on my frontend.

Any suggestions for a flexible front end that can be daily driven without spending too much $$$?:confused: Short on cash and in high school. Any help would be appreciated!! Thanx:D
 
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Swap someone with 4 inch lift for their front springs . Grind off part of your crossmember right under the driveshaft ( the offending part of the channel ) . Do a shackle flip out back with the stock rear springs to match the front . And drive daily and wheel .
 
George_Pimpdaddy said:
bumpstops maybe?? also think you mean to say 10 bolt front end..
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x2 no such thing as 12 bolt front end. and i also agree with doing 4 inch lift springs in front except to get it back up to six i would use a zero rate and shackles i have 4 inch easyride springs up front with a shackle and it flexes pretty damn good and for my driveshaft im using a single u joint at the t case end (instead of cv) with tom woods superflex joint and it works damn good
 
You have the legendary 12 bolt front???? Those are rare indeed. Not many of us know how to work on them. But I am sure someone here has a little experience with them.
 
Thanx for the correct, i just assumed it was a 12 bolt like the back, but guess its a 10.
 
Would the 4" springs flex better? or put them in to decrease the front angle?
 
do you have any problems with the driveshaft rubbing anywhere? My front end flexes so well i snapped the u-joint at the t case at the last run. and i did put shims in it, front and rear.
 
LeadFoot69 said:
Would the 4" springs flex better? or put them in to decrease the front angle?
Click to expand...
yes the 4's would deff flex better

LeadFoot69 said:
do you have any problems with the driveshaft rubbing anywhere? My front end flexes so well i snapped the u-joint at the t case at the last run. and i did put shims in it, front and rear.
Click to expand...
my superflex joint lets the shaft droop like a mother
 
LeadFoot69 said:
do you have any problems with the driveshaft rubbing anywhere? My front end flexes so well i snapped the u-joint at the t case at the last run. and i did put shims in it, front and rear.
Click to expand...

If you want to DD this vehicle, you can't just "throw shims" in there.... you need to be aware of what that is doing to your front wheel caster (The steering axis centerline). As you raise the pinion with shims to improve your u-joint angles, you are getting losing caster and the front wheels will not return to center after you make a turn, and the truck will want to wander around on the highway a lot more than before.

A small amount of correction with a shim is probably OK, but most guys with the later model K5s who have driveline angle issues will lower the transfercase with small spacers to accomplish the same thing.

Something else to think about.


:usaflag:
 
he needs to help the angle on the front. lowering the t-case will not help that.

what tranny and t-case do you have?
 
YZEATER said:
second part is to the original poster
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The first part is what confused me.

Dropping the t-case will move the centerline of the front output closer to the centerline of the front axle yoke. Getting those two items closer will improve angularity, no?

Rotating the axle with shims can also bring those two centerlines closer to each other, but at the expense of losing correct caster in the front end.


:usaflag:
 
OK, short on cash and changes in suspension don't go too well together. What is the problem with the driveshaft? Is it too short, is it rubbing on the crossmember or is it binding?

You can get a little more angle out of the C/V joint by grinding the stops down. Just try to be equal with this work because it affects the balance. If it's rubbing, try notching the crossmember as stated above. If length is the problem, you will find it costs over $100 to get a shaft lengthened and balanced. If there are any other issues with the driveshaft, it is time to consider replacing it with a custom-built one, which will not be too much more expensive. The only cheap solution for the length problem is a driveshaft spacer. It's a bit of a hack, but it can be effective if you are "close" on the length already. More importantly, the spacer moves the whole shaft forward to prevent it from rubbing on the crossmember.

Lowering the T-case, helps the rear driveline angle a lot. For the front driveshaft, the case is lower (good), but the angle is more severe (bad). So I don't know if it will help you or not, but is very cheap (or free) to try.
 
Greg72 said:
The first part is what confused me.

Dropping the t-case will move the centerline of the front output closer to the centerline of the front axle yoke. Getting those two items closer will improve angularity, no?


:usaflag:
Click to expand...

when you shim the t-case down, it points the front output into the air. it pivots on the engine mounts. makes the angle worse. think about it looking from the side.

a driveshaft spacer will also make the angle worse also. if it is to short, no need to buy an expensive longer shaft or get it retubed. just find another front shaft from a different year/ differerent t-case tranny combo, there are ton's of different lengths out there.
 
Got it now.... the entire driveline is pivoting relative to the motor mounts. For some reason I visualized the entire engine/trans/xfercase dropping by the same amount. :screwy:

:usaflag:
 
I'll chime in here since I know the kid. He's running the SM465/205 combo in his truck. I don't know what degree his shims are unfortunately, but I know he's had to have his front axle set up so that it really doesn't have any down travel to it. I'm pretty sure he already has custom built driveshafts that he got just recently after destroying the previous ones. :) From what he's told me the driveshaft binds when the axle droops too much. Hopefully that helps somewhat and he'll chime in when he gets out of school.
 
that combo of tranny and t-case is the shortest possible setup.

you need to see where it binds when you droop the suspension out. jack it up and see if it's at the t-case or axle end.

did he ever grind the stops out of the cv end?
 
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