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Newbie 52-56 swap

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chevyforlife502

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I am looking at doing the 52-56 swap on my DD for the reason that i don't what to have to do the suspension again when it just a trail rig, until i go 4 link. The thing that i am trying to figure out that I can't find is what sizes of shackles i need. I want the lift to be around 4 or 5 inches. I am doing the b52 kit upfront and a rear Shackle flip what sizes of shackles should i use for the front, and rear? Greatly Appreciated
 
I don't have the B52's nor the 52's up front. I got 56's upfront with the 7 inch shackle from Kert. If It was me and I had the the set up your going to run, I'd go for the 7 inch shackle also, just for the extra droop you'll get.
 
Info will come, people will post up. Don't be in a huge hurry for advise, you will shy people away from giving it. I personally would not do the 52 conversion up front. LOTS of people do and will disagree with me big time. But after talking with Stephen from ORD, he said the time spent doing all the fab work and the troubles you will have if you want to go with high-steer cross over steering, it's just not worth the minimal gain you will get.

He said a good custom aftermarket spring pack like what Alcan offers or a set from Deaver springs will yield you just about as much as the 52 conversion and all you do is bolt them it and you are DONE, PERIOD. Does not get any easier then that. Run a little longer shackle so you don't bind the spring, but make sure you don't go so long that it hits the body mount. Or clearence it a bit, but gusset up on the back side for additional support.

I suggest still doing the B52 buckets up front to give you some adjustment to help correct shackle angle IF necessary. I'm doing this exact setup on my 73' K5. I'm, for now running just a sef of 4" Tough Country springs to get the truck lifted. Then when all the weight is fully in the truck, I will get a custom set of springs made. I'm running about a 1 1/2 " body lift which I may remove. The MAIN benifit of the 52 conversion is if your running a big tire it will get into the fire wall at full lock and stuff. But if your running probably no more then 38's you will probably be fine. You could always mod the firewall too to give more tire clearence. Hope this helps.
 
I didn't think there was that much trouble in doing this swap. Other than the shock relocating and that front drive shaft. But i do like the idea of the After market leafs but those are very costly are they not?
 
rdn2blazer said:
Info will come, people will post up. Don't be in a huge hurry for advise, you will shy people away from giving it. I personally would not do the 52 conversion up front. LOTS of people do and will disagree with me big time. But after talking with Stephen from ORD, he said the time spent doing all the fab work and the troubles you will have if you want to go with high-steer cross over steering, it's just not worth the minimal gain you will get.

He said a good custom aftermarket spring pack like what Alcan offers or a set from Deaver springs will yield you just about as much as the 52 conversion and all you do is bolt them it and you are DONE, PERIOD. Does not get any easier then that. Run a little longer shackle so you don't bind the spring, but make sure you don't go so long that it hits the body mount. Or clearence it a bit, but gusset up on the back side for additional support.
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As a counterpoint, the alcan or deaver springs won't flex better than stock 52's and it takes what, 4 hours maybe to remove some rivets and drill some new holes to install the basically free 52's. And the alcan/deaver springs cost what, $600 for a set of fronts? How much is your time worth?

Of course, there's a bit more to it than just flex, like you said high steer can be a bit more difficult with 52's but its certainly not impossible. And on a side note, I'm not a fan of high steer anyway due to knuckle breakage ;)

My .02
 
I just finished my 56" on all four corner install yesterday. I used DIY shackle flip and used 6" shackle which was perfect combo. I used b52 kit up front with 6" shackle and that was not so good. I need to go with a 7.25" or maybe 7.5" for the front rear shackle. I would also recommend going with the larger rear front hanger from DIy also for added strength. You do not have to move the location of the rear hanger if you go this route. You simply have to enlarge the hole just a tad. Whole saw works well or use a plasma cutter which is what I did.
 
doonjumper said:
You do not have to move the location of the rear hanger if you go this route. You simply have to enlarge the hole just a tad. Whole saw works well or use a plasma cutter which is what I did.
Click to expand...

Are you talking about the front rear hanger you just make the whole bigger in it or... I am confused.

Thanks a lot for the help guys ya i am still planning on doing the 52-56 with crossover steering.
 
38377k5 said:
As a counterpoint, the alcan or deaver springs won't flex better than stock 52's and it takes what, 4 hours maybe to remove some rivets and drill some new holes to install the basically free 52's. And the alcan/deaver springs cost what, $600 for a set of fronts? How much is your time worth?

Of course, there's a bit more to it than just flex, like you said high steer can be a bit more difficult with 52's but its certainly not impossible. And on a side note, I'm not a fan of high steer anyway due to knuckle breakage ;)

My .02
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I think Alcans are round 4 bills I herd, could be wrong, not sure of Deavers cost. You have to make two round plates and weld the factory shackle mount hole location up and re-drill two new holes too on both sides, and drill for the bolt holes for the shackle mount. And yes you have to deal with cutting off all the rivets. Don't forget your using up your welding gas, radiac cutoff wheels and or grinding wheels, that costs money too. You have to add that into your conversion cost aswell. I do not actually know but I would think there would be no way a stock 52 flexes better then a multi thin leaf Alcan pack. Atleast I would be surpised if it did.

