Blazer Front Coil Suspension Conversion - Mayday

[CT-BLAZER]

Interpreting the post seems to be lost "Cost Effective" is the driving criteria.... project is already over budget. 50k is bad enough, could burn 100k+ with extra modifications...


If you enjoy a ride rougher than old horse and wagon god bless you....

The older you get, the less you enjoy taking a beating hour after pounding down the pavement.

My last company SUV was a Ford Eddie Bauer Bronco... It rode as smooth as a car. There was no comparison between the Blazer too the Bronco for ride quality. When GM canceled the leaf spring chassis, it was years behind the competition.

If you don't like a hi standard for a baseline, so be it.
Once you drive in or ride in a modern chassis, it's hard to be satisfied with a primitive crude chassis.

Could I modify a suspension? Yes, but could I get a factory quality hi end ride without bad behavior, doubtful.

Fun.... I find nothing enjoyable or fun dumping large sums of cash into a bottomless pit that has no real cash value. If it doesn't give a good utility value, it's a financial blunder.

From the comments I've seen, as of yet, no one has personally attempted, nor heavily modified a chassis for asphalt driving.

It's a sad day when a 1990 vehicle drives choppier than a 1935 Convertible going down the highway.

Possibly, throwing the underside away+ substituting a newer A-Frame Blazer/ Tahoe undercarriage would be more cost effective

You've mentioned a range rover a couple of times... A leaf sprung old chevy is not that. You can improve the ride substantially with newer technology but there will be compromises IE: lift, expense, other modifications to make it all work together. You can do just about anything but if you don't have the ability you are going to have pay someone who does and that didn't come to that guy overnight so you are paying for knowledge, craftsmanship, experience ect.
Making these things work is part of the fun. It's not for everyone. If you want a rangerover then do that. Its comparing apples to footballs, It's not my thing but to each their own.

 

[nvrenuf]

No offense but considering how much you dislike the “old horse and wagon” ride maybe you should have researched trucks as much as you researched suspension parts. It’s a leaf spring truck, there’s a limit to the ride quality.

 

[Blue85]

Good grief. Do you really think nobody here has ridden in modern cars and trucks? You're asking here because you know there's expertise on square bodies, yet you won't believe anything we say. Once you say all the work will be done by shops we start to lose perspective and/or interest.

 

[nvrenuf]

He could pay someone to swap the body on to a new chassis, it would be smooth all the way to Walmart.

I find it hard to believe that ORD springs are now $3500 per axle. I could be wrong but I thought they were under $1k just a couple of years ago, that would be a 300+% increase.

 

[centexk5]

doing due diligence, I contacted ORD..... what I found out confirmed my earlier suspicions ....

Costs for anything ORD is expensive

Coil Over kit is about $8500 delivered to the door....
Labor is about $6000 in a fully equipped shop....
expect extra costs to clean & refinish damaged paint

Problems: Kit interferers with OEM GM AC system.... can't have GM AC - not acceptable.
Kit requires a 2 - 4" minimum lift
AC / Climate Control resolve - unknown costs if even possible
Questions: Clearance Issues for Cummins Diesel engine - uncertain

Outcome - not acceptable

Custom ORD Springs

PRO: Uncertain if they will ride like a car / air ride
Cons: Cost $8k or so delivered
require a 2" or more lift

Outcome - I'm not convinced an $8k spring kit will give me the ride quality I want , nor do I want a lifted truck..


Resolve - NONE - just what I suspected from earlier searches. costs are 1/2 as much or more than a spotless used Range Rover.


This search was intended to see if anyone has used a Ford Bronco or Dodge coil spring type system and grafted it into a GM.... not sure if it's possible to install on an open C - Channel frame. It would be nice to use all OEM type parts for ease of accessing parts.

Cleaning off Blazer will be harder than saying good bye.... It's become a bench for a disassembled Do All Band saw... spray guns, parts & pieces of everything . . . . . .

I saved a big hole while doing deep test pits

View attachment 462230

View attachment 462231

I spent ~$2k on my ORD leaves and my 1985 blazer rides better than my 2018 tundra or my 2016 Durango or my previous 2020 Silverado.

Know what rides like shit? My dad’s 77 bronco with coils up front and leaves in the rear.

 

[nvrenuf]

ORD’s web site says $980 for front and $1020 for the rear (custom springs).

 

[CT-BLAZER]

ORD’s web site says $980 for front and $1020 for the rear (custom springs).

Never opened their site..... Phone call to shop at 2 pm.. price was for springs.. shackles , steering stuff........ Didn't matter after the quote.....it scared me.

This was a last ditch effort to find a cost effective means to improve ride quality. It failed . .

 

[warrpath4x4]

Man if they gave you a bag full of cash, you would complain about the bag color. They gave you their personal experiences, answered your questions, and still you complain. You might want to sell that horse and buggy and buy a bronco or range rover.

 

[centexk5]

Never opened their site..... Phone call to shop at 2 pm.. price was for springs.. shackles , steering stuff........ Didn't matter after the quote.....it scared me.

This was a last ditch effort to find a cost effective means to improve ride quality. It failed . .

They quoted you what they thought would satisfy you. Get the springs and shocks and go from there. But unless you want to spend several thousand dollars, you aren’t going to be able to make a k5 ride like a Range Rover.

 

[K5Devil]

giving my sway bar away to @Wes Harden improved my ride quality exponentially, I also have the ORD Billstein shocks and DIY4x Shock mounts so the front is 90° shock angle. Let me tell you just this small amount done improved the ride quality so much. Before it had the clapped out Ranchos and it was like riding a 4x4” post down the roads and AZ roads ain’t nothing to write home about the i40 out here is the worst stretch of highway in the country

 

[Fastereddie]

Interpreting the post seems to be lost "Cost Effective" is the driving criteria.... project is already over budget. 50k is bad enough, could burn 100k+ with extra modifications...


