Ok.
CK5
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Front Suspension - Added Support???
- Thread starter PWagon
- Start date
I'm not. Its your wallet do what you want. Air bumps would be a great, but noisy solution. Click clack etc. Timbrens are a great solution, but the GM factory parts I listed do the same thing at 12 bucks a piece opposed to the 40 plus for timbrens. As someone that has run both, I will be siding with the GM's from now on as they perform the same at 1/4 the price.
Air bump comment was a joke...
I finally convinced myself to order the Timbren GMFK10 front bump stops. I paid a little over $200 for the pair. Admittedly it was more than I really wanted to pay. But you get what you pay for right? Or at least that's what I keep telling myself. Regardless, after looking closer at my dry rotted 29 year old stops it was time to replace them. I was surprised that it only took about 20 minutes to replace them with the new Timbrens, and I didn't even need to take my wheels off. The new stops are always in contact with both the frame rail and the leaf spring. They are progressive, so the more the compression the more the resistance. The ride quality is much improved and no more bottoming out on neighborhood speed bumps. If you're looking for a smoother ride in your truck, then order a pair of these...
Glad it worked out. 200 for timbriens is absurd. I got all 4 shipped for 150 last time.
Wow, that's a lot of $$.
Glad it works better though.
Glad it works better though.
Timberens worked great on a car hauler my brother made out of a old '79 E-350 Econoline box truck--they were not cheap,about 150 bucks back 10+ years ago,but he said they were well worth it..
I'm thinking I might go for those GM ones,I am not up to spending 200 bucks on my truck--my friend has a '97 S-10 he's junking soon,I am going to see if the rear bump stops look like the ones pictured here and if they are still good,I can snag those for free...
I'd be willing to pay 30 bucks for new ones if I had too,but any more than that I might as well buy new springs instead ..(which may not "lift" it any,I know the stock springs with their negative arch never did have much clearance between the bump stops and U-bolt pad )..
With only less than 1" clearance on mine right now,I'd need to jack up the truck quite a bit to install longer bump stops,and it'll be riding on them all the time..as long as they are "progressive" it probably would ride good,and it'll lift the front end up some too..my plow frame hangs pretty low,so that would be a plus..
I'm thinking I might go for those GM ones,I am not up to spending 200 bucks on my truck--my friend has a '97 S-10 he's junking soon,I am going to see if the rear bump stops look like the ones pictured here and if they are still good,I can snag those for free...
I'd be willing to pay 30 bucks for new ones if I had too,but any more than that I might as well buy new springs instead ..(which may not "lift" it any,I know the stock springs with their negative arch never did have much clearance between the bump stops and U-bolt pad )..
With only less than 1" clearance on mine right now,I'd need to jack up the truck quite a bit to install longer bump stops,and it'll be riding on them all the time..as long as they are "progressive" it probably would ride good,and it'll lift the front end up some too..my plow frame hangs pretty low,so that would be a plus..
Rather than mess with new springs, why not simply flip yours over? That should give you a couple inches without costing you anything but some time under the truck.
Seriously?????? An upside down spring pack wouldn't support any weight at all. Think how far an axle will droop from ride height.
When unsprung, my front springs have a negative arch to them. When sprung, they have even more negative arch to them. Flipping them over should not change the spring rate in each leaf. If you reverse the order of the shorter leaves (if your truck has any), the overall (progressive) spring rate should not change. And it would seem that you would have an inch of positive arch instead of an inch of negative arch. I have not personally done this, but I have heard of it being done (for what that's worth).
I suggested this to Bob because he seems to have a fondness for repurposing old stock parts to keep things going (vs. simply buying new toys like most folks do). If anyone would be recycling springs, I would think it would be him.
Please elaborate on why this would not work. I do not understand how the spring rate would change simply by reversing the direction.
When unsprung, my front springs have a negative arch to them. When sprung, they have even more negative arch to them. Flipping them over should not change the spring rate in each leaf. If you reverse the order of the shorter leaves (if your truck has any), the overall (progressive) spring rate should not change. And it would seem that you would have an inch of positive arch instead of an inch of negative arch. I have not personally done this, but I have heard of it being done (for what that's worth).
I suggested this to Bob because he seems to have a fondness for repurposing old stock parts to keep things going (vs. simply buying new toys like most folks do). If anyone would be recycling springs, I would think it would be him.
Please elaborate on why this would not work. I do not understand how the spring rate would change simply by reversing the direction.
Ok, I read it as "flip the spring over", not "pull pack apart and flip each of the lower springs in pack over"
I'm not sure if you could flip the main leaf without risking the eye opening, but now your recommendation makes more sense to me. Sorry for the misunderstanding..........
I doubt that would help---every stock front spring I have removed had practically no arch at all,they laid flat..
Think about it--if you flip the springs upside down,the shorter leaf wont do anything,the main leaf will be supporting the whole load..well,the short leaf might share some load,but it'll only be transfered to it via the clamp thats riveted to the main leaf..that'll fail on the first pothole!..
