raising front end

[cuda]

My '87 K10 has 3-leaf springs in the front and 4+2 helpers in the rear. The rear sits an inch or so higher than the front, which I wanted to raise to make it sit level. Is there any easy, reliable way to raise the front end up to 2"?

[skevac]

You could buy 2" lift springs for the front but is going to ride a little more firm than stock. You could also take your old front spring packs to a big truck suspension shop and have your old ones re-arched but the may start to sag after a while, especially if you off road it at all. If you don't haul or trailer much you could also remove the overload spring and/or one leaf from the rear.

[Prerunner1982]

Do you plan on hauling anything with the truck? If so you might consider leaving the rear a bit higher as this how it was intended so that when hauling a load the rear would not sit lower than the front but rather a bit more level.

[cuda]

After looking at it, the rake is more than a couple of inches. I'm sure that it didn't come this way from the factory. I've never seen a 4wd truck that was stock sit this high in the back as compared to the front. I do plan to do some occasional hauling, so I would like to leave the rear as is. The front springs look to be flat or even somewhat dearched. Is this normal? I was also told that 3 leafs are stock for a 3/4 ton and that mine should only have 2, being that it is a half-ton. Peculiar.

[cuda]

If I can figure out how to post pictures, I'll try and snap some and post.

[skevac]

That is correct info as far as what I have had experience. Yes the springs are mostly flat or negative arch. There may have been some special package where you could get HD front springs in a 1/2 ton???? I don't think that all 3/4 tons came with 3 springs in the front pack either????

[cuda]

There is no room to add anything to thicken the front spring pack because the u-bolts are just long enough to let the nuts fully thread without any excess bolt coming through. I might remove a helper from the rear. Does the rear pack have a dowel pin that locates the springs on the saddle like any other set of leafs, or could I just loosen the u-bolts and slide a helper spring out?

Or is there some sort of shackle for the front springs that will raise the front end? I would rather raise the front, as opposed to lowering the rear.

[msgross]

I have your solution.

1. Get a Rancho add-a-leaf for the front $50-$75 from summit
2. I have a set of Dana44 U-bolts (new) that should work. They are 5/8th" and will fit any Dana44 that has a 2.75" thick tube. Of course one is wider for the diff u-bolt. check the parts board for my u-bolts

Yes the rear pack has a bolt in the center, the add-a-leafs will come with a new one for the front. PM me if interested....

[cuda]

PM sent.

[85_SWB]

first i would take a tape measure and measure from the ground to the bodyline so you know what kind of difference you are looking at

[msgross]

cuda check the parts board for my u-bolts...

Rancho makes a long add-a-leaf that should be softer than the short one's....