Has anyone improved ride/handling in Jimmy/Blazer?

[GM man]

Originally Posted by hemi43

I added an extra 3.5 degrees of caster on mine, and it made a huge improvement in drivability.

No kidding? Did you have to do anything else? And so what kind of improvement are we talking about? Less bouncy, more linear?

Originally Posted by ClassicStyle

Link the front with coilovers.

This looks like a good idea too, but what I could find was over $3K. Ouch!

[hemi43]

Originally Posted by GM man

No kidding? Did you have to do anything else? And so what kind of improvement are we talking about? Less bouncy, more linear?



This looks like a good idea too, but what I could find was over $3K. Ouch!

What it did was point the truck down the road a lot nicer. It removed 80% of the darting that these trucks are known for because of the combination of short wheel base, high ride height and large tires. Caster will not do anything as far as the stiffness or boucyness of the ride. The single biggest factor for ride is shocks, then springs. If you want a smoother ride, you may want to consider a passenger car type of shock. Having your springs rebuilt may cause more harm than good, because most times an extra leaf will be installed which results in a higher spring rate.

[mister.freeze]

When I bought my 72 CST, the front springs were bowed the wrong way. Figuring that time and too much weight did it, I went to a 3/4 setup all around, which included a 4" lift. Back then I lived kind of in the country, and I thought the ride was quite good. Freeway too. But I live in the burbs now and it's so stiff and bounces a lot. Just crappier roads with a short wheelbase. I think there's a better way, but not a cheap one!

[lyrikz]

Originally Posted by hemi43

What it did was point the truck down the road a lot nicer. It removed 80% of the darting that these trucks are known for because of the combination of short wheel base, high ride height and large tires. Caster will not do anything as far as the stiffness or boucyness of the ride. The single biggest factor for ride is shocks, then springs. If you want a smoother ride, you may want to consider a passenger car type of shock. Having your springs rebuilt may cause more harm than good, because most times an extra leaf will be installed which results in a higher spring rate.

What did you do to get the better caster rate?

[Madtrucker]

Originally Posted by lyrikz

What did you do to get the better caster rate?

There's a few good unanswered questions in this thread. Any links for sway bar add on ? I'm going through old posts in search of answers before tackling the blazer again. Been a pain in my a$$ for 3 years, but I just can't seem to give up.