Chevy version of the Ford High Boy?

[6 Door King]

I have found a Chevy that the owner swears is a factory lifted truck, claiming it is Chevy's version of the High Boy. It's a 79 4x4, but that's about all I know about it. Just curious if anyone has heard of this "package" or if the owner is blowing smoke? Any details you could share would be appreciated, and maybe I'll learn something!

[Chevy1TonFun]

I don't know of any chevy truck coming lifted from the factory. Its all aftermarket. I say he is blowing smoke. Heres a question, does it matter? The only reason to have a factory lifted truck is for it to be covered under or not to void the warranty.

[6 Door King]

I had never heard of anything like what he was describing, it was just obscure enough to get me thinking though. I was imagining the heavy half package and the other oddball stuff Chevy turned out over the years. I figured if anyone would know it would be you guys. I dug around on the web and drew blanks everywhere but I knew you gearheads might have an old sales brochure or picture of just such a vehicle. If anybody has any more info I would love to know about it, just to expand my knowledge base.

[coops714x4]

A F^*% "high boy" I thought that was a old rodder trick of setting the body on top of the frame of a old coupe ??? but I don't give a crap about a F$(% , I would say hes blowing smoke, if it was factory the spid would show it

[snj8198]

When I purchased my '79 Scottsdale Sport shorty from the original owner he said it came from the factory with with roughly a 2" taller suspension. It had a few amenities like tac, aluminum faced bezel, a neat little hood emblem and captains chairs. I don't know for sure, just what he said.



This was the original paint and wheels. I had Weiand 177 on a built small block so I had the new hood built when this pic was snapped. 6" lift in this pic.

[ghettoluxury]

He is correct I have a set of factory 2" lift springs in the barn. Gm used negative arched springs and the factory lift springs have a positive arch in them.

[special-K]

I don't know of any such thing. A Ford Highboy is a '77 and earlier F250,so Ford didn't even make them in '79. When they were tall they were 4" tall,not 2". They were still using divorced transfer case/transmission design. When GM 4wds had divorced transfer cases they sat up like Fords.

[Mike C]

I'll bite, both of you guys with factory lift springs, what is the SPID code? If they were factory installed they will have a #.

[1970ChevyC-10]

I know GMC had a truck called a High Sierra that was made in the late 70s and early 80s that came stock with a small lift

[snj8198]

Originally Posted by Mike C

I'll bite, both of you guys with factory lift springs, what is the SPID code? If they were factory installed they will have a #.

This truck is long gone.

[willett]

Originally Posted by special-K

I don't know of any such thing. A Ford Highboy is a '77 and earlier F250,so Ford didn't even make them in '79. When they were tall they were 4" tall,not 2". They were still using divorced transfer case/transmission design. When GM 4wds had divorced transfer cases they sat up like Fords.

I think that your bang on.


After some quick research it looks like the ford highboys were sitting on a taller frame than the post 77.5's. Nothing really do do with anything other than the foundation.

I could be incorrect though......

[Your41Plague12]

Originally Posted by willett

I think that your bang on.


After some quick research it looks like the ford highboys were sitting on a taller frame than the post 77.5's. Nothing really do do with anything other than the foundation.

I could be incorrect though......

Frames were the same, as far as I know. They used higher arched front springs and a 4" block for the rear, as well as a divorced 205 setup.

[special-K]

Originally Posted by willett

I think that your bang on.


After some quick research it looks like the ford highboys were sitting on a taller frame than the post 77.5's. Nothing really do do with anything other than the foundation.

I could be incorrect though......

Originally Posted by Your41Plague12

Frames were the same, as far as I know. They used higher arched front springs and a 4" block for the rear, as well as a divorced 205 setup.

From what I noticed on the earlier set-ups,they put a cross member for the shackles up front that you can see below the bumper. It seems to compensate for the rise in the frame,which creates a lift,and they used blocks in the back to level it up. I'm not familiar with frame changes on Fords. But,you don't see that cross member on 78/79s which have the same body and bumper.

[Dieselwrencher]

Originally Posted by special-K

From what I noticed on the earlier set-ups,they put a cross member for the shackles up front that you can see below the bumper. It seems to compensate for the rise in the frame,which creates a lift,and they used blocks in the back to level it up. I'm not familiar with frame changes on Fords. But,you don't see that cross member on 78/79s which have the same body and bumper.

The frames are different from 77.5 to 78 up. I have a friend that has a 78 and someone has swapped the high boy stuff to the 78 frame. It was a mess! And the high boys did have a lift spring in the front and blocks in the rear like already mentioned.

