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which is smoother ride

rear wheel opening is 1.5" lower than front, and effect on pinion angle

  • 4" shackle flip with stock 3/4 ton burb spring

    Votes: 8 88.9%

  • 2.5" Rough country springs with 2.5" shackle flip

    Votes: 1 11.1%
  • Total voters
    9
Wes Harden

Wes Harden

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I want to do a shackle flip. For better ride and better trail manners(for small tire burb anyway)
Current is 4" blocks on factory springs. Front unknown springs. I have front and rear 2.5" lift Rough country springs from a previous 3/4 ton burb?
Rear sits 1.5 lower at wheel openings I want to level it out.
The blocks have the pinion rotated up, which would be fine if I had a 1 piece CV drive shaft.

I have 2 piece atm. should I put a 1 piece cv drive shaft in a suburban ?

If not I need to rotate the angle of pinion down, How will the shackle flip effect pinion angle?
 
The wheel opening is a deception, not as high as the front, If the frame is level front to back, it is lower.
 
On a K5, the rear wheel well is cut 2" lower than the front. I think a Burb is similar or the same, but you have to ask what your definition of level is. IMO, it's the body line (that long horizontal crease that runs the whole length of a square body) and not the wheel openings. You can compromise and split the difference so the rear wheel well 1" lower than the front, meaning the bodyline over the rear wheel is 1" higher than in the front. So it sounds like you're right in the ball park already.

Then also consider how much the weight in the back varies. If you sometimes load up with tons of gear you might want to start with the back a little higher than if it will always be loaded the same.
 
Yeah I really want opinions on the spring configuration, and effect of shackle flip on pinion angle.

I'll figure out ride hight later, guess I worded my question poorly
 
Call ORD and talk to them. I spent a good 20mins the other day going through options with my suspension to get what I wanted.
 
Yeah that was the plan for today, until I discovered the debit card for my mad truck money account is expired:angry1:.
Still thought I could learn some here too.
 
centexk5 said:
Call ORD and talk to them. I spent a good 20mins the other day going through options with my suspension to get what I wanted.
Click to expand...

Any time I try to talk to any vendor about parts they want me to go away after about 20-seconds...let alone 20-minutes. That is why I get as much info as possible off the internet, and avoid calling any vendors as much as possible because most sales staff hate the customers.
 
A shackle flip will turn the pinion angle up a little. Are your lift blocks tapered...most are? My truck has 4" tapered blocks and shackle flip on stock 1-ton leaf springs. This turns my pinion angle up to the perfect drive-line angle for my lift. A 1-piece drive shaft might work for a Suburban. There is a length limit on those. My crew cab is too long for a 1-piece drive shaft.
 
1-ton said:
Any time I try to talk to any vendor about parts they want me to go away after about 20-seconds...let alone 20-minutes. That is why I get as much info as possible off the internet, and avoid calling any vendors as much as possible because most sales staff hate the customers.
Click to expand...

Definitely not my experience with ORD. Sales actually transferred me to tech support because they couldn't answer some of my questions and wanted to make sure I had the information I needed. But otherwise yes.
 
Blue85 said:
On a K5, the rear wheel well is cut 2" lower than the front. I think a Burb is similar or the same, but you have to ask what your definition of level is. IMO, it's the body line (that long horizontal crease that runs the whole length of a square body) and not the wheel openings. "
Click to expand...

I measured the body line and it is within an 8th inch, good enough. I had been using a photo to judge before and it appeared to be squat in the rear.

1-ton said:
A shackle flip will turn the pinion angle up a little. Are your lift blocks tapered...most are? My truck has 4" tapered blocks and shackle flip on stock 1-ton leaf springs. This turns my pinion angle up to the perfect drive-line angle for my lift. A 1-piece drive shaft might work for a Suburban. There is a length limit on those. My crew cab is too long for a 1-piece drive shaft.
Click to expand...

So you are 8" lift? My truck has 4" blocks and my pinion is angle point directly at the center support bearing. I think that the pinion angle needs to be rotated down a few degrees to match the upper end of lower shaft.
 
If it's a 56" 3/4 ton spring it will give a better ride over a 52" spring with the same shackle flip. That's working on the assumption they are stock springs. A 56" rough country spring may not ride as nice due to the higher spring rate.
 
My suburban has a one piece driveshaft in the rear, it works fine. I welded the perches at the correct angle for a single joint shaft when i swapped axles.
 
best ride for me has been good QUALITY springs up front and a set of good used or new pair replacement springs rear and a flip kit . then top it off with all good poly bushings for all springs and shackles .

first time i did this on a std cab long bed 131.5" w.b. truck over a angled parking lot entrance i was blown away with the floating up / in / over the curb transition i felt .
 
52 front
56 rear
No flip
Move hangers back for 56s and follow ever word of direction for ordering springs from ORD. Be done, be happy. Don’t mess with used.
 
ORD recommended I don't do the hanger flip in the rear and just do their 6" shackle and custom spring for the best ride. I was getting ready to order the shackle flip and 2" lift springs and they advised against it.
 
K85 Octane said:
52 front
56 rear
No flip
Move hangers back for 56s and follow ever word of direction for ordering springs from ORD. Be done, be happy. Don’t mess with used.
Click to expand...
ORD can give you like 12" front and 14" rear travel on factory hangers and the ride won't be any better with longer leafs, so not really worth the extra work. The point of moving the hangers around is to use cheap used springs.
 
So now more questions.
How is towing effected on a shackle flip?

56" tuff co under tension ride/ tow quality?

Gonna put the 2.5 rough country springs on cl.

Option 1. 4"shackle flip with factory 43 yr old 3/4 ton and ORD Kevlar bushings

Option 2. 56" tuff country 4" lift under tension?
What say the tribe?
 
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