The perfect setup

[ZooMad75]

Many different ways to do the same thing around here. I'm another vote for a newer FI powerplant. Here's my setup which is being built to make long distance runs to the desert and mountains.

5.3 Engine (or 6.0L if you can find one cheap enough) Keep it fairly stock so you don't have a lot of issues with tuning.
700r4 OD trans. Go with the 4L60e that is attached to the 5.3 or 4L80e attached to the 6.0. Alternative: nv4500 if you want to row your own gears.
35" tires keeps the overall height lower than 40's so you don't have to hike your butt as high off the ground to get in.
14b full floater out back. open diff
d44 up front with a true-trac (8 lug version)
4.10 gearing
4" lift (rough country springs to be upgraded later) ORD shackle flip out back
Raptor lined interior of the tub, new rubber floor mat from ACC. Not a lot of noise coming in from the floor.
2.25" true dual exhaust with cross over and Thrush welded mufflers.

The 5.3 and OD trans really what transformed mine into a long distance highway cruiser. My old 75 with a carburated 350 and 465 4-speed (non-od) was mind numbing slow and thirsty as hell on the interstate. Hell it was thirsty all the time. Mine runs like a new truck. I've put a lot of road miles on so far and it's a pleasure to drive. It's had 3 day trip off road runs and performed flawlessly on them.

My intent is not to do major sheetmetal killing rock crawling trails, nor mud. Good Mountain trails in CO where I live and soon my first run into the desert.

Like I said, many different ways of doing it for sure. Read up a ton here and then start putting together a plan.

 

[sreidmx]

I'm gonna beat the dead horse here, if you are going to go to the lengths to do some sort of efi and modern driveline why hamper it with leaf springs?? Seriously all land rovers run links, almost all the newer generation of rigs are completely coil sprung.. of you have any desire to mud this and crawl and drive it on the street and have it not suffer from a bad ride coil or Coilover front end is the only way to accommodate all those goals..
low lift height requirements compound that because leafs need some arch to work properly.

This is @bergerking truck, he's the ultimate advocate for simple and effective. This truck just works, it drives really nice on and offroad. Only had half ton running gear, and is not fancy but effective.

 

[muddysub]

Lots of good advise already in this thread.. @blazinzuk pretty much nailed it there and I've done my best to stick to that formula. @FOR MUD makes a good point as well. My truck can be repaired in any small town wth a Napa store or GM dealer.

 

[blazinzuk]

@sreidmx makes some really good points. A linked truck will ride extremely well. And if it's setup correctly can handle street driving much better than a leaf sprung truck.

A linked truck is more work but if your gonna get decent shocks the setup is similar. Getting em valved perfect will likely require you to become somewhat competent at rebuilding shocks

 

[H20 Toie]

I'm in the process of building my ultimate K5
I've had a few before over the years plus hummers suburbans etc
I can afford any truck I want but decided on a 91 k5
Found a one owner with 160k miles all stock
Did a lot of research and talked to bunch of people
So for me this is what I ended up with
Keeping stock motor and trans just getting them rebuilt
Sye in the transfer case when it gets rebuilt
4" lift with ord custom springs in the rear (no reverse shackles) and coilovers in the front
Dana 60 front 14 in the rear
Race line beadlock wheels with 35"bfg all terrain
Possible 37" depending on how it looks after suspension is done
Full cage tied into shock hoops
Winch mounted behind front stock bumper
Killer stereo
So when I'm done I expect to have a rig that even thou it is 25 yrs old I will feel comfortable driving it across country if I want
Granted I'll have way more money in it than it will be worth but it will be able go any trails I want in comfort
Plus with the coils if I ever want to change ride height or stiffness it will be simple

And I bet I'll always be able to sell it and get my $5k back that I paid for it

 

[Stephen]

And I bet I'll always be able to sell it and get my $5k back that I paid for it

Whole post is good, last line is the winner for the day!

