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Front spring frame bump stops...

diesel4me

diesel4me

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Was under my truck today investigating some leaks and saw the front leaf spring "bump stops"over the axle tubes are once again about trashed--I had put a pair if good but used ones on about a year or so ago,one got hydraulic fluid on it from the plow pump hose that was weeping and it turned to mush,the other just got beat to death..no wonder it slams every time I hit a pothole or bump in the road..
(I think my front drive shaft may be bottoming out on the spline yoke too when this happens)..

There are also two other bump stops further back closer to the front springs rear shackle too--all thats left of one is a rusted bolt shank on the drivers side,no rubber!--and the passenger side is still there, but split..there is one in the center that the diff pinion housing will hit too ,that looks OK...

I've been looking online and no one seems to list the OEM factory ones,just the aftermarket "universal" ones like polyurathene Energy Suspension,etc..

The front springs are pretty whipped from the plow,they are the wimpy 2 leaf stock ones and probably original,which no doubt is partly to blame for the bump stops short life span..the bump stops only have less than 1" clearance to the spring pad,without the plow on it..with it they touch constantly..

I just want to put something back on it that wont destruct in a year..not really looking to replace the springs,unless they broke--the truck is getting quite crusty underneath and its close to the "not worth spending much on it" stage--one step away from "yard truck only" status..

Anyone know of a bump stop off some other vehicle that fits these locations on square body 4x4's ?..
I may go take a hike thru the local pick & pull tomorrow and see if I can find any decent ones off some newer vehicle..be nice if one was poly,I'm not well off financially this month and wont be anytime soon,so I'd rather not go buying them new if I can help it..

All the other suspension bushings are shot too-- the front sway bar ones are,and probably the leaf spring bushings and front shackles are likely junk on this truck now too..not that costly to fix,but a job I'm not looking forward too doing..

I got pretty discouraged looking under it today..rear leaf springs now sport a crusty layer that wasn't there last year,all pitted,and there is a clamp thing that was riveted to the rear of one leaf ,it has rotted free,and one rear spring hanger ,drivers side,now has rot holes where dirt sat forever on the bottom of it--debating if I should just weld a patch over that spot or go hog wild and replace the hanger--its not rotted to the point it will fail,it just has a "drain hole" in it now..

Also both front inner fenders and almost completely rotted,the front fenders are no prize either,but can be patched..

I had to improvise a hasty patch to the drivers side inner fender when my plow control valve tore away from it this past winter..the radiator support probably is rotted where it bolts to the frame too,I cant see in there to tell..truck is getting too crispy to trust very far as a daily driver and every day the list of things I don't trust on it grows ..:screwy:..
 
I don't know offhand what other applications fit this height. But I bought a set of extended generic Wrangler bump stops for my lifted truck, and they are using the same bolt-based mounting system. Maybe a stock-height bump stop would fit well?

You can have my old stock ones for the cost of shipping. They're not new but they are in decent shape.
 
Thanks for the offer--I may take you up on it if I find nothing suitable locally....going to hit 80 here today, so it will be a good boneyard searching day,before all the wasps come out..

I got 4 shocks from a friend who replaces many daily on customers trucks that had low miles, and nothing wrong with them,they just wanted to upgrade to higher priced ones,or had installed lift kits...they will fit the rear, and I had 2 Monroe Magnum 60's off a truck I scrapped that were like new I saved for the front..


Truck will be due for an inspection sticker soon,it expires in June,and I am not expecting it to pass in its present condition,they have gotten more anal about rust,sharp edges,leaks,etc in the past year ,and other things they cant "see"-- like the power brakes now lacking much assist,and marginal tires, will likely all need to be addressed too,never mind the oil pan still has fiberglass bondo and RTV and bolts screwed in it to slow the leakage down due to rot that still needs to be replaced..(been holding well so far,but I hate trusting it that way)..

If I had my way,and felt well enough to do it, I'd take it off the road,and put my van back on the road for the summer & fall--
I am tiring of driving a rough riding solid axle 3 ton pickup when I'm just grocery shopping or heading to a concert all the time..

Then I'd tear the nose & bed off it,and get a better nose for it,and put the flatbed I had on a 77 GMC with a crane back on it instead..

The Stepside bed is pretty shot,the wood floor is completely gone up front,I put aluminum tread plate over most of it ,but it was not big enough to cover the whole floor..

I had to put sheet metal over the two feet closest to the cab ,as all the wood had simply rotted away there--the wood is still intact from there back but is "original"..

