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Suspension upgrades thoughts and ideas...

8

86Nasty

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Hey yall! Looking for thoughts, ideas, and any help I can get on a build I am starting to "part" together. I have an '86 K5 that currently is sitting on stock axles, 4" skyjacker all spring, and 35's with minor trimming. I am going to trade another fellow K5 owner my axles, wheels, tires, and lift for his 1 tons and BDS 6" all spring. The goal here is to go from Mall crawler to a rig set up to handle just about all I can throw at it. My current part list after the above mentioned items looks like this:

Rear Spring Perches
Shock Mounts
U Bolts
D60 axle plate mount
1" Zero Rates and Urethane Bushings from ORD (The rear will be replacing the overload spring for added flex)
High Steer Setup from ORD
2.5" Shackle flip from ORD
Slip Yoke eliminator for rear Drive Shaft
Extended Brake lines
Rear Disc set up (got this off out of a Junkyard off an old line truck)
New Bump Stops
Doubler setup
Not sure on Axle Ratio yet
Lockers

I will also be Relocating the Shock mounts to offset the Shackle flip and for added travel.

This should give me 7" up front and 8.5 in the rear. I will also be adding a small amount of body lift (1-2") once I get everything else installed and see where it sits. I plan on Running somewhere between 38"-40" tires depending on the body lift and how much I feel like using a sawzall.

Any thoughts, ideas, and advice is greatly appreciated.
 
Where and how are you going to wheel it?
 
I've got an '85 K5 that I re-sprung with a 6" BDS all spring lift.
The dealer that sold me the springs recommended BDS 9500 series gas shocks, but the combination turned out way too stiff for my type of wheeling.

I swaped out the gas shocks up front with some hydraulics, which let the front springs flex a bit more. I had disassembled the front packs and removed a leaf. It gave me a ton more flex, but the BDS springs don't hold their lift characteristics very well once you pull a leaf.
I have since put the spring packs back together with all the leafs, and am hoping that they soften up over time.

You may have better luck with the heavier axles that you are installing.

My best advice would be to get the softest shocks that you can find.
I would recommend reservoir's.

Make sure to post some pic's of your build.
 
That was probably my biggest question. I know that people have flipped the overload spring on the rear. I wonder if replacing that overload with the zero rate will help keep the lift longer. Thats also why i dont mind having the 1.5" difference in the rear compared to the front. I will definitely post lots of pics once I have accumulated the parts and begin the build.
 
I also really like Blazen Off Road's swing away rear tire carrier and front tube bumper. That rear is not light and should put some load on the rear.
 
Zero Rates

Did you say that you're only going to install the zero rates on the rear?

I have found that the rear spring on the BDS 6" spring lift has plenty of flex.
The rear spring is substantially longer than the fronts so it makes for a nice smooth ride.
The front springs however are only about 46"+/- eye to eye, which is a very short span and does not flex very well. Your shackle flip should help, but I'd definitely be inclined to add the zero rates to the front and remove the overload from the front packs only.

I've also found that the BDS 6" spring lift will make it difficult to find a decent shock for the amount of length between the stock shock mounts. The standard size shock for a 4" lift is about 23" fully extended which is too short. The next size up is 26" fully extended which will only give you about 6" of upstroke travel.
If I had to do it over I'd opt for the BDS 8" spring lift as BDS specs out the exact same shock for their 6" and 8" lifts. (i.e. 26" fully extended.)
The additional 1" obtained with the zero rates should add to the travel.
I may have to add these to my setup.

If you think you can handle a stiffer shock up front I have a pair of BDS 9500 series nitrogen gas charged shocks part number 95650 which are 26.2" extended length and 15.80" collapsed length. I had them on my K5 for less than 4 months so they are still like new. I paid $120 each, but I'd sell them for $120 for the pair if anyone's interested in a gas charged shock. I've got them posted on Craig's list right now if you want to check them out. I'm not allowed to post the url yet but if you pm me I'll send you the link to the add.
 
Zero rates front and rear. I was going to replace the overload in the rear with the zero rate. I would like to have an 8" BDS, but the trade I have worked out is just too good. I was also going to relocate the shock mounts to aid in what you were describing above. What did you replace the Nitrogen shocks with?
 
I stuck with BDS because the dealer that I'm working with had them in stock.
I installed a hydraulic shock BDS 5500 series.

They allow the springs to do their job, and provide decent dampening for now.
I still think that a reservoir shock is the way to go if it's in your budget.
My brother-in-law has 2" Fox reservoirs on his '78 F150 and they do a fantastic job. He also has Deaver springs on all 4 corners, which makes a big difference.
 
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