What's new
CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.

Ideas for reducing frame/body flex

W

Whiterockfire

Guest
When I traded for my 83 K5 it came with a 5" suspension lift and a 3" body lift, sitting on 37" tires. When I take it wheeling you can hear a lot of body noise being caused by the increased stress due to the body lift. (I wouldn't have put a body lift on personally because of this problem.)

The last time I took it out I got it in a hard twist an both front fenders busted loose back by the doors.

Before I waste a bunch of money putting new fenders on, and risk destroying them every time it flexes I wanted to get some input on how to (DIY) prevent this from happening again, without having to remove the body lift.
 
First check to see if any of the rivets in your frame are loose or wallowed out, if they are replace them with grade 8 bolts/lock washers/loc-tite. The only things you can do are box your frame or put a full cage in that's tied to your frame.
 
Get rid of the body lift. 1" body lift is not so bad. With the 3" you will destroy panels cab mounts cab mount bushings and so on.
 
x2 on ditching the body lift, even though you said you didn't want to its probably the easiest.

Outside of that you're looking at frame boxing and cage building. Replacing rivets can help too like mentioned but I prefer to weld on the crossmembers/hangers etc. unless I think Ill need to remove them at some point.
 
Damn

:doah: I was hoping you guys would say something easy, like remove the sway bar, or add gusset plates to the frame.

As far as I'm concerned, it's against man law to lower a 4x4, you girls who said remove the lift should be ashamed of yourselves. Perhaps you would be better suited driving an Explorer or one of those Barbie cars like everyone else.

As for me, I'm a man, and I drive a Chevrolet. One with sealed beam headlights.
If the body lift is causing problems I can work around it by adding metal and using electricity even if that means welding the damn fenders back on. Hell, I'll run a ratchet strap around the whole truck to keep them on before I lower my Blazer.

You ladies who said, take the body lift off should consider yourselves on notice.

To the men who said build a cage, I like the way you think but I was hoping there might be something less time consuming. I have hills that need climbing, rocks to drive over and mud to track out on the highway.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
fyi keep up the b!tch talk and see how long we like you here .

the info givin is from ton's of guys real world experience. :whistle:

this is not pirate4x4 we are a lot more laid back and nice here.
 
rampage said:
First check to see if any of the rivets in your frame are loose or wallowed out, if they are replace them with grade 8 bolts/lock washers/loc-tite. The only things you can do are box your frame or put a full cage in that's tied to your frame.
Click to expand...

don't use lock washers .

use stover / metal crimp lock nuts . and not nylock ether.

stock hole for rivits gets opened up to 7/16" or else 3/8" is to sloppy in there.
 
Whiterockfire said:
:doah: I was hoping you guys would say something easy, like remove the sway bar, or add gusset plates to the frame.

As far as I'm concerned, it's against man law to lower a 4x4, you girls who said remove the lift should be ashamed of yourselves. Perhaps you would be better suited driving an Explorer or one of those Barbie cars like everyone else.

As for me, I'm a man, and I drive a Chevrolet. One with sealed beam headlights.
If the body lift is causing problems I can work around it by adding metal and using electricity even if that means welding the damn fenders back on. Hell, I'll run a ratchet strap around the whole truck to keep them on before I lower my Blazer.

You ladies who said, take the body lift off should consider yourselves on notice.

To the men who said build a cage, I like the way you think but I was hoping there might be something less time consuming. I have hills that need climbing, rocks to drive over and mud to track out on the highway.
Click to expand...

How do you expect to get help if you insult people? This forum is filled with very knowledgeable members and its the best forum ive ever been apart of.

Removing the body lift is the cheapest and fastest way to fix your problems period. Now if you are so concerned about 3 inches of lift, you can add it back the right way, with a suspension lift, theres many ways to that, shackle flip, springs, ez inch, longer shackles(to a point).

If you are really serious about it, i would take the body lift off and then build a cage, then you will have a strong rig.
 
Meh, I thought it was funny. But dumb. Continuing in a dumb direction isn't manly. It's dumb. So, I'd say lose the body lift. Trucks look dumb with big body lifts too. Plus, 37" tires are pretty small to run with an 8" lift.

Have you thought about investing in a softer suspension? Perhaps you have a real stiff suspension and it's transferring all of the flex force to the frame.

Are the body mounts new, or were the old rotted 1983 body mounts reinstalled with your 3" penis extension?










:wink1:

(That's actually a serious/legitimate question...)
 
colbystephens said:
Meh, I thought it was funny. But dumb. Continuing in a dumb direction isn't manly. It's dumb. So, I'd say lose the body lift. Trucks look dumb with big body lifts too. Plus, 37" tires are pretty small to run with an 8" lift.
Click to expand...

Yep :deal:
 
yup, I figured it was a somewhat poor attempt at humor...

OP, the general consensus around here is a 1" BL is fine, and very beneficial sometimes, whereas a 3" is pretty hokey... skyscraper trucks aren't performers in anything but deep mud pits..

sounds like you want the easy fix to the chevy frame flex, ain't gonna happen without a good bit of work.. while boxing helps, it wont nearly do as much as a cage tied to the frame...

if your not willing to go that route, just make sure your body bushing are solid/new and deal with the flex..
 