The steps are weak and flex when you step on them, and rotted now,and I don't care for the dinky cargo area,the tool box takes up 2 feet ,and that leaves you with a bed only 50"wide x 6 feet long..
Useless as far as transporting my riding mower or many other big items..
The Stepside does look cool,that's about it,though most say the 8 foot ones are fugly..one fender is stoved in on the drivers side rear, where I backed into a pole while plowing..the bed is the least of my worries though..

While the nose was off, the engine should be yanked out and the passenger side exhaust manifold,& oil pan,should be replaced,it could be done on a lift, but not as easily...then the brake lines will probably be next,the rotors and calipers look like they sat next to the Titanic too...

Overall its a toss up whether it is work all this expense and effort (mostly the effort !),when I may be able to find one like it in better shape for less money and work..some areas on the frame are getting thin and or flakey too...may as well patch that while its apart..

I'd be doing this now if I felt I were able too,and had the cash for all the new parts it'll need--and felt I could actually finish the job..
The way my back and legs are going, I rather doubt I could pull off another "complete restoration"..

Been thinking I could just part out the '85 K-10 Suburban 4x4 I have for parts,seeing its rockers and doors have now rotted and would require as much work as the pickup to pass inspection--its biggest drawback is the 700R4 in it is dying and I'm not up to a tranny swap and body work--the nose on it is pretty solid though,and the frame is still pretty nice too,better than the pickup is ..and it does have a pretty nice interior..might be less work to fix up the Burb,but its not a pickup truck either,and only a 1/2 ton..it does have a working plow setup on it though..

I'd just sell both if I could find a decent newer pickup,I'd like an extended cab one,but every truck I look at for sale newer than a square body is worse than mine is--rotted frames ,slipping transmissions, blown engines (head gaskets & intake gaskets kill most of the Vortecs here ) or they have 300+ thousand miles,and they still want $2500+ bucks for them !...I could make either of my trucks pretty nice again for that much --IF I could do the labor myself..
 
I noticed mine were hitting as well, as an experiment I cut the middle (large) bumper down about halfway, to give my springs a bit more room to work.

Made a huge difference in how it rode, even on the freeway. Like you, it was hitting the bumper on seemingly every small depression, and they aren't particularly soft. I know the solution is new springs, I just didn't want to dump the time and effort into this truck. 10 years later, still here lol.

There are some "progressive" bumpstops that are used on the later S10's, but I suspect they are too long to be useful if your spring is that close to the bumpstop.
 
I noticed Timbren sells a front set of those rubber "overloads" now,during my online searches,but at $215+ bucks I'm unwilling to spend that much,I can get new springs cheaper..

I'm not above trying some different type of bump stops though--even ones a bit too "tall" that set on the spring pad constantly wouldn't bug me much,it might give the front a little lift,and if they are squishy enough,not create a harsh ride..
My truck rides just as rough with no bump stops--it does let the springs flex more,and have more travel-but they are weak too,so they just slam against what is left of the "bumpers"...(shocks are likely dead too,been on it 15+ years!)..

I fear allowing that to go on may let the front shaft punch out the transfer case at the front yoke..the splined coupling has only 1/2" of travel as it sits without the plow on it..

Been tempted to take a hole saw to some junk tires and make some out bump stops of the treads ,with a thru bolt..hockey pucks are a bit too stiff,but tires might work well ..last resort if I cant come up with something better from the boneyard..even if I dont get any there that are worth removing,I could see what vehicles use ones that will work on this application,they might not cost that much at a dealer..
 
diesel4me said:
My truck rides just as rough with no bump stops--it does let the springs flex more,and have more travel-but they are weak too,so they just slam against what is left of the "bumpers"...(shocks are likely dead too,been on it 15+ years!)..

I fear allowing that to go on may let the front shaft punch out the transfer case at the front yoke..the splined coupling has only 1/2" of travel as it sits without the plow on it..
Click to expand...

My stepside has the same problem, and I now have a U-bolt-sized dent in the frame where they collided. :doah: And of course it's the driver side, where the frames tend to crack anyways.

My solution now is to stay away from sand dunes in that truck, but yours with a plow is still seeing abuse every time you use it. So I'd be more concerned about yours.

Shocks are a lot cheaper than that set of overloads...I'd start with that. And also new bump stops. Universal ones are cheap. I paid $18.64 shipped for the pair of Daystar poly bumps that I'm putting on mine. I don't think I could buy a pair of shelled out ones for that.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004IARR9U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

A little hunting should find you a proper 2.5" bump stop.
 
