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Lift spring options

I'm emailing with ORD but they aren't really being all that helpful so far.

For the D60, is it fair to say that off the shelf springs made for 4" will give almost 5"? Or alternatively, do 1-ton factory Chevy's have almost an inch of lift relative to 1/2-tons... or are the 1-ton springs flatter to compensate for the D60 and give comparable ride height?

When I first saw how tall this came out I tried just leaving a few trash cans full of water in the back to accelerate the break in (while sitting, not driving around). Not sure if it did anything, but more on the back than the front if anything. I could attach the winch to something on the ground or under the truck and squash the front suspension... 1.5" is a lot for these kinds of approaches though. I like the idea of removing a leaf. I considered it but never followed through. Maybe I'll bring it up with ORD.
 
ORD said that removing leaves is an okay option, so I may give that a go and see if I can drop that front end down an inch or so.
 
JohnNoble said:
How much lift are you currently running with 37" tires?
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4" on the K5, Skyjacker Softrides from 1995 that have been on a couple trucks now.
You can drive around town with a 37" tire and a 4" lift but turning with axle articulation will hit the fender edge. It doesn't take a lot of trimming to eliminate rubbing.
 
Mastiff said:
I'm emailing with ORD but they aren't really being all that helpful so far.

For the D60, is it fair to say that off the shelf springs made for 4" will give almost 5"? Or alternatively, do 1-ton factory Chevy's have almost an inch of lift relative to 1/2-tons... or are the 1-ton springs flatter to compensate for the D60 and give comparable ride height?

When I first saw how tall this came out I tried just leaving a few trash cans full of water in the back to accelerate the break in (while sitting, not driving around). Not sure if it did anything, but more on the back than the front if anything. I could attach the winch to something on the ground or under the truck and squash the front suspension... 1.5" is a lot for these kinds of approaches though. I like the idea of removing a leaf. I considered it but never followed through. Maybe I'll bring it up with ORD.
Click to expand...
A factory 1 ton definitely sits higher than a 1/2 ton.
 
I measured my body line and it is very close to the same heigh from the ground above the front and rear tires, even though it looks to be raked back. I wonder if it has to do with the wheel opening being bigger on the front making it look raked? When these trucks look level, is the body crease actually sloped forward?
 
Mastiff said:
I measured my body line and it is very close to the same heigh from the ground above the front and rear tires, even though it looks to be raked back. I wonder if it has to do with the wheel opening being bigger on the front making it look raked? When these trucks look level, is the body crease actually sloped forward?
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The rear wheel opening is smaller than the front.
 
Yes, the wheel wells are cut higher in the front than the back, which gives some illusion that it's raked back. It's easy to measure from body line to top of wheel opening. Usually setting the wheel openings the same height makes it look raked forward, so one option is to split the difference. The decision also depends on whether you're more likely to add weight (overlanding, spare tire, new bumper) or lose weight (i.e. go topless, swap to truck gate, etc.)
 
I guess I worded my post funny. I know the front is cut higher. My question was: "do people typically have a sloped-forward body line in order for it to look level?". I tried to find some good profile pics of trucks on line that I could use as reference but didn't really succeed. I've established I have 5+" of lift in front, but I don't really know where I stand in the back. I thought the body line thing could be useful, but that's not turning out to be the case. If all else fails, I keep removing leaves until it ends up where it looks right to my eye.
 
ORD suggested removing leaves from the bottom up. Those bottom leaves are so small it's hard to believe they contribute anything to ride height besides their own thickness.

Anyway, do you guys think it is safe and possible to remove leaves without fulling removing the springs from the vehicle? I don't think the front ones are under any tension just being hooked up. The rears actually did have to be compressed to reach from frame to hanger.
 
cheavyk10 said:
Here's my front 4" ORD Springs on my K10, with a SBC and a winch.
I measure 13 1/4" from the axle tube to the bump stop bracket. The springs have been on my truck for about a year and a half now.
I do need to do something about that bump stop spacer, for a bit more up-travel.
Of course, every truck will measure a little different.
View attachment 494896
Click to expand...
I would bet that you would feel a difference in the ride with shorter bump stops.
My '90 has about 4" of lift with the ORD springs and HD shackles, on 1 tons.
(I believe that was the lift height that was discussed when I ordered them.)
I have stock bump stops, lowered 1.5".
I have already killed a set of bumps in a couple of years, even though most of that is due to wheeling. But the dirt road and pavement ride is very good as well!

My thought is that when setting up the suspension, make sure to leave room for the axle and springs to move enough to avoid running on the bump stops too much.

@Mastiff , I hope that you get closer to what you wanted by removing leaves.
 
@6872xtc , yea that bump stop setup in the pic was left over from when I was running Tuff County's, which are quite a bit thinner, so the spring plate was further away. I do consider poly bumps to be a maintenance item, as I have gone through a few sets.
 
Stay tuned, I have some wrenching to do.
IMG_20250124_202321324.jpg
 
Looking good. Looks like it could be 4". What axles do you have?

Never mind, I see your sig. 454 could make a difference, but I expect you told ORD about it.
 
Springs were ordered with 1.5" forward and 1.5" back center pins, stretching the wheelbase 3" total. The ORD rear springs needed 6" shackles the way they build them. Real pain to get the rear shackle hooked up, the spring has a lot of free arch so I had to stretch it toward the rear with a ratchet strap on the bumper.
 
HankScorpio said:
Springs were ordered with 1.5" forward and 1.5" back center pins, stretching the wheelbase 3" total. The ORD rear springs needed the 6" shackles the way they build them. Real pain to get the rear shackle hooked up, the spring has a lot of free arch so I had to stretch it to the rear with a ratchet strap on the bumper.
Click to expand...
Yes, the rears were a super PITA in my case too. I ratchet strapped them to a 4x4 to flatten them IIRC.

What do you measure on the front from the axle tube top to the bumpstop mount?
 
The ride is better than the Skyjacker softrides that were on there but still far from coils. I think I may need a small degree shim on the front, it doesnt steer quite the same as before. Still ok, just different steering feel at the moment. Don't think I need a sway bar but I don't have many miles on yet, weather is bad here.
 
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