Moody
1/2 ton status
As mentioned on my previous post I needed more lift for the rear of my blazer and was looking for an economical way to do it. The front currently has Gen II 4" TC springs with a zero rate and 5 inch shackles which I made to fix the poor shackle angle. This gave me about six inches in the front. For the rear I had initially used 56's with the ORD shackle flip and a zero rate as well. I was not happy with the amount of lift I had with this set up and was still about 2 inches short in the back. The measurement from the floor to the body line behind the front wheel was 37 in the front and 35 in the back just behind the rear tire. I found out that Ford makes a 56 1/2 inch spring that is 26 1/2 inches to the centering pin and 32 to the back. I decided to try these springs to see where I ended up. I don't know how to do seperate pics so I'll try to write it in order and then include the pics in that order. O.K. Here it goes....
1. I ordered the springs from Walt and Vern's in Buckley. I requested springs off of a F-150 from 97-2001 with the above measurements and requested a four leaf pack. They cost 60.00 and came the next day. I cleaned them up the next day and Por-15'd em.
2. You can see the difference between the Ford springs and the 56's....they definately have more arch and the center pin is closer to center of the truck to begin with. (26 1/2 vs. 25)
3. First a couple of differences ..... the centering pin is a different size from Chevy's. What worked good for me was to use a Grade 8 5/8" allen bolt head. This allowed the pin size to be the same and allowed me to use it in the zero rate in the 1.5 back position. I had to grind down the top of the head just slightly to fit flush up against the perch. As I said I positioned the zero rate in the 1.5 back position which ends up placing the axle at 28 inches from the front. Second, for some reason the front bushings accepts a 9/16" and the rear a 1/2"
Of course I found out the hard way after getting the bolt stuck and spending an half hour pounding it back out!
4. After getting my 6 inch shackles from DIY 4x4 (Great Stuff!) I also had to cut a hole in my spring plates to allow room for the new center pin position.
5. After putting everything back to together I was pleased with the results. Axle was almost dead center and I gained almost 2 inches of lift just using a zero rate, 6 inch shackles and stock springs. My shackle angle is a little steeper than I would like it to be but it's nothing I can't play with. I could move the rear hanger slightly forward or try a seven inch shackle. It's definately a flexy sucker.....I may have to add an add a leaf and/or limit upward travel. I don't have my shocks on the rear yet so I'll have to reassess that later. So my measurements in the end were 37 from the floor to front body line and 37 to the rear body line. From the floor to the top of the wheel opening in the front was 45 1/2 and the back was 44 1/2.
This might be an economical option to buying lifted springs and still get decent flex in the back. Time will tell if it is too soft. An F-150 weighs much more than a K5 and the weight rating is close to 2000 pounds.
1. I ordered the springs from Walt and Vern's in Buckley. I requested springs off of a F-150 from 97-2001 with the above measurements and requested a four leaf pack. They cost 60.00 and came the next day. I cleaned them up the next day and Por-15'd em.
2. You can see the difference between the Ford springs and the 56's....they definately have more arch and the center pin is closer to center of the truck to begin with. (26 1/2 vs. 25)
3. First a couple of differences ..... the centering pin is a different size from Chevy's. What worked good for me was to use a Grade 8 5/8" allen bolt head. This allowed the pin size to be the same and allowed me to use it in the zero rate in the 1.5 back position. I had to grind down the top of the head just slightly to fit flush up against the perch. As I said I positioned the zero rate in the 1.5 back position which ends up placing the axle at 28 inches from the front. Second, for some reason the front bushings accepts a 9/16" and the rear a 1/2"
Of course I found out the hard way after getting the bolt stuck and spending an half hour pounding it back out!4. After getting my 6 inch shackles from DIY 4x4 (Great Stuff!) I also had to cut a hole in my spring plates to allow room for the new center pin position.
5. After putting everything back to together I was pleased with the results. Axle was almost dead center and I gained almost 2 inches of lift just using a zero rate, 6 inch shackles and stock springs. My shackle angle is a little steeper than I would like it to be but it's nothing I can't play with. I could move the rear hanger slightly forward or try a seven inch shackle. It's definately a flexy sucker.....I may have to add an add a leaf and/or limit upward travel. I don't have my shocks on the rear yet so I'll have to reassess that later. So my measurements in the end were 37 from the floor to front body line and 37 to the rear body line. From the floor to the top of the wheel opening in the front was 45 1/2 and the back was 44 1/2.
This might be an economical option to buying lifted springs and still get decent flex in the back. Time will tell if it is too soft. An F-150 weighs much more than a K5 and the weight rating is close to 2000 pounds.
Anyway, as long as the width is 2.5 inches I think they will work on our rigs. Just thought I'd pass that along.