Robert, here is an AC Delco bump stop in the correct shape for $5.41 shipped. The shipping height is 4", so it is going to be very close to the 2.5" you need once you subtract the height of the bolt. It might even be exactly what you want, but it's hard to tell from a catalog listing. In the worst case, you might be trimming a little. But for $11 per pair I think it's worth a try. It cross references to a bunch of GM full-size cars from 1971 to 2002.

https://www.amazon.com/ACDelco-45G1004-Professional-Suspension-Control/dp/B000C9MVEC/


https://www.rockauto.com/en/parts/acdelco,45G1004,bumper,789
 
Those look like rear ones,but the dimensions are close enough to possibly work..(My rear ones dissapeared years ago,but the rear springs would never flex enough to touch them,I saw no evidence they ever had before they fell off !)...

After looking at the rear springs,frame,etc,I have second thoughts about trying to pull that cherry tree away from my garage with the truck--though the frame has no holes or cracks yet--slamming a chain tight using the trailer hitch just might cause some damage to it..

I'm heading to the boneyard now,nice day for a hike even if I dont find anything..85 degrees and 40% humidity,tomorrow and friday will get humid and be unbearable,so I better get off my butt and go for a hike!...
 
FWIW, here's the GM part number as well, but the Dorman piece seems cheaper on ebay: 15956547

If you are going hunting, they are supposedly "95-05 S10 BLAZER JIMMY SONOMA 4WD LOWER CONTROL A ARM BUMP STOP"

IIRC they fit the bump stop location on our trucks, although the thread diameter is a bit smaller. I would think you'd have a hard time getting any older bump stops off used, I had some problem on the ones from out here, and we don't have rust nearly as bad as you do.
 
Maybe this is crazy, but what about some load carrier shocks? How much lift can they give? Do they rip shock mounts off or anything? Just seems like a cheap way to get further from the bump stops and get new shocks at the same time - not to mention the simple install compared to new springs or even add-a-leaf. An add-a-leaf isn't exactly expensive.

gabriel_load_carrier_shocks_hero.jpg
 
Well,the salvage yard trip was not fruitful ,I did find one 4x4 square body like my truck that still had the bump stops intact,but the tires were still on it,flat,sunk in about a foot of water,so I didn't even bother trying to remove them...

I did see some on the rear of several Ford Rangers that are very close to the originals,they mount the same way but might be a bit shorter overall..tried getting some off trucks that had no bed--easy to get at and they were not that rusted,but all that keeps the thing from spinning is a small tab that pokes thru a frame hole,and all I had was combination wrenches with me,I got one about half way unscrewed before the nut jammed up and I couldn't keep the whole thing from turning..

Every dam WASP in Massachussets must have been in every vehicle there too,which made it dam near impossible to look for anything or remove it,I nearly got stung many times..the temps hit 90 here yesterday too,no shade,the place resembles a desert surrounded by woods..after 2 hours of poking around dodging bees and wasps,I'd had enough..

I did buy a few other trinkets for $5 while I was there,and got to look at other possible "donors" for the bump stops,so if I wanted to go buy them new at a dealer or aftermarket at least I know what ones look similar enough to work...
I also saw two vans like mine there that had the 4 leaf rear springs I could use on my '81 G-10,one on it had the "eye" around the front bushing break off years ago on the main leaf,and I just crudely clamped some flat stock around it to secure it,and never fixed it "right"..guy said he gets $40 for a leaf spring and they'll cut it off for you,so I may go back for at least one,in case I decide to put my van back in use ..

Those coil over shocks are an option--however those now cost close to $100 a pair,and have to be special ordered--new springs could be had for about as much new ,each..--they can put a strain on the frame though too,I see many 4x4 square bodies that had stock shocks crack or rip the shock stud out of the frame,so on my rusty old hulk, I think it would be best not to add any additional load to the frame,being old and probably thinner that it used to be there..

I hate to mess with U-bolts,if there was a good source locally to get some correct sized or custom bent ones I'd be tempted to just get an add-a-leaf and live with the rougher ride,but no one in a 20 mile radius has a u bolt bender and getting a correct sized aftermarket one is usually a pain,few stores keep more than ONE on the shelf..

The salvage yard 4x4 like mine had stock 3 leaf springs in it,I could get those for $80 probably,but I am not a big fan of those taprered negative arch stockers..the guy at the counter said he may have some used lift kit springs stashed in a bus,but wasn't sure if they were over 2" lift or what..

I had a pair of those cheesy coil springs you could buy that clamp over the shocks from years ago I had never used--I put them on the 85 K10 Suburban to help lift it up a bit,that has a Fisher plow push frame off a truck that had a 4" lift kit,and someone cut and extended the push frame to level out the push bar mounts for that truck--so it sits very close to the ground on the Burb..I do not really trust those cheap clamps that go on the shocks ,I have had them slip or cut into the tube and ruin them before..

They did lift it up a good inch or two,and bigger tires than the dinky 225/75/15's on it would solve the "cow catcher" problem if I ever put the Burb on the road..