If you enjoy a ride rougher than old horse and wagon god bless you....

The older you get, the less you enjoy taking a beating hour after pounding down the pavement.

My last company SUV was a Ford Eddie Bauer Bronco... It rode as smooth as a car. There was no comparison between the Blazer too the Bronco for ride quality. When GM canceled the leaf spring chassis, it was years behind the competition.

If you don't like a hi standard for a baseline, so be it.
Once you drive in or ride in a modern chassis, it's hard to be satisfied with a primitive crude chassis.

Could I modify a suspension? Yes, but could I get a factory quality hi end ride without bad behavior, doubtful.

Fun.... I find nothing enjoyable or fun dumping large sums of cash into a bottomless pit that has no real cash value. If it doesn't give a good utility value, it's a financial blunder.

From the comments I've seen, as of yet, no one has personally attempted, nor heavily modified a chassis for asphalt driving.

It's a sad day when a 1990 vehicle drives choppier than a 1935 Convertible going down the highway.

Possibly, throwing the underside away+ substituting a newer A-Frame Blazer/ Tahoe undercarriage would be more cost effective

Well, sounds like you should sell your old pre 2000 shit and join the Elon musk club. I said good day.

 

[Big Ray]

Have you considered the GMT400 Blazer/2 door Tahoe?

 

[Big Ray]

You sound like your mind is made up. You really going to bury that k5 knowing it still has value as a parts truck or project?
Methinks you are a provocateur, to put it nicely.

 

[Chickntrk]

Methinks you are a provocateur, to put it nicely.

This^. Me thinks he’s a troll

 

[Chickntrk]

ORDs custom spring page maxes out at $4400, even if you add crossover steering you still wouldnt be close to 8K

 

[Big Ray]

I've seen the old Ford radius arms and coil spring setup used.
One of the t.v. shows replaced a ttb setup with it. Can't be too hard to swap to a chevy. Snag some upper spring buckets, some truck springs and go.
Hell, Wade made his own 3 link system.
He gets airborne with it.

 

[joshuak]

doing due diligence, I contacted ORD..... what I found out confirmed my earlier suspicions ....

Costs for anything ORD is expensive

Coil Over kit is about $8500 delivered to the door....
Labor is about $6000 in a fully equipped shop....
expect extra costs to clean & refinish damaged paint

Problems: Kit interferers with OEM GM AC system.... can't have GM AC - not acceptable.
Kit requires a 2 - 4" minimum lift
AC / Climate Control resolve - unknown costs if even possible
Questions: Clearance Issues for Cummins Diesel engine - uncertain

Outcome - not acceptable

Custom ORD Springs

PRO: Uncertain if they will ride like a car / air ride
Cons: Cost $8k or so delivered
require a 2" or more lift

Outcome - I'm not convinced an $8k spring kit will give me the ride quality I want , nor do I want a lifted truck..


Resolve - NONE - just what I suspected from earlier searches. costs are 1/2 as much or more than a spotless used Range Rover.


This search was intended to see if anyone has used a Ford Bronco or Dodge coil spring type system and grafted it into a GM.... not sure if it's possible to install on an open C - Channel frame. It would be nice to use all OEM type parts for ease of accessing parts.

Cleaning off Blazer will be harder than saying good bye.... It's become a bench for a disassembled Do All Band saw... spray guns, parts & pieces of everything . . . . . .

I saved a big hole while doing deep test pits

View attachment 462230

View attachment 462231

I’d have given you an fu price too.

…
Hell, Wade made his own 3 link system.
He gets airborne with it.

Big detail here… Word on the street is that dude Wade has mad skills.

 

[Big Ray]

He does! I was realllyyyyyyy tempted to go get those 1 tons he sold. I got wood when I saw them lying on the floor when I was able to visit lol
Too old for that mess these days.

 

[ZooMad75]

I’m surprised nobody brought this up because honestly it’s exactly what the OP wants.

1973-91 Blazer 4x4

roadstershop.com

Modern IFS ride quality for $29,995. Plus install of course.

Insanity? To 98% of us on this site it damn well is. But for the others that just want to pound pavement and never go off road and look cool in a vintage body this is the ideal option. Write the check and call it a day.


The conundrum I see is the self inflicted limitations set forth by the OP that he must be able to retain the factory hvac system and yet still hold the possibility of dumping a Cummins in? Huh? And you want perfect cushy ride quality like a TTB ford? You you know the story you can’t have your cake and eat it too right? Because nothing about stuffing a 700+ lump of cast iron on the front end of anything says the truck is going to have a cushy Range Rover ride. Nor does a Cummins allow for factory ac without some creative work to clearance the box on the firewall.

Nothing about this hobby is cheap or easy when you are trying to completely reengineer the vehicle from what it was designed for. One change dictates a half dozen others to accommodate the main change.

The roadster shop chassis may seem excessive but the engineering and construction by professionals costs money. But if I was to be spending that much for a chassis I’d be ditching the antique small block, 3 speed non-od slush box and crappy hvac for more modern parts anyway. But that’s just me.

The more I think about it though there is an easier solution. If a Range Rover or TTB Bronco is the target for ride quality I’d ditch the Blazer and get one of those. Because the cost in parts and labor to get the Blazer will far exceed what buying one of those would be.

 

[Chickntrk]

I overlooked the Cummins detail, wants a cushy ride, yet going to install a 700 lb rattletrap