For me, I would rather work the overtime on one Sunday of easy work I do at work and pay for a set of springs then bust my ass grinding drilling and measuring and blah blah blah and easily just bolt a simple spring pack in and be done with it. One Sunday would pay for a set of springs. Depends on your situation I guess. I have never herd of knuckle breakage spicifically from a high-steering setup. I would rather put my time where it counts and a 52 swap doesn't sound like the gains are worth the time and labor vs an easy bolt in situation. If a 52 swap is that easy and budget is tight then I say go for the 52 swap. Otherwise pop for a spring pack and be done with it and move on to the next step in the build.
 
chevyforlife502 said:
Are you talking about the front rear hanger you just make the whole bigger in it or... I am confused.

Thanks a lot for the help guys ya i am still planning on doing the 52-56 with crossover steering.
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Yes the front rear hanger. All you have to do is make the large center hole bigger. Thats all you have to enlarge. The new hanger mounts in the factory position when using 56" springs. If you run 52" then you MUST move the hanger forward. 1 good grinding wheel costs 2.99 at Prax air and there are 8 rivets total to remove. Grinding them is not an issue. I make a + sign in the center of each rivet then remove what remains. Then its a matter of applying a little smack down (tap, tap, tapity, tap) with a mini sledge like a 5# hammer or so. Peels right off. New hanger goes in, you bolt up your used springs and your done. I priced Alcans and they wanted close to $600 shipped for one set. I spent $100 for my front springs, $2.99 for a grinding wheel (75% remaining on the wheel), $40 bucks for shackles, $62 for rear hangers. True I could work 26 hours of O.T. (roughly 3, 8 hour shifts) and pay the $1200 for a full set of Alcans that DO flex better and they are new. Howevea, the whole job should only take about 6 hours including runnin' to the wrecking yard and getting your springs. That's as long as its not a pick n pull:D.
 
I moved both mounts forward.

I agree with the 52/56 swap fans above. Not a hard mod to do in a weekend at all IMO. My 52's up front will travel more than my shocks, brake lines, or driveshaft will allow, so for a quarter the price of custom springs it was an easy choice for me.

I swapped the stock brackets for the front hangers left to right, and upgraded the frame shackle hangars to the larger DIY kit, 7" shackles, and junkyard springs.

Keep in mind things you will need either way. Brake lines (25"+), long slip front shaft, longer shocks, some type of taller shock tower, and crossover steering.

Now to play devils advocate. I am surprised nobody brought it up yet. This is not a great setup for a rig that sees much street time. I'm not saying you can't do it, but there is a LOT of roll with the 52's. The longer shackles create some caster change and allow more lateral movement, both will contribute to a bit of death wobble if any steering parts are worn and large tires are used.

I run 52's up front and 56's in the rear with 7.25 shackles all the way around. My rig flexes great, but I rarely drive it more than a few miles on the street because of the road manners. I am sure more expensive shocks would help with that, but it is an inherant by product of the soft springs.
 
If you are planning on doing a 4-link in the future anyways, why double spend the $$$$, and the time on doing all this work? Take the money you are going to spend on the new springs and other parts, and set it aside for the 4-link. I am in the same situation your in now pretty much and instead of wasting my time and money on something that is going to get hacked off in the future, I am just going to do it right the first time.
 
MTBLAZER89 said:
I moved both mounts forward.

I agree with the 52/56 swap fans above. Not a hard mod to do in a weekend at all IMO. My 52's up front will travel more than my shocks, brake lines, or driveshaft will allow, so for a quarter the price of custom springs it was an easy choice for me.

I swapped the stock brackets for the front hangers left to right, and upgraded the frame shackle hangars to the larger DIY kit, 7" shackles, and junkyard springs.

Keep in mind things you will need either way. Brake lines (25"+), long slip front shaft, longer shocks, some type of taller shock tower, and crossover steering.

Now to play devils advocate. I am surprised nobody brought it up yet. This is not a great setup for a rig that sees much street time. I'm not saying you can't do it, but there is a LOT of roll with the 52's. The longer shackles create some caster change and allow more lateral movement, both will contribute to a bit of death wobble if any steering parts are worn and large tires are used.

I run 52's up front and 56's in the rear with 7.25 shackles all the way around. My rig flexes great, but I rarely drive it more than a few miles on the street because of the road manners. I am sure more expensive shocks would help with that, but it is an inherant by product of the soft springs.
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Wasn't there a huge write up on this that mrk5 did?? listing tons of shocks and his opinions on how well they did and what not??

http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=225715&highlight=mrk5+shocks

nvm it wasnt that one.
 
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when doing 52's you have to move both hangers, if you use 56's you can leave the rear hanger in place.

i'm running 56's all around with zero rates, and gave around 6" lift or so, but its not fully put back together, will probabaly be around 4-5" once its back to running status.
 
redbird00 said:
when doing 52's you have to move both hangers, if you use 56's you can leave the rear hanger in place.

i'm running 56's all around with zero rates, and gave around 6" lift or so, but its not fully put back together, will probabaly be around 4-5" once its back to running status.
Click to expand...
Pic's?:grin:
 
So if i were to go with the 56-56 swap i just need a B52 kit and a flip shackel kit rather than moving the rear shackle point up front for the 52s. I know i need longer brake lines etc. I thought i have seen guy with 52 and stock front shackle mounts.
 
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