something feels loose...HELP!!

[thisolechevy]

O.K. So I have been pricing around and looking into lift kits for my '69 K-10 and decide that the best "bang for my buck" is to use 3" lift blocks in the front and 3" lift shackles in the back. I installed them last night and finished it this morning I drove it about 1 mile down the road and then re-checked all of the bolts and nuts to make sure that they were tight, all of them are good but for some reason it feels like the truck is about to fall apart (it rode fairly rough before but now it is awful) I could not reuse my rear shocks so I took them off they were to short. The front are still on there but I didnt check to see if the are bottoming out, and the parking brake cable that I cant use is fairly tight...help me please figure out whats wrong.
Brad

[Cethern]

Well You should not use blocks in the front. They can and have come out or have broke. As the front end has more stress with turning and such.

As for the hard ride. What is it doing? does it handle badly or........


Sorry I can't be of more help

[thisolechevy]

yes the ride is rough, it is handling rough and I used to be able to launch the truck straight but tonight when I tried it wanted to whip the rear end towards the left. Your saying the blocks could break??? oh man that sucks it took3 hours to put them in.. Please anybody help with decisions

[danho]

Yeah, it's a bad idea to run lift blocks on the front. I know it's not what you want to hear, but I would go with new front springs and blocks in the rear. Most all of the known lift manufacturers make kits for your truck that will include everything you need to do the job right.

[71swb4x4]

I 2nd (or 3rd whatever) that blocks in the front are dangerous.
You should do everything correctly, and at the same time. Shocks, parking brake, dropped steering arm (if needed), etc. Suspension is a MAJOR part of keeping that thing on the road, and out of the ditch or other lane.

[bouncytruck]

If you run blocks in the front, pictures of your truck will end up on the web as a "what not to do" example. Blocks are ok in the back, but you need to either get your front springs re-arched or get new springs with the desired lift. Did you put new shocks in back? They might also run a little stiffer than the previous shocks.

[FRENCHBLUE72]

NO BLOCKS SHOULD EVER AND I MEAN EVER BE RAN ON THE FRONT AXLE The rear of the truck is wanting to whip around cause you don't have any shocks back there!!!!!! Not to bag on you but if your gonna start messing around with suspension componets DO IT RIGHT the life of other's on the road and who ever happens to be in your truck is at risk...

[68LSS1]

Putting blocks in there definately threw the toe and camber off. I agree with the posts above about not using blocks but what ever route you end up taking you will need to get the front end aligned after.

[LONGHAIR]

It is not the Toe (that is fixed) nor the camber (that is fixed too) it is the CASTER that is changed by using tapered blocks. If you installed the blocks with the smaller end toward the rear, to tilt the pinion up for the driveshaft angle, you have given it negative caster. This is a very shakey situation, the truck will wander all over the road.
That said, even un-tapered blocks in the front are dangerous. The steering and braking load on the front axle is much greater than the rear. The blocks magnify this effect by giving additional leverage. Use a legitimate lift spring on the front and you can get away with a small block in the rear.
You are probably over-extending the front shocks, which is bad enough, but no shocks on the rear at all will give you problems too.

Fix it right.......It's trucks done like this that give a bad name to the ones done right/safely. The law doesn't have time to sit down and figure out "why" the lifted truck caused an accident....they just come along and start passing lift limit laws.

[72gord]

The 3 inch extended shackles in the rear could also be flexing side to side, giving the whipping effect to the truck. Put your blocks in the rear and go pick up a set of front springs and correct length shocks and you will be good to go.

[LUV2XCLR8]

WOW, SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS, OF TIME THAT IS, BUT YOU REALLY NEED TO
REMOVE THE BLOCKS A.S.A.P. LIKE EVERYONE ELSE MENTIONED ABOVE

[dtlilly]

Originally Posted by thisolechevy

... So I decide that the best "bang for my buck" is to use 3" lift blocks in the front and 3" lift shackles in the back...

Brad, that is definately going to give you a lot a bang, for all the extra buck you will spend after getting out of the hospital. Don't drive the truck until you remove the front blocks and rear shackles. Drive her stock until you can afford to do it right.

[thisolechevy]

wow...I am speechless...I guess I need to remove some stuff off of my truck and get some new lift springs... Thank you sooo much everyone for being honest with me and keeping me from causing an accident. Anyone know where I can get a set of lift springs at a good price???

