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Did some work on the Blazer today (Updated again June 10)

C

Chris Demartini

1/2 ton status
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Dumont NJ 07628
<font color="blue">Out with the old......
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Goodbye Rancho!!!!
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87forsale-med.jpg


New stuff should be in shortly after my box from Mr. Watson arives
 
Re: Did some work on the Blazer today (Updated may 28)

<font color="blue">Here's the new goods. Custom 6" Alcan springs. Seven leaves (instead of the typical 3 or 4), 47" eye to eye (45" stock), 260 lbs/in /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif. The Ranchos I took off were 740 /forums/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif Oh and I got ORD greasable bushings and shackles too

87alcanord.jpg


Here's one of the shocks. I got 14" travel Bilsein 5100s. These look to be much higer quality than typical Gabriel/Monroe-built shocks sold by the lift companys

87shock1.jpg


It finally stopped raining for the first time in a week today, so I got the passengers side mounted. I moved the shackle mount 1 1/5" back on the frame and made new front spring hangers, which are 1 1/5" foward for a tottal of 3" of mount seperation. This picture was taken at ride height to double check the positioning before I make the final welds on the hanger. I know those hangers look bulky right now, but they have an apointment with the plasma cutter this Friday

87springonframe.jpg


Stay tuned....
 
Re: Did some work on the Blazer today (Updated may 28)

im anxious to see the flex of those springs...... i need to do something about my front end, i think i have the same springs you just took out....

Keep us updated ;P
 
<font color="blue">I got more done the past couple of days. I trimmed the excess off those hangers with a plasma cutter, then I boxed the front of them and connected them with a peice of 1.5" 3/16" tube. This is the new 1 peice hanger mounted to the frame.

87springhanger2.jpg


I also filled in the old shackle hole in the frame left over from the original shackle position.

87shacklemoved.jpg


Just gotta mount the shock towers and install the longer brake hoses.
 
Very nice /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif /forums/images/graemlins/pimp1.gif



Eric
 
Looks good /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif
 
Suddenly all of your PM's make sense......!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif


Soft springs are FUN, but I'll bet you $100 that you either add a sway bar, or crossover steering within a year!!! /forums/images/graemlins/deal.gif
 
<font color="blue">Crossover will come whenever I get a 60. It's too much work on a D44. There will never be a swaybar on this truck /forums/images/graemlins/rotfl.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
<font color="blue">...There will never be a swaybar on this truck /forums/images/graemlins/rotfl.gif </font>

[/ QUOTE ]


I'll ask you again after you hit your first good sized "dip" on the local highway!!!!!

With my soft springs and draglink setup, hitting a dip at 60MPH was one of the scariest things ever!!! The truck would pull hard left and then right as the draglink was cycled up and down by the springs.....

Admittedly, I didn't spend much time playing with dropped draglinks, or dropped pitman arms (or combinations)....and my spring pin is 1" forward, which effectively makes the draglink 1" shorter (and exaggerates bumpsteer even more)....but retrofitting a swaybar was a virtually "free" solution that really helped. Adding a set of ORD disconnects meant that there really wasn't a downside!

/forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif
 
Why did you move the shackle mount back? Couldn't you have just made a longer shackle?

I would like to see more pictures of your front spring hangers if you have them.
 
I'd like some pics of the front spring hangers before you put them on if possible. I'd also like to see some of how you mounted them. Did you bolt them on? If they are bolted did you drill any holes in the frame to do so?
Would the stock hangers have worked the same as the ones you made?
 
Well on the gen II K5's you can swap around the hanger mounts and get the axle 2.125" forward. I reversed my mounts and got custom alcans that are 49" eye to eye and moved the center pin 2" forward, so the split is 23.5x25.5; Chris bought my first set that I had originally measured wrong. Here is a pic of the reversed hanger mounts; this was the testing stage, there are now washers added.
246DSC01114.JPG
 
<font color="blue">It's a little different on these trucks than the 2nd gens like Pete's, because where 73-91 core suport bracket is flush with the bottom of the frame, ours hangs about 3/8" down into the hanger (not to mention they also have the holes in the right place, almost as if GM intended to position the spring mount there). For this reason, the hanger has less room between the bolt hole and the top of the hanger and will not accomadate the military wrap that the Alcans have. This is why I made the new 1 peice hanger.

I bolted the hanger to the frame with four 7/16" grade 8 bolts on each side. I drew a line on the frame at the front of the hanger it was in its original position, then drew another line 1 1/2" foward. After that I ground &amp; chiseled out the rivets, cut the body mount bracket flush with the frame and clamped the stock hanger in place on the new line and drilled the new holes. I then made the new hanger with the frame bolt holes the same distance as stock, and the spring bolt hole the same height from the frame as stock in the middle of the mounting holes. Here's a close-up of the right side frame rail which shows the original holes and the new ones.
87inside_right_frame.jpg


Next I welded a flat 1/4" plate to the bottom of the trimmed core suport bracket and drilled 2 holes in it. I may add a 90* bracket to the front of this like Pete's.

87modified_body_mount.jpg


I'm almost out of hosting space, so if anyone needs more pics, just PM me. It's all done now
 
looks nice! /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif how much did you drop on the alcans?
 
One thing I need to bring up Chris. DO NOT USE THOSE GRADE 8 NUTS ON THE FRONT!!! Call some hardware places by you and get the "STOVER NUTS", those normal nuts will loosen up real quick. If you cannot find the nuts by you, call Superior Distributors in Saddle Brook, they have them.
 
<font color="blue">What do stover nuts look like? After I put it all together, I was thinking of putting locknuts on it.

Just drove it around town for a little, it's very soft and I need crossover- now /forums/images/graemlins/eek.gif
 
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