I know you've been working with Chris in our office on your recipe also. What I would say here is going to echo what most everyone here are saying already. But, some considerations:
I don't know your disability and limitations but a little overkill might not be a bad idea in your case. Many here recommend 35's and 3/4T which is sound. I'd consider 37's and 1-tons for a little more offroad ability while still being a tire you don't mind driving around on and the D60 front lets you drive however you want offroad and/or make mistakes and not leave yourself with a broken front end to deal with. For a lot of guys (myself included) I'd say run the 10b/D44 and carry spares but you're likely in a different situation.
This tire choice and the additional weight and drag of the bigger axles would push me to a powerplant with more beans, meaning a 6.0L rather than a 5.3L or a lot of torque from a 383 if you stick with it. Gearing helps somewhat here too but at some point you just need some beans to push the bricks up the hills and enjoy doing it.
Gear this system to 4.88 or 5.13. Our '04 2500HD with the 6.0L runs pretty good in all highway conditions with 4.88s. Little busy at 80mph but it pulls hills well and does great at speeds under that. This is with the 4L80 and gearing is similar with a NV4500. With a 4L60 I would consider 5.13s since the OD is deeper.
Suspension: our springs are super efficient given they bolt on and give good travel and ride quality. Coilovers in front are the next level and make them drive really nice and ride even better but it's a lot more investment in the install and they do cost more up front. Maintenance on a link system is really minimal compared to leaves but leaves don't take a lot till you are using the truck pretty hard.
No matter what 3-4" of lift is enough.
The rest has been said here except this: Different people enjoy different parts of this truck process. It's very possible you will enjoy using a less built truck more than working for years on the "perfect" truck that often turns into a never ending build. Using the truck will also tell you what you need to do to it. Spend a good part of the build budget on gas. That's not to say that fixing some known problems is not a good idea but it can go too far quickly.

 

[paratrooper307]

There's been some really good advice here. It's been my observation that when people plan a build they inevitably envision building the truck for what they want it to do 5% of the time rather than what they need it to do 95% of the time. It's easy to get carried away, and you end up with either a project that sits for years at a time due to budget issues, or a rig that doesn't get driven because most of the time it's too much of a hassle.

-Use modern fuel-injected power and transmission-selling the 383 can get you started to an LS Swap.
-Keep it at 4" of lift or less-beyond that you have to deal with driveline issues. Avoid unorthodox suspensions unless your fabrication skills are good and your wallet is deep.
-Find an axle set that has the gears that you want already saves a lot of hassle and money-this will be easier if you keep the tire size reasonable.
-Avoid "might as well" syndrome. Sometimes "good enough" really is. As Stephen said, shooting for perfection can be never-ending.
-Be honest with yourself about what you're willing to work on and what you need to farm out.
-Space out your projects, that way you can still enjoy the truck while you're working to get it where you want.

 

[brans87]

Thanks Stephen now you have me ?ing running 37's vs 35's now!!!!! My only concern is then 10 bolt up front cause the back is covered with a 14 bolt FF.

Now the front does have new ball bolts and u joints. in it.

Going to lose sleep over this now!!!!!!

 

[blazinzuk]

An open 10 bolt is not a weak axle. I ran 38" swampers on an open 10 bolt for a long time. I kept up with stuff, but never had ball joint or wheel bearing problems.

Once you lock it you will get more breakage. But on 37s even with a locker and upgraded shafts a 10 bolt can be a very reliable axle.

 

[brans87]

now curious if 4 inch lift in front with zero rates will clear 37's ?

HMM now thinking 5:13's over 4:88

 

[brans87]

you guy's are so bad!

 

[Cruz89K5]

now curious if 4 inch lift in front with zero rates will clear 37's ?

HMM now thinking 5:13's over 4:88

I tried my 37's on my crewcabs 4" lift. Might have been able to go straight. Couldnt turn. Lots of cutting would have made it usable.

I'd do 6.0, 4l80, 241, 1 tons. 4.88's and some 37's. I've roadtripped my SAS truck on military BFG's with 4.56's and its fine. 12mpg at 75 with the AC on. With 190k on the clock I'd get in it tomorrow and go anywhere. There's no reason why an older truck with the same drivetrain couldnt be made just as reliable and as comfortable/capable.

 

[Blue85]

You really can't run anything bigger than a radial 35 without cutting. Even with 35's and no trim, you can't have much front articulation. A twisty suspension will rub 33's. It's 1980's thought process to just keep adding lift to clear bigger tires. It's 2000's+ process to address the root of the problem - the sheet metal. You could probably run 37's on 6-8" of lift (no trim), but it would ride terrible and overall work worse than something softer and lower.

Here's how I see the options:

• Stick with 33's or smaller
• Cut the fenders
• Aftermarket pre-runner fenders
• Stock fenders, custom reworked with wider wheel openings.

There's also the lower fender lip trim that doesn't upset the overall look of the body, but keeps up to 35's from rubbing (much) unless you get real twisty. Plenty to read about here - hit the search button.