[bouncytruck]

Sometimes you can find used springs on this board, CK5.com or Pirate4x4.com (be warned, the guys on Pirate4x4.com can be a little harsh at times, but it is a good resource). Also, check your local 4wd shop. Sometimes guys will put a 4" lift on their truck and decide a few months later they want more lift.

Forgot to mention, welcome to the board! This site is one of the best resources for these rigs. Post some pictures of your truck when you get a chance (maybe not the lift).

[4x4Poet]

Originally Posted by bouncytruck

Sometimes you can find used springs on this board, CK5.com or Pirate4x4.com (be warned, the guys on Pirate4x4.com can be a little harsh at times, but it is a good resource)....(maybe not the lift).

Yeah, if you post on Pirate, don't mention the all-blocks lift. Just ask if they have used lift springs available. ColoradoK5.com is another good 4x4 BB though they're not so nice either.

You can get a bit of suspension education perusing OffRoadDesign.com.

Bit of advice. Return your suspension to stock, then do a lot of reading on leaf spring suspension lifts until you're convinced of the good advice others provided above. Save money in the meantime to do it best with the right parts.

[Blue_71]

another idea for the pulling to the left- my 71 k20 has a custom front spring lift, with the stock steering arm. after i lifted it, it wont steer as far to the left as it used to because i havent put on an extended steering arm. yours may be keeping it pulled to the left? i never had a pulling problem on my truck and i dont have rear or a front right shock on it

[thisolechevy]

well thanks for the welcome bouncytruck but I have been on the board for almost a year now (not long I know) but I havent ever posted pics of my truck so lets see if these work.

[thisolechevy]

Hey cool they went through I am going to take more pics tomorrow after I clean it all up so check back tomorrow

[Tully]

I have some new lift springs for sale, if you are interested. They measure 42 1/2" long and 2 1/2" wide, 3" with bushings.

[bouncytruck]

Nice looking truck!

[68LSS1]

One recommendation after you get it lifted. Don't listen to the "expert" from a few posts above. If you lift it 3" you have to account for the steering linkage. When you install a suspension lift you increase the distance from where the pitman arm was as it is attached to the frame. This pulls on the spindles via the linkage and causes a toe in condition. If it pulls enough it will change the camber also. Right now as the truck is going down the road it doesn't know which front tire to follow. I bet if you got the front end aligned it would drive pretty good. But still get rid of the blocks up front as soon as you can.

[LONGHAIR]

Ok, here we go again.

First, of all the pitman arm is NOT attached to the frame.

Second, If you lift the front (no matter how blocks or springs) with out adding a lifted steering arm (or dropped drag link) the only thing that happens is that you lose some turning radius to to one side and your steering wheel will be off-center by the same amount. All you have to do is lengthen the drag-link until it is centered again. With only three inches you could get away with this. (it's the blocks that are the problem not the steering arm or drag link)

Third, the tie-rod is a single solid rod that directly links the fron wheels together. Once the toe is adjusted changing the drag-link or anything else for that matter will not affect it. The only things that can affect the toe after it is set are: bending the tie-rod (off-roading etc) which will cause more toe-in because it effectively shortens the rod, or worn tie-rod ends which allow the wheels to become lose from the tie-rod.

Absolutely NONE of this has anything to do with camber. Camber is the tilt of the tire. Camber is controlled by the machining of the knuckles at the spindle mount point. The only things that can affect can affect camber are: bent spindle, warn ball-joints, or the entire axle housing being bent. There is NO adjustment for camber built into these trucks. It is set in the machining of the knuckle at the factory. If you have a camber problem........something else is wrong...se above.

That said the only thing you could have affected is the castor. Which is the tilt of the pivot point of the knuckle. The upper ball-joint has to be behind the lower, or the truck will wander all over. Caster is what gives a vehicle the natural return to straight of the steering. If you have too much caster the steering will feel heavy/stiff and more input effort will be needed.
Look at a shopping cart, or anything else with casters. Notice that the pivot of the wheel is off-set from the axle of the wheel? Same principle, the wheels follow straight behind the pivot point.

Yes, expert...............you are totally wrong 68LSS1, Nothing you do to the drag link will ever effect the toe or camber.

[ricochet442]

hey tully how much for the springs?how much lift?

[thisolechevy]

Thanks bouncy on the compliment, I hope this thread doesnt turn into a bashing! Right now I will just take it back to stock and shop around for springs and stuff later.