Front springs?? Tips and tricks?

[Corey 78K5]

Hey guy's. So this weekend I drove my other half's 71 all weekend, putting on a lot of highway miles. All I can say is the ride is craptastic and it handles like a turd. I know part of the problem with the ride can be attributed to the shorter front springs. The piss poor handling is from old worn out parts and lack of a sway bar more common on newer rigs.

So what can be done to smooth out the ride and make it handle a little better at the same time? Sure the simple answer would be to just get a new set of Tuff County springs and some new gas shocks. However I would like to know if there are other tricks that can be done. Like maybe moving the front hangers forward and using springs from a 2nd gen K5. Edumacate my dumb ass.

 

[Corey 78K5]

Oh yeah and the suspension is all stock rolling on a set of 33's.

 

[lukefalls]

Are you trying to lift it? If not, I'd pull your springs and buy some new bushings. Then replace all the ball joints and tie rod ends. You'd be impressed with how much that'll help.

If you are looking for lift, you can use mostly junk yard parts. You'll still need to address shocks, steering, and other surprises also. I'd take care of the above listed items first anyway. A lift and larger tires will only exaggerate the problems.

Here is what I did. I took the 52s from the back of the truck and moved them to the front. I made a hack-job spring hanger...it actually worked though.

I used ORD shackle flips and a set of 56s (yea, junk yard!) in the rear. I was very happy with the ride. I did have to make a panhard rod because the springs were so soft, it wandered all over the road and had death wobble.

 

[Greg72]

Agree with the advice so far....

Replace any and all of the 40 year old rubber bushings and/or draglink parts as a minimum. You're wasting your time diagnosing things until those parts are fresh and tight. Get the greaseable bushings if you can spend a little extra $$$. They will help soften things up a little more, and will make it easier to service in the future.

 

[Corey 78K5]

Agree with the advice so far....

Replace any and all of the 40 year old rubber bushings and/or draglink parts as a minimum. You're wasting your time diagnosing things until those parts are fresh and tight. Get the greaseable bushings if you can spend a little extra $$$. They will help soften things up a little more, and will make it easier to service in the future.

Oh I fully agree. I was just wondering if there were mods for first Gens that I could do at the same time for more improvement. Kinda kill two birds with one stone while it's apart.

 

[Corey 78K5]

BTW unsure of weather or not it will get a lift. I'm trying to talk her into a 2" Tuff Country lift. and stay with 33's. I need to see if I can get my old 1/2 ton axles back cause the 3:08's in the 71 are pathetic at best.

 

[mosesburb]

Sure the simple answer would be to just get a new set of Tuff County springs and some new gas shocks.

Don't get the Tuff Country E-Z Ride springs. Even with an intercooled Cummins over them, they are still stiffer than ****.

 

[Corey 78K5]

Don't get the Tuff Country E-Z Ride springs. Even with an intercooled Cummins over them, they are still stiffer than ****.

I hear ya. That's why I am leaning towards a longer leaf spring. Basically I want to do a suspension that rides decent but handles good at the same time. Yeah I know that's a lot to ask of a solid axle/leaf spring truck. However I think there is room for improvement. I am really considering a sway bar set up for it. I know that goes against conventional wisdom (at least here at CK5) but I want it to be safe. It is not ever gonna be a hard core trail rig, and both of our girls will be riding in it so safe handling is a priority. We have talked about how the K5 is gonna be built and the conclusion is basically a restomod. Her Dad bought her the K5 before he passed away. So that being said it's not gonna get hacked up

 

[72k5mike]

I agree, dont go for the tough country, they ride way stiff in the first gens

 

[tp85]

what is the best alternative to tough country EZ rides?

 

[72blazerguy]

Like maybe moving the front hangers forward and using springs from a 2nd gen K5. Edumacate my dumb ass.

I installed a set of skyjacker softride 47" front springs from the newer style blazer. Used a longer shackle so I didn't have to move the front spring hanger forward. Moving the front hanger forward would take more work, but is a better idea (hindsight is always 20/20). Lots more travel than the old set up. Didn't really start driving better until I replaced the ball joints and steering components.

 

[lukefalls]

My original lift was a Skyjacker Softride kit for the 67-72 trucks. I removed the small (maybe 12" long) lower leaf. It rode great on the freeway and around town. It flexed okay. It sucked out loud on dirt roads. I really believe that it could have been fixed with the adjustable shocks/properly valved shocks.

For ease of installation and simplification, that is what I'd recommend. If you're not rock crawling or really going fast, no need to start cutting and drilling on your frame. Just my $ .02.

Like I said earlier, fix all the worn out parts first. Maybe buy an ORD steering box brace, a reasonable steering stabilizer, and 2" lift springs. Spend a few bucks on a set of Bilstein 5100 shocks. Call Trevor or Dell at WFO Concepts and they can get you everything from ball-joints/tie-rod ends/bearings to lift kits and parts. They're freakin' awesome over there.

For a sway bar, you can actually use one from a '73 and later truck. If you get the u-bolt plates and the whole bar from a junk yard, it'll almost bolt right in. You'll have to drill some holes in the front cross member. Someone correct me if I'm wrong about that.