K5 steering and suspension upgrades

[dixiechevy01]

I'm gonna start upgrading my steering and suspension on 87 k5 blazer I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions or advice on where to get decent performance parts for a reasonable price?

Suspension

I already have 4" suspension lift I have Rancho shocks shocks and plan on getting Rancho dual stabilizers. Im running 35/12.50r15 bfg all terrains right now. I need to put new bushings in my leaf springs though. I would like to find a polyurethane bushing kit that atleast has bushing for the front and rear leaf springs. I also need to find the a shim kit for front and rear differentials for a 4 in lift. When the guy lift it he didn't put a shims in to change the angle of the driveline.

Steering

As far as steering I have not upgraded anything yet. I need to upgrade the steering arm that connects to the pitman arm to a drop steering arm. The tie rods and ball joints actually feel pretty tight but the steering wheel has alot of play so I'm thinking the steering box is worn out, anyone know a good place to get an upgraded steering box and maybe power steering pump or would stock be sufficient? Probably need to replace the steering shaft joints also the steering column is out of a 90 suburban.

I would apreciate ideas or adive on suspension and steering for my build

 

[Highpsi]

You've come to the right place if you're looking for help with your Blazer, that's for sure.

Just a few quick links to some vendors that will be of interest to you.

http://www.offroaddesign.com/

http://diy4x.com/

Those are only 2 of many others that are out there that specialize in parts for our trucks. PSC makes some really nice steering gear and I think they sell that stuff at ORD.

 

[dremu]

I'm gonna start upgrading my steering and suspension on 87 k5 blazer I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions or advice on where to get decent performance parts for a reasonable price?

Suspension

I already have 4" suspension lift I have Rancho shocks shocks and plan on getting Rancho dual stabilizers. Im running 35/12.50r15 bfg all terrains right now. I need to put new bushings in my leaf springs though. I would like to find a polyurethane bushing kit that atleast has bushing for the front and rear leaf springs. I also need to find the a shim kit for front and rear differentials for a 4 in lift. When the guy lift it he didn't put a shims in to change the angle of the driveline.

Steering

As far as steering I have not upgraded anything yet. I need to upgrade the steering arm that connects to the pitman arm to a drop steering arm. The tie rods and ball joints actually feel pretty tight but the steering wheel has alot of play so I'm thinking the steering box is worn out, anyone know a good place to get an upgraded steering box and maybe power steering pump or would stock be sufficient? Probably need to replace the steering shaft joints also the steering column is out of a 90 suburban.

I would apreciate ideas or adive on suspension and steering for my build

Steering stabilizers are best at masking problems, not solving them. Especially duals. Fix everything else first and then look at stabilizers.

ORD, mentioned above, has poly greaseable bushing kits for your springs. Highly recommended. Poly lives dang near forever and won't bind up.

Shimming your axle is totally specific to your individual truck, ride height, lift method, type of drive shafts, etc etc. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. This is also one of the last things you'd do, and only if you have vibration in the drive shafts. Get everything else good, and then read up on measuring driveshaft angles from Tom Woods or one of those places.

The hydraulics (steering pump, and to some degree, box) won't cause slop. A stock type pump should be fine unless you're doing hydraulic assist. REALLY check the ball joints, and tie rod and drag link ends for slop. Also look at the rag joint at the end of the steering column where it mounts to the box. It's basically steel-reinforced rubber, like a tire, and they do wear.

Finally, see ORD's steering reinforcement kits @ http://offroaddesign.com/catalog/steeringkit.htm and closely examine your frame for cracks around the steering box. These trucks are FAMOUS for this and will cause steering slop early on, followed in time by catastrophic failure (like the box coming off the frame, leading to a distinct lack of control )

-- A

 

[blazinzuk]

Pretty much what was said above.

Your steering slop is probably from the steering shaft. A tie rod end or a drag link end.

Sometimes all of those can be just a touch worn out and adds up to alot of slop.

Have someone turn the wheel lock to lock while you sit in front of the truck and look at stuff. Do it enough to look at every joint for the entire range of travel. After that put the wheel straight and wiggle the wheel back and forth very quickly. Once again for long enough to check every single joint or part in the steering.

And it is a good idea to pull the steering box and check for cracks

 

[454Sub]

If you do not have a friend, you can start your truck, and turn your steering shaft (the shaft between the box and steering wheel outside the truck) by hand and find loose points. Thats how I check mine.

Most likely, your box itself isnt worn, they seem to be pretty tough. I would guess your steering shaft, balljoints, tierod ends, or drag link ends. I know they feel tight by hand, but that steering system puts alot more pressure on it than your hand, and will find loose stuff much quicker.

 

[dixiechevy01]

Thank you for all of your reply's. I will be checking all of these soon. It always had a good vibration when you get on the highway but I just figured it was the tires and I didn't put the lift on it so I don't think they put any shims in for the axles. the rear axle doesn't tilt up at all like most other lifted k5's I've seen. The pinion seal also started leaking awhile ago to I was thinking maybe the pinion nut started to shimmy loose because of the driveshaft angle. and it seem like most of the steering play is in the steering shaft or box, when you turn the steering shaft back and forth the pitman barely moves.

 

[Blue85]

Definitely climb underneath while somebody else turns the wheel. Other than the actual steering components, the slop can come from the frame flexing, a cracked frame behind the steering box (all of these trucks need to be checked for this), loose spring bushings, etc. No point in throwing new parts in before you've checked everything out.

I've never seen lift springs that didn't come with poly bushings. If yours are rubber, that's very odd because the stock rubber bushings are a different size than what fits in lift springs.

As for shims, search here on the difference between setting up for a CV joint and a standard (single cardan) driveshaft. Some folks with their first lift kit want to angle the pinion so it points right at the T-case (to minimize the U-joint angle) and this only makes the vibrations worse. I knew a guy who did this and went through a U-joint every 1000 miles. Some are able to get acceptable results with a standard driveshaft, some end up going with the C/V shaft. A 4" lift is kind of pushing your luck with driveshaft length, but is sometimes fine. Measure how much yoke is sticking out of the transfer case.

Some other items to check are play in the pinion (Tranny in N or driveshaft removed - CHOCK THE TIRES), tightness of the yoke in the transfer case (there is a bushing in there that wears) and also search on the transfer case lowering, which is a possible band-aid for the vibrations.

 

[dixiechevy01]

Well the lift kit was on it when I got it. I have no idea hie old it is or even who put if on. I've had the the truck for 5 years now. It sat for like 5-10 years and was barely ran. I'm guessing the lift and tires are from early 2000's maybe even late 90's. Im not sure if the bushing are rubber or not they probably are, there an orange color.

The rear is lifted with blocks and the front looks to be just springs I didn't think there was any other kind of way to lift the front on s straight axle.

The t-case doesn't have a yoke coming out its a th400 with a np208 and the drive shaft just slides in the rear. It looks like its been where on the sand spot did a long time due the wear on the metal and the metal being shinny on the driveshaft. I've never had a problem with u joints at all yet so maybe the vibration is mostly in the steering and the fact that I barely have bushing in the leaf springs. The pinion yoke doesn't really have s by play though either.

The front driveshaft has alot of play at the slip joint and probably needs replace or is there anyway of rebuilding the slip joint?

Thanks for the suggestions and advice