I've had a few trucks that had front springs someone cobbed in from some other brand of truck--Ford or Dodge,may have even been rear springs off something..the '77 GMC K2500 I had,the front shackles lower bushing was right up against the frame,and was rubbing on it hard enough to wear some of the meat off the lower lip of the rail..truck rode like it had dead axles !..the springs were evidently the wrong length for the truck,plus too stiff..I tossed those and got a paor of HD stock 3 leaf front springs off a Suburban and the truck rode stiff ,but a lot better than it was..
I have a new pair of those "universal" rear leaf helper springs that look like a bow ,but to use those I'd have to cut the 4 U-bolts and then they might not work out in the front,because they might interfere with the tie rods or frame rails..plus the stock springs taper in width front to center and probably wont take kindly to having skinnier helper leafs being under the stock leafs..
I'm not into buying new U-bolts,springs,etc,and spending backbreaking hours under the truck any more...the longer progressive rubber snubbers are about as far as I want to screw with it..I'm only fixing things that break if I can help it now..
Think about it--if you flip the springs upside down,the shorter leaf wont do anything,the main leaf will be supporting the whole load..well,the short leaf might share some load,but it'll only be transfered to it via the clamp thats riveted to the main leaf..that'll fail on the first pothole!..
I've had a few trucks that had front springs someone cobbed in from some other brand of truck--Ford or Dodge,may have even been rear springs off something..the '77 GMC K2500 I had,the front shackles lower bushing was right up against the frame,and was rubbing on it hard enough to wear some of the meat off the lower lip of the rail..truck rode like it had dead axles !..the springs were evidently the wrong length for the truck,plus too stiff..I tossed those and got a paor of HD stock 3 leaf front springs off a Suburban and the truck rode stiff ,but a lot better than it was..
I have a new pair of those "universal" rear leaf helper springs that look like a bow ,but to use those I'd have to cut the 4 U-bolts and then they might not work out in the front,because they might interfere with the tie rods or frame rails..plus the stock springs taper in width front to center and probably wont take kindly to having skinnier helper leafs being under the stock leafs..
I'm not into buying new U-bolts,springs,etc,and spending backbreaking hours under the truck any more...the longer progressive rubber snubbers are about as far as I want to screw with it..I'm only fixing things that break if I can help it now..
No, don't simply flip the springs upside down, remove the pin and reverse the order of the leaves. The small leaf will still be on the bottom, and it will still be supporting the truck. My trucks have the 2-leaf springs in the front, and both wrap around the shackle bolt, so it doesn't seem like they'd see much difference either way.
If the springs do actually have no practical amount of arching, then my idea would not be a very good one. Mine seem to still have arch when the axle is hanging. Perhaps my 2-leaf springs are more tired than your 3-leaf springs.
Ok, I read it as "flip the spring over", not "pull pack apart and flip each of the lower springs in pack over"
Ok.
My truck only has the stock two leafs up front--not the 3 leaf HD ones...
If I came across a pair of cheap used 2" lift springs I might be tempted to get them,but for now I'm just going to try those progressive bump stops...I think that'll be good enough for what I do with the truck..
There is a large swap meet in CT where I've scored good deals on parts in past years,but its about 70 miles from my town and its held the first week of november,and usually its a wind tunnel and 30-40 degrees the weekend they have it...
--I could probably find a pair of used lift kit springs there,but I'd be rather foolish to trust the truck that far,and I'm in pain just sitting here typing--lugging a pair of springs a few miles around a racetrack back to the parking lot would not be much fun--it darn near did me in 15 years ago,when I scored a pair of stock 3 leaf springs for 10 bucks--the guy just didn't want to lug them home..neither did I !..but I did..not sure I could do that again,even if I had a friend I could hitch a ride with to get there..
I looked at my '85 K-10 Suburban's front springs,those are 2 leafs also,and dont have much more clearance between the bump stop and spring pad,so I guess my pickup's springs are not sagged as bad as I thought they were..
If I came across a pair of cheap used 2" lift springs I might be tempted to get them,but for now I'm just going to try those progressive bump stops...I think that'll be good enough for what I do with the truck..
There is a large swap meet in CT where I've scored good deals on parts in past years,but its about 70 miles from my town and its held the first week of november,and usually its a wind tunnel and 30-40 degrees the weekend they have it...
--I could probably find a pair of used lift kit springs there,but I'd be rather foolish to trust the truck that far,and I'm in pain just sitting here typing--lugging a pair of springs a few miles around a racetrack back to the parking lot would not be much fun--it darn near did me in 15 years ago,when I scored a pair of stock 3 leaf springs for 10 bucks--the guy just didn't want to lug them home..neither did I !..but I did..not sure I could do that again,even if I had a friend I could hitch a ride with to get there..
I looked at my '85 K-10 Suburban's front springs,those are 2 leafs also,and dont have much more clearance between the bump stop and spring pad,so I guess my pickup's springs are not sagged as bad as I thought they were..