I'm torn as far as what to do--its not going to work out well if I attempt to fix all my pickup needs while its my only daily driver,I am leaning towards getting either another vehicle I own back on the road,or buy some beater cheap and drive that while the pickup is "down",otherwise it will never get fixed right,it'll just keep getting jerry-rigged and ghetto fabbed to keep it rolling,and I'm getting sick of driving in fear of a major breakdown in it..its not exactly a nice smooth riding thing either,for going longer distances..
 
I am running '99+ ford f550 rear bump stops on the front of my blazer. I snagged mine at work but they are everywhere in salvage yards and I'm not sure what they cost new from ford. They have a single stud and a locating pin on top. I modified my mounts with some rectangular tube to extend and beef them up but they should mount to the factory frame bracket. I think they are like a poly material of some kind.
 
Those look like they would fit good,the height looks right...and the material is probably better than the hard rubber most bump stocks had on the originals,that either tears off,cracks,or gets mushy if any oil gets on them..

I was tempted to walk WAY back to the 4x4 in the salvage yard (its an 82 acre property,and was in about the furthest spot from the entrance,and see if that truck or any of the similar ones had any rear bump stops intact,as they are the same front & rear on the square bodies,but I had forgotten to look under it..

But some jerk living nearby started firing off rapid rounds of gunfire close by,and several other customers and I had to make a run for the gate--they told the owner what happened,he was pissed--"AGAIN ?"--he said the "neighbor" has been "target shooting" and scaring off a lot of customers and endangering them,he's also had many vehicles get the windows shot out, and or bullet holes put in mint body parts..he called the cops.."They have targets set up pointing right in the direction the junkyard is,yet the cops say they are in compliance"...

I told him what I went thru last summer regarding gunfire next to my property,and he said he sympathized with me--he said "people are just stupid asses and arrogant--even if they have the "right" to shoot on their property and meet all the requirements,doesn't mean they should do it while my customers might be out in the yard looking for parts,or be shooting towards MY property--I fear someday I'll find someone dead out there at closing time,or my guard dogs shot "..
 
This is my setup. The tube in between the factory mount and bump stop is like 1.5" or so thick I think and I have 4" lift springs. Currently there's like 2" or so between the bump stop and spring pad.
kimg0722-jpg.236246
 
My bumpers are nearly touching the spring pads without the plow on it..that is why they get trashed so fast,once I put the plow on,they are "bottomed out" and when the spring moves on the shackle over bumps,it probably tears the rubber when it slides back...

The guy at the salvage yard suggested maybe I could put longer shackles on the front springs to gain some travel,an inch or so probably would help a lot,and add more positive caster,which wouldn't hurt either,with the springs having sagged and such a negative arch I'm sure the caster is decreased somewhat..

My shackles are original and the bushings are probably shot ,so I have been tempted to make a pair of longer ones and get new bushings and see if that helps--but the bumpers will have to be the first thing to put on..
 
Is the truck worth the money you'll hafta spend to get the suspension fixed?

It sounds like it's time to start over with a newer plow truck.
 
campfire said:
Is the truck worth the money you'll hafta spend to get the suspension fixed?

That is what I've been asking myself lately...its more the labor involved I cant deal with any more,not so much the cost--I could scrounge up some better springs probably at swap meets or salvage yards,one big swap meet is coming up in a week or so,I will go there and snoop around for some springs and other parts..

The nose of the truck really should come off and get new inner fenders at the least--I could put a new pair in without taking the nose off,but the fenders aren't the greatest either,but I can get by with patching them up..at this point looks do not concern me a bit..
I just want it dependable and useful ..

I had a lead on an entire nose off an '87 1 ton dump C30 in nice shape for $150 but may have missed out on it by now..its rather far away,over 150 miles, and I'd hate to risk the ride to go get it..(if its even still available)..

It sounds like it's time to start over with a newer plow truck.
Click to expand...

Every GM truck I've seen newer than 1994 or so is worse as far as rust than both my pickup and Burb are...the frames on them rot away to nothing here in less than 10 years,and anything with an LS in it has 300,000 miles and needs something major like a transmission or as much work as what I already own--might as well fix what I have already,rather than spend $2500 on a truck no better than I have now..parts for square bodies are cheap and still can be had readily compared to newer trucks..

I don't like the "new" body style cabs much either--or the computers,sensors,and all the BS involved getting them to pass emissions,and excise taxes,insurance will cost more for a newer truck too,all things I cant really afford,not when I hardly go anywhere or very far any more..

If I get anything "new to me" I'd prefer another square body..
One reason is I have quite a few parts still for them..
A few have shown up on CL and Facebook Marketplace for cheap money that were in better shape than mine ,but sold before I could even go look at them..
 
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