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I think I finished my K30 Crewcab...well almost anyway

rjfguitar

rjfguitar

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This is basically part 2 of my first thread when I bought the truck. http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=192918

Since I have finished getting all of my tools and equipment into the boxes, vice& table, air compressor in, new Hobart Champion 10K for 110v, 220v, and stick welding, air & 110v reels, and got my L.E.D. Emergency light installed. I also built a cradle for a fuel tank that enables my tank to be secure in the truck, but also removable in a matter of 5 minutes and a fork lift. I only need diesel onboard in the spring and fall.

As far as the truck, I rebuilt the A/C, installed new valve cover gaskets, serviced the Spicer hubs, new Panasonic deck, Satellite radio, and found out that the previous owner installed an amp, never told me, and found it one day cleaning the interior!:haha:
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In the field doing it's job:
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I figured out why the 6x9's sounded so good, there was an amp hiding behind the back seat that the PO never told me about.:haha:
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My distant plans are either a new injected 454 in the 400HP range with a 4L80E or all out with a 400HP/900ft lbs 12valve Cummins and built 47RH trans. For now, the original 26 yr old 205HP 454 runs good, sounds good, and now is leak free.

My main purpose with my thread is to get some opinions on what to do with my apparent saggy butt syndrome. My K30 weighs 6,700lbs with NO tools, nothing in the bed, NOTHING. With everything pictured but my fuel tank, I weigh 7,800lbs. When I put my tank in and fill it full of Diesel I tip the scale at 8,500lbs. Those rear 1 ton springs start feeling spongy at that weight.

I also found that this truck is LOOOOOONNNNGGGGG, and even though my Ram Cummins is long too, it's taller. I had a few instances where I needed more ground clearance when in the field and also had some slight front tire/fender rub.

I am asking you guys for your best ideas for a little more ground clearance (no, a 4" lift is too tall) that doesn't hinder weight carrying capacity and stability. Also, I'd like to do something to help the rear springs out just a little, to fight the spongy feeling, cure saggy butt syndrome, and maybe allow me to pull one of my disks behind the truck also (Disk plow weighs about 13K).
 
Get some Rancho front springs number 86206. These are the soft ride springs that net 4" for K10's and 20's but on a K30, it will be 2.5" lift.
Then for the rear, get a Rancho add-a-leaf set to raise the rear 2"-2.5" which will firm up the rear springs a bit. If it needs to go up a little more, you can do the zero-rate with whatever height you desire.

With the Rancho springs on a K30, the height won't be so noticable as a tall truck but will still stand like a tougher truck than the stock springs.
 
I'd maybe look at adding another leaf to the back since you're carrying all that extra weight pretty much full time.
 
Saggy rear problem

AIR BAGS. Easy to do, Adjustable, durable and fairly inexpensive. Oh, very cool farm truck. That's how we use them here in Indiana!
 
OffRoad said:
zero rates? can't see much of a downside to airbags.
Click to expand...

just had someone point this out to me..but with air bags, any articulation past a cetain point would tear or destroy the bag..
 
Maybe expensive and maybe I have no idea about what Im talking about... But what about getting some sort of custom spring that maybe gave an inch of lift and were stiff enough to handle that kind of weight?
 
Here's the pros and cons of the ideas so far, from what I can gather.

Going with a Rancho Soft Ride 4" spring is probably a bad idea. The idea would work though, overload the spring enough to cause enough sag to minimize lift. The problem with that is I now have an overloaded mushy spring. Probably not the best safety thing there.

A rear add-a-leaf was my original plan, but I got to thinking and figure that the extra spring would likely get beaten to a pulp and sag to the shape of the rest of the pack eventually. I mean, thats a lot for an addaleaf to do, arch up a big 1 ton spring pack and make them all stay arched past what they have been at for 26 years, and hold up a nearly loaded truck at the same time.

Air bags would be nice, but I'd prefer a suspension I don't have to screw with. No filling and dumping of the bags whenever I load up with something. Plus, Supersize made a good point about articulation effects. Air bags don't seem to like much rutted up farm type terrain.

