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Complete Suspension & Steering Upgrade

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dsbodley

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Ok, so after importing my own FS Bronco 6 years ago, putting a lift kit on it, driving it round the UK and Europe, then selling it to a Vineyard owner in FRANCE, i'm looking at buying my next project vehicle which will be an 88 K5

I already know i have to put a 4inch lift on to get 35's on her, but i want this baby to drive like my Jeep Grand Cherokee (I can hear you all moaning now!!).

Now my Bronco drove like a dog with the lift kit on, but i was expecting that as i'm use to 4wd's! However, i have about £20,000 (think thats about $35,000) to spend on JUST the suspension and steering alone.

What would you guys do?

As i'm here in the UK, i'm thinking about swapping her for a right hand drive configuration too, and i know that Chevy produced some right hookers for the UK market, or at least there have been converted models.

Now, i'm wondering:

1) could i do a complete chassis swap for a donor vehicle (such as a newer Grand Cherokee, bmw X5 etc etc..)
2) can i just change the steering and suspension for some completely different set up (this would need to include the brakes too)
3) Am i nuts
4) Ignore number 3!!

Very Interested to hear all of your comments!

Oh, not sure if it makes any different but i'll also be doing an engine swap for a SRT8, but thats going to be next year as the suspension etc are more important too me and the misses will go mad if i spend too much money on it this year!
 
35k:eek1:

I'm sure that's plenty to do an amazing suspension!

What will be the intended use of the K5?

I am sure you could have a custom link suspension but front and rear and do the motor swap for that amount of money. I know stuff is more expensive because you are in Europe. I would get in touch with a company that does high end work like Offroad Design or WFO. They do custom stuff all the time and both are very knowledgeable and work with overseas customers.
 
Many thanks for the Reply!

To be honest, it will be mainly Road use (I want her to be a daily Driver) with light off road use. I run a design business over here so she will be a bit of an advertising tool, as well as my pride and joy! I've done the whole Porsche thing but Trucks have always been my passion!

I'll definitely look to contact the guys you mentioned - and obviously if i can nt blow the budget, it will mean i have more money for the engine and transmission etc.

A few people think i'm nuts and should just import a modern Truck, but theres nothing unique about that, plus i like the character of the K5!
 
I've heard really good things about the custom ORD springs. I bet that when matched to some Bilstein shocks, the ride is pretty sweet.

I'm running Tuff Country 4" HD springs on the front of my Suburban, and 4" Pro-Comp 56" springs in the rear with Bilstein shocks. The ride is pretty nice, but I want to tune it some more; although I've been told by passengers that it "rides really good" and that "it rides as good as a stock one". I only went with the HD springs over the EZ rides due to the largeness of the Suburban. And I load it from time to time :)

ORD also has that cool 3-link front setup... username ktmoutfront has a nice setup as well as I recall (there is a cool video of it working somewhere), and there's a recent post/video from sponsoredbydad with his rear setup getting worked.

Good luck with your project!
Clay
 
Thank you Clay!

Yes i had pro-comp HD shocks and leafs on my old Bronco, but while they stopped it from being too supple, it was crude and not really great for the roads over here.

I know you can't make a purse from a sow's ear (as the saying goes!) but i think there are things you can do to mitigate the poor response from the steering and improve the driving dynamics. If you look at the set up on a Raptor or even something like a standard 1500 Denali, they drive well enough and theyre not much lower than a K5 with a small lift, so i'm prepared to go drastic if needs be!

She's gonna be used daily so I want her to be safe, (ok, as safe as she can be!!) and i'm prepared to throw a few dollars at her.

Really appreciate all of your replies! Especially as i'm doing this in the UK!
 
For steering, there are very common mods that make it very tight. Bolt-in, and weld-in steering braces, u-joint steering shafts (jeep xj), better gearboxes (like AGR), crossover steering, and possible hydro-assist, etc. This will hardly dent a 35K budget. Above this, I can't think of much else except some type of rack and pinion craziness but that's IFS stuff.

As far as suspension, you're only limited by your imagination. With that kind of budget, it's tempting to build a trophy truck suspension, but I've found it's better to just build them around how they're going to be used.

Also, I don't see any point in a frame swap. If you don't want leaf springs, they can be stripped off the frame. This will leave you with a basically bare frame that you can reinforce and build from to your own specs.

Sounds like it'll be a cool project. Keep us updated.
 
I would definitely get ahold of ORD or WFO and discuss building a low lift coil over and multi link suspension front and rear. This would be the end all of suspensions on a K5. You can tune the coil over springs and shocks for the desired ride and will still perform off road. Custom sway bars would also be necessary for modern highway manners.

You'll find most of us here have low buck leaf sprung systems that work well off road and tolerable on the street, but I will definitely be keeping an eye on this project!:popcorn:
 
i am just letting this 35k budget sink in a bit,and wrapping my head around what i think your end result may be,but i am thinking you want this blazer to take on a ford raptor type of vehicle,and with your budget you should be able to have as much horsepower as you want,then somebody mentioned trophy truck,
 
I feel like swapping the chassis to something newer like a BMW is foolish. Kinda lose the value / feel of the vehicle.

It sounds like you like trucks, and as long as you set it up well, i think you'll be happy with stock style suspension. Nice 4" springs in the front, shackle flip in the back, good shocks, balanced tired, maybe crossover steering.

A $35k number is crazy for on road DD suspension.

That being said, if you really want it to handle like a newer chevy, you could always shorten a newer 1/2 ton truck frame, and swap onto that. Lots of custom work, but definteily better to stay full size than get into an other type of chassis.

That being said, i'd try out a nicely build leaf spring suspension, and go from there.

Its not going to handle like a new BMW, but thats not the point really. It'll ride nice and handle decent for the vehicle it is.
 
With that budget I'd call ORD or someone like that and have them go to town. Just have them build it and ship it to you when they are done. If you're going for 35's, I'd use 2-3" of lift and hire a body shop to do a really clean fender job.
 
hahaha! Well I must say i'm very appreciative of the interest and support guys and if anything, its just pushing me more and more to do it!

The coil-over and multi link sounds like a good idea, and i think i'll take your opinion and consult the experts! It will def have to have sway bars - or am i getting confused with anti-roll bars that fit front and rear?

The Raptor is great off road (so i've heard) but theyre a bit soft on road, although I think Bilstein do adjustable shocks which may work better.

I love the Trophy Truck idea but i just wouldnt be doing it justice as it would spend most of its life on-road, then a few mild trails at the wkend. I do a fair bit of snowboarding so it will see a bit of snow in France and Austria here an there, but thats about it.

Chopping a newer chassis is a great idea and definately something along the lines of what i was thinking. The reason i was thinking a Jeep or BMW is because i'm also looking at changing which side the steering wheel sits, as obviously we have ours on the Right over here (the Queen demands it!!). :D

I know it will never handle like a BMW or Range Rover, but i want to get as close to it as I can, otherwise theres no point me putting the SRT8 engine in there. If i can resolve the Handling and brakes first, it will be a much safer vehicle. That would also tie in with just giving her a 2-3 inch lift as well so good call on that one.

Whatever happens i'll document it all so you guys can see. I'll also show you the divorce papers when the misses goes mad at all the money i'm spending! :)

When i imported my Bronco https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150112729170289&set=t.668842813&type=3&theater (let me know if this shows up!!) I put a 4inch lift and superwide tires on without upgrading the brakes - So i'd definitely want to address that this time.

All i can say is guys, thanks alot for the support! I had the lift done over here perviously which was probably a mistake - I think i'm going to use the company you suggest over there!
 
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