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Need help with lift and suspension
- Thread starter 454k5blazer
- Start date
pics
quad shock front = harder ride . that was a 80's thing leave it there . get some bilstines
what the heck kind of drop block is that on the sway bar mounts ? and also on top of the leaf springs ? = they need to go far away .
looks like some weird off brand of lift springs all 4 . note no over load on the rear . the baby block is fine if you need to re use it .
if i had to guess thick leafs . not to many leafs . no anti-squeak pads its a ruff country kit and the majority all say there ruff ride . i wont even install there brand of stuff for people . last few i played with got removed for better brand stuff and much better ride .
what size tires ?
what intended use ?
this will help us get you a good budget friendly much better ride .
also see your front drive shaft slip joint ....... its about bottomed out this could = bad ride and worse brake the t-case or trans housing and = LOTS of money to fix . . . . pull that shaft off for now before you get major damage .
what the heck kind of drop block is that on the sway bar mounts ? and also on top of the leaf springs ? = they need to go far away .
looks like some weird off brand of lift springs all 4 . note no over load on the rear . the baby block is fine if you need to re use it .
if i had to guess thick leafs . not to many leafs . no anti-squeak pads its a ruff country kit and the majority all say there ruff ride . i wont even install there brand of stuff for people . last few i played with got removed for better brand stuff and much better ride .
what size tires ?
what intended use ?
this will help us get you a good budget friendly much better ride .
also see your front drive shaft slip joint ....... its about bottomed out this could = bad ride and worse brake the t-case or trans housing and = LOTS of money to fix . . . . pull that shaft off for now before you get major damage .
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Okay this is the exact response i was hoping for. The tires are 36” and intended use would be a daily driver but also something i can take off-road. On the front drive shaft, are you suggesting i replace it? I honestly don’t know a whole lot about this stuff but i am trying to learn. Thanks for the reply.
I'd say that blazer had A LOT more lift than it does now especially considering the driveline length. It appears they removed from leaves, cut them short and put them on top of the pack.....you need new front leaf springs. It also appears the front shackle brackets in the frame are bolted in rather than riveted not an issue but not normal. The rear had springs removed I'd bet to lower it which is why it doesn't have an overload. If it were mine I'd replace the entire kit with a new good quality lift kit and be done....plus shorten the front driveshaft.
You should just pull the front shaft until you get your suspension sorted out. You may have to have it modified when the suspension is how you want it.
When you say off road are you going to rock crawl, or serious rutted dirt/rock trails, or graded fire road to camping. Or snow covered ski resort road?
Also how do you feel about trimming wheel openings?
When you say off road are you going to rock crawl, or serious rutted dirt/rock trails, or graded fire road to camping. Or snow covered ski resort road?
Also how do you feel about trimming wheel openings?
I'd say more for trailing but nothing really hardcore, also i'd be open to trimming wheelp openings but if i can avoid it i will.
If just trailing then you should be able to get away a little to no trimming with correct wheel width and offset.
@sweetk30 has done a lot of lifts, his advise well be among the most experience.
My rig K20 Burb lift aspirations, are rear shackle flip with my stock rear springs, an "Easy inch, or Zero rate" as needed to center wheel in well, and level.
I have lifted front springs of unknown mfg now, maybe replace with ORD custom leaf spring or maybe tuff country. plus ORD hd front greasable shackles
Sway bar disconnect kit, steering box frame support, and 4 Bilstein shocks also sourced from ORD I hear they can tune them to your set up.
I would suspect a lift for your k5 to look similar to my list. thou my tire are only 33" next set could be 35" we will see.
@sweetk30 has done a lot of lifts, his advise well be among the most experience.
My rig K20 Burb lift aspirations, are rear shackle flip with my stock rear springs, an "Easy inch, or Zero rate" as needed to center wheel in well, and level.
I have lifted front springs of unknown mfg now, maybe replace with ORD custom leaf spring or maybe tuff country. plus ORD hd front greasable shackles
Sway bar disconnect kit, steering box frame support, and 4 Bilstein shocks also sourced from ORD I hear they can tune them to your set up.
I would suspect a lift for your k5 to look similar to my list. thou my tire are only 33" next set could be 35" we will see.
i would do a nice 4" lift kit from say tuff country or even bds if you want premium off the shelf .
this would get you room for 35" tires and trail use no real problems .
also drive shaft work will be last as lift height dictates length needed . the good for you is you need shorter and this is the cheeper of the 2 to have done and reuse your shafts .
4" lift sometimes = c/v shaft for the rear as the angles gets steep . some have problems some dont . do NOT do a transfer case drop this makes the front worse to bad-aid the rear .
maybe a new set of body bushings and a 1" body lift with the 4" lift kit will get you right were you need to be .
these guys have all of what my self and others in this thread have talked about to keep your ride SAFE and correctly built . www.offroaddesign.com
this would get you room for 35" tires and trail use no real problems .
also drive shaft work will be last as lift height dictates length needed . the good for you is you need shorter and this is the cheeper of the 2 to have done and reuse your shafts .
4" lift sometimes = c/v shaft for the rear as the angles gets steep . some have problems some dont . do NOT do a transfer case drop this makes the front worse to bad-aid the rear .
maybe a new set of body bushings and a 1" body lift with the 4" lift kit will get you right were you need to be .
these guys have all of what my self and others in this thread have talked about to keep your ride SAFE and correctly built . www.offroaddesign.com
I think i'm going to go with pretty much exactly what you've said. I've reached out to ORD to see what they have to say but this seems like the route i'm going to take. As for my front driveshaft in it's current condition.. Is it okay to remove it along with the u-joints and just leave it like that until i get it fixed? Even with daily driving?
u-bolt the 4 bolts at the t-case yoke . undo the hardware on the axle yoke . pop the whole shaft out . leave the yokes on the axle and t-case . this is a safe plan until you get a good lift in and done .
and the guys at offroad design aka. ord are members here also .
i would do a sway bar disconect kit for sway bar correction on a 4" kit and ditch them drop spacers . this will help a lot and get you a better ride even over factory . as the disconect kit will let the sway bar flex a bit when the springs flatten out over bumps and not be as stiff and bound up as stock was .
and the guys at offroad design aka. ord are members here also .
i would do a sway bar disconect kit for sway bar correction on a 4" kit and ditch them drop spacers . this will help a lot and get you a better ride even over factory . as the disconect kit will let the sway bar flex a bit when the springs flatten out over bumps and not be as stiff and bound up as stock was .
Sounds good and thanks so much for the help. Very informative and will help me out a lot. Appreciate it.
How does the frame look above the front leaf spring rear eyes? In the pic it looks pretty close. You many need a longer shackle to keep from hitting the frame, but that depends on what kind of springs you go to. When the spring hits the frame, the bumps are very harsh, but it does keep the driveshaft from bottoming out and breaking the transfer case - which is what these guys are tying to avoid by having you pull the driveshaft.
While you're working on it...you'll want to check the frame for cracking behind the steering box. Unless the cracking is really bad, you can only see it with the steering box removed. Search here for some of the many threads. Plan to add the brace whether frame needs repair or not.
While you're working on it...you'll want to check the frame for cracking behind the steering box. Unless the cracking is really bad, you can only see it with the steering box removed. Search here for some of the many threads. Plan to add the brace whether frame needs repair or not.