What I am thinking to do is run a zero rate in the front, a 2" block in the back, and one of these to help actually raise rear spring carrying capacity and enhance stability.
http://towrig.com/forums/showthread.php?p=22997#post22997

I've used the Roadmaster system on my dad's Suburban, works pretty good.
 
Re-arching is a temporary fix at best. If you load a re-arched spring like he is loaded it will begin to loose the new arch quickly.
 
I think everyone is missing the fact that you have a cab and chassis truck. can you get a picture of your rears springs? I am guessing that there are more leaves then most guys think.

Airbags are a good idea. how much flex do you get now when you are all loaded up? I'm would guess, not much. an airbag can hold up to normal suspension travel.

for the front a set of replacement springs should help. if not a local spring shop should be able to make you a set with an extra leaf in it.
 
I'd stay away from add-a-leaves if possible. When I first lifted my old CC I used some and they broke at the center pin hole within a month. :mad:
 
Air bags are your best option.

If you have a compressor you are carrying around, it would work out well anyway. If you have the bags seperately plumbed(2 seperate fill points) they will act as a sway conrol device as well. My Dad LOVES his air bags. Thinks the truck rides way better and handles a load like a champ now. He has an 04 2500HD with a 8' utility body. With the body and only a few of his tools in it the rear of the truck was sagging out already. Bags at 40 psi each, and it takes the bed full of tools, all the cabinets loaded, and something big on the dump trailer to get it sagging. And it still rides really nicely with that setup.

Like noted, with that setup you have, you aren't an offroad machine. Sure it spends most of its time "off-road" but you aren't rock crawling. I'd easily bet you will never tear a bag unless something jumps up and snags one. I've had Dad's rig flexed out with the bags and not torn one. Limiting straps would be the best insurance there. I know I kind of wince when I put the truck on on the lift because it seems like the bags may be acting as a limiter a little bit.

Front, 2.5" springs for a K30? Don't know if anyone has them. Zero rate and air bags out back, and the 2.5" springs up front I'd say.
 
you should stay away from blocks of any kind especially with the loads you put on your truck.

Why not just get replacement springs from and rear? Your springs are some 26 years old. They have servered their usefull and safe time and should just be replaced.
 
gmc4cw said:
I think everyone is missing the fact that you have a cab and chassis truck.
Click to expand...
Wrong. Take another look at the pics. Its a crew cab. Big difference there.

Cab and chassis are only available in regular cab configuration and they are 4" longer than the standard wheelbase of 131.5".
 
thatK30guy said:
Cab and chassis are only available in regular cab configuration and they are 4" longer than the standard wheelbase of 131.5".
Click to expand...

Actually Wes, It's you who is mistaken.
Cab and chassis options were available in both standard cab and crew cab versions. Both single and dual rear wheel were available. The cab and chassis option added 1.5" to the wheelbase-- ever tried to put a regular bed on a cab and chassis frame, you end up with an extra 1.5" space between the bed and cab.

Jimbo
 
Jimbo* said:
Actually Wes, It's you who is mistaken.
Cab and chassis options were available in both standard cab and crew cab versions. Both single and dual rear wheel were available. The cab and chassis option added 1.5" to the wheelbase-- ever tried to put a regular bed on a cab and chassis frame, you end up with an extra 1.5" space between the bed and cab.

Jimbo
Click to expand...
I didn't know about the crew cab version but yes, I know about the reg. cab version. I used to have one. I did put a reg. bed on it and there was more than 1.5" space behind the cab. Even the title listed the wheelbase at 135.5" which is 4" longer than a standard longwheelbase. I checked several books and they confirmed this.
Just never seen, heard nor read of any crew cab in the cab-and-chassis version.
For more clarification, the local body shop here in town bought a K30 dually fleetside and removed the bed to put a Holmes wrecker bed on. Upon the installation of the bed, they found they found the tires would not align up in the wheelwells. They did some calling and found out the Holmes beds fit the cab-and-chassis trucks, not reg. wheelbases. They lengthend the frame 5" so they would have a little more clearance behind the cab. It looks very good today.
Also, they swapped the D70HD out for a narrow 14FF in order to fit in the Holmes wheelwells. I bought that D70 from them and later sold it to jackedjimmy350.
 
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