[special-K]

High Sierra was a trim level,just Like Custom Deluxe. High Sierra is what they referred to as way up in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. High Sierras could be 2wd or 2wd and it had nothing to do with suspension.

The Fords that people started calling "Highboys" once the lower '78s came out were not an option. It's just the way "all" the trucks were designed. The fact that Ford started making their trucks lower shows the trend to make 4wds more user friendly and comfortable for the new widespread customer base of the 4wd market. '78 was also the first year for the full-size Bronco which took them away from the Jeep market and into the Blazer and Ramcharger/Trailduster market. I highly doubt (and certainly don't remember) GM took off in the opposite direction. It was a time when style and ride comfort was taking over,which is why negative arched elliptical springs were the standard,which makes vehicles ride lower.

[milled]

Originally Posted by special-K

High Sierra was a trim level,just Like Custom Deluxe. High Sierra is what they referred to as way up in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. High Sierras could be 2wd or 2wd and it had nothing to do with suspension.

The Fords that people started calling "Highboys" once the lower '78s came out were not an option. It's just the way "all" the trucks were designed. The fact that Ford started making their trucks lower shows the trend to make 4wds more user friendly and comfortable for the new widespread customer base of the 4wd market. '78 was also the first year for the full-size Bronco which took them away from the Jeep market and into the Blazer and Ramcharger/Trailduster market. I highly doubt (and certainly don't remember) GM took off in the opposite direction. It was a time when style and ride comfort was taking over,which is why negative arched elliptical springs were the standard,which makes vehicles ride lower.

id say he knows his stuff!

[special-K]

Originally Posted by milled

id say he knows his stuff!

No,I've been around long enough to fake it pretty good,that's all..heh heh

Around '79 it was pretty common for a dealer to trick out trucks because the 4wd thing was exploding wide open. There was a local Ford dealership called Big Henry's that put out what they called The Sandbox Edition. They were short Flaresides with a graphic paint scheme,chrome roll bar/push bar,lifted,and 36" Mudders/10" chrome spokes. I think they did some long Stylesides,too come to think of it. I had my home brewed '69 Power Wagon back then and had fun watching those pretty trucks get all broken up by guys with more money than sense. If I broke an axle,that was my truck payment for the month...they had two payments that month There's started off all pretty and got beat up.Mine started up beat up and got pretty...er

[Zane M]

I have absolutely no idea, but my guess is he is either blowing smoke, or it was possibly a dealer lift.

[Your41Plague12]

It was probably an aftermarket kit installed by a dealer, not by GM. GM never did this from the factory. The Ford "Highboys" were made from '67-77.5. They were only made through half of 1977. They had 4" blocks in the back and positive arched springs in the front. Easiest way to tell a true one is looking for a divorced transfer case setup and a gas tank in the cab (filler is on the cab itself). Anyway, GM never did this and I'm guessing it was just for user-friendliness. Those old Fords look mean though! I'll definitely own one some day.

[66 4x4]

Like said all 67-77.5 ford F250s 4x4 are nicknamed "Highboys" by owners. It is not a Ford term. They are not a option at all, all 250s 4x4s in that year range sit at the same hight. There was not a highboy or non highboy option. I have had 3 of them and still have a 77.5 non highboy. lol

[special-K]

Originally Posted by 66 4x4

Like said all 67-77.5 ford F250s 4x4 are nicknamed "Highboys" by owners. It is not a Ford term. They are not a option at all, all 250s 4x4s in that year range sit at the same hight. There was not a highboy or non highboy option. I have had 3 of them and still have a 77.5 non highboy. lol

Oh yeah,one of those Medium Boys. I remember that option

[1972RedNeck]

'66 and older Chevy trucks had a block under the rear like the fords. All F250 4X4's before '77.5 had a block under the rear. It was just 3" on the pre '67 instead of 4" like on the '67 - '77.5.

[special-K]

Chevy version of Ford Highboy:

[63chevyll]

I had. 79 std cab 1 ton dually 4x4 that sat very high.

I loved how that rode and how high It was
Posted via Mobile Device

[Dooley]

Originally Posted by 63chevyll

I had. 79 std cab 1 ton dually 4x4 that sat very high.

I loved how that rode and how high It was
Posted via Mobile Device

My 1980, 1979, 1977, and 1988 4x4 duallies all measured about the same. I had ordered 7.50-16's on all but the 1988 which came with 235/85's. The 1977 helper springpack had 6 leafs while the others had 5.