Whiterockfire said:
As far as I'm concerned, it's against man law to lower a 4x4, you girls who said remove the lift should be ashamed of yourselves. Perhaps you would be better suited driving an Explorer or one of those Barbie cars like everyone else.
quote]


Guess I need to start carrying a purse when I go wheelin in my low rider:dunno:
Click to expand...
 
Whiterockfire said:
:doah: I was hoping you guys would say something easy, like remove the sway bar, or add gusset plates to the frame.

As far as I'm concerned, it's against man law to lower a 4x4, you girls who said remove the lift should be ashamed of yourselves. Perhaps you would be better suited driving an Explorer or one of those Barbie cars like everyone else.

As for me, I'm a man, and I drive a Chevrolet. One with sealed beam headlights.
If the body lift is causing problems I can work around it by adding metal and using electricity even if that means welding the damn fenders back on. Hell, I'll run a ratchet strap around the whole truck to keep them on before I lower my Blazer.

You ladies who said, take the body lift off should consider yourselves on notice.

To the men who said build a cage, I like the way you think but I was hoping there might be something less time consuming. I have hills that need climbing, rocks to drive over and mud to track out on the highway.
Click to expand...

I know everyone has already said it, but I can't help myself. These are words spoken from someone with little experience in the offroad world. If all you care about is a mall crawler, than who cares about the 3 in body lift. It will look cool for all the other fancy pants/skinny jean wearing people at the mall that know nothing about trucks. If you really care about wheeling the rig, than get rid of that 3" body lift. These blazers are already a big rig to start with, the last thing you want to do is make the center of gravity even higher. By going with a lower & flexy suspension, and then trimming the fenders to fit the tires, the overall performance of your rig will increase drematically.

So please don't insult people when you don't know what you are talking about. If you don't know what you are talking about, that is fine. All of us didn't know anything at one point. Just ask questions and take the advice we give you seriously.
 
Easy fellas, it was a joke. Don't get your panties twisted over some light hearted sarcasm.
 
Is the sarcasm the part about you saying you are a man? :D And before you get butt hurt about that comment, I will quote you, "Easy fellas, it was a joke. Don't get your panties twisted"

You might want to take it easy on how you present your sarcasm on a site that you are new to....just saying
 
Stick to the smaller curbs at the mall, heaven forbid your fenders get damaged.

Someone cheaped out and bought a body lift. The body lift is causing your trouble. Instead of re-inventing the chassis you should probably just eliminate the second biggest problem you've got, the body lift.
 
Your going to have basically the exact same body flex with a 3in body lift vs a 1in body lift. The frames flex, and no amount of body lift is going to assist it in stopping, nor make it flex much more than it would normally. A boxed frame will still flex, as its not tied to anything. A cage will help most, but why not do a simple set of rock sliders tied to the floor pans and welded to the frame? That right there will be the most cost effective, and efficient way of stopping body flex and tightening up the frame a bit. And can be done in a smooth day vs a cage that takes planning.

Why people dont like body lifts or 3in is beyond me. I run a 3in and it works perfectly. And mine is not a strictly mudding truck. I drive it on the street, climb with it, trails and blah blah blah. I have no more or no less body flex than the identical Suburban sitting exactly next to mine, and that one doesnt have a body lift. The mushy feeling most people harp about are directly related to the fact they usually install 3in lifts on trashed rubber mounts and of course its going to be mushy. Your adding leverage to an already trashed bushing. But mine sits on poly bushings, and there is not a difference in frame flex, door gaps or anything. And from my point of view, its easier to wash, easier to work on, and adds clearance for rotated t-cases, tranny swaps and all sorts of stuff. Dumb not to use one if you ask me.
 
454Sub said:
Your going to have basically the exact same body flex with a 3in body lift vs a 1in body lift. The frames flex, and no amount of body lift is going to assist it in stopping, nor make it flex much more than it would normally. A boxed frame will still flex, as its not tied to anything. A cage will help most, but why not do a simple set of rock sliders tied to the floor pans and welded to the frame? That right there will be the most cost effective, and efficient way of stopping body flex and tightening up the frame a bit. And can be done in a smooth day vs a cage that takes planning.

Why people dont like body lifts or 3in is beyond me. I run a 3in and it works perfectly. And mine is not a strictly mudding truck. I drive it on the street, climb with it, trails and blah blah blah. I have no more or no less body flex than the identical Suburban sitting exactly next to mine, and that one doesnt have a body lift. The mushy feeling most people harp about are directly related to the fact they usually install 3in lifts on trashed rubber mounts and of course its going to be mushy. Your adding leverage to an already trashed bushing. But mine sits on poly bushings, and there is not a difference in frame flex, door gaps or anything. And from my point of view, its easier to wash, easier to work on, and adds clearance for rotated t-cases, tranny swaps and all sorts of stuff. Dumb not to use one if you ask me.
Click to expand...


Not trying to start an argument here, but simple physics tells you that the further the body is separated from the frame, the more stress it is putting on the mounts. Keeping the frame tight to the body while lifting it keeps the body weight lower, thus making the body sway and stress less. Not to mention the change in steering linkage and the drivetrain being so much lower. I will never run a body lift of any sorts on my rigs, i think they look tacky and to me i would feel way more secure with a suspension lift. But to each his own, and i understand the more clearance thing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest Posts

Top Bottom