Mild Suspension Work and Tires Done - Pics and Product Info

[KMK454]

My truck is almost all original with about 47k miles on it. It had the following ailments:

- Out of alignment
- Uneven tire wear from being out of alignment
- Dead on-center steering feel
- Bouncy Suspension lacking in control over bumps - truck had little to no rebound control.

I acquired the following parts:

- Bilsten Shocks, front and rear
- LMC front coil springs for 305/350 V8 C10s
- SD Truck Springs 3+1 rear leaf with pressed in bushings
- Performance Suspension Technology Front End Rebuild Kit - had everything but the Pitman Arm and Idler Arm, but both were available at a local store. I went with the rubber kit. If you get this, you have to specify in your order comments what size sway bar you have up front and they will add the sway bar mounts in to the kit
- Maxxis MA-1 235/75/15 radial tires with a 3/4" whitewall x 5 (spare tire was an original G78-15B Bias Ply!)
- Post-install alignment

Of note, one of the Maxxis tires came with a mildly scuffed white wall. This was most likely due to UPS giving the tire some extra "care" while handling it. I contacted Coker Tire to see if there was anything I could do to fix or restore the scuff, thinking they would recommend a product or tire paint. Instead, they offered to replace the tire at no cost. Additionally, since I needed the tires mounted so I could drive the truck on a cross-country move, they let me use the scuffed tire for the move before returning it to them for a new one. Outstanding customer service from Coker Tire!

Once all the parts were on, I instantly noticed the truck sat slightly more level. It doesn't have a tired, mild sag like it used to. The Maxxis tires looked about the same as the Firestone FR380s it previously had with the exception of a better tread and more molding and text on the blackwall, but not enough to look bad.

The biggest difference is in the drive - the steering responds quickly to inputs and is very accurate both on and off center. The truck no longer bounces 5 or 6 times after hitting a bump; instead, it is one firm impact and the truck soaks it up in a controlled manner. Performance in wet conditions also improved with fresh rubber. Altogether, this was a great investment and refresh in the truck. This is the third time I've installed Bilstein shocks in a vehicle and it once again reaffirmed my belief that they are some of the best shock absorbers available today.

Here it is with the new stuff on at a car show... if you've seen pics of my truck before, it'll be hard to tell the difference. I wanted to retain the stock ride height and appearance. I was really concerned about raising or lowering the truck and was overly meticulous about trying to retain the ride height. If anything, the truck sits level front to rear but it's hard to notice with the truck sitting on the grass. Also making it difficult to notice is the front wheel well opening being taller than the rear on these trucks.







Here are some trucks I saw at the car show... the tan 77 had a six cylinder and about 40k miles on it.





Up next - brakes, fuel system, and hopefully an engine rebuild... it'll be some time before that happens, though.