Project "River Truck" - CCLB 4x4

[y5mgisi]

Great work! You could consider dropping the rear back down by using ord's 2.5" lift brackets and selling your 4" ones. That is what I would do. Then, if over time the springs sag a bunch, you could just add a 1" block.

[arrover]

Yes that is definitely a possibility. I'm going to lift the front and see how much lift I get there. If it's pretty level, I will probably leave it. If not, I'll adjust it somehow. If the front is lower I might also add zero rate. Thanks for the bracket swap suggestion. I will certainly keep that in mind!

[MTCK]

Nice job! I think you are right that your sprigs had a pretty tough life and we're tired. The new leafs should settle a bit.

[Gaelon]

Are your tires the stock size for the H2 wheels (315/70R17) or are smaller tires mounted?

[arrover]

No, the current tires are 285/70-17s. I've been eyeing another set of wheels and I have some really worn 315/70-17s that I would probably put on them. I would also just like to see what these current wheels/tires look like after the lift is done. So, I'm not really sure what I'm going to do yet....

[arrover]

I finished the front lift a few days ago. It went much easier than the rear. Things were less rusty so things came apart more easily. Here are some pics...

[arrover]

more...

[arrover]

couple more

[arrover]

And here is what it looked like after the front and rear lift. With all the things that I changed, the rear ended up a little too high. Some of the pictures don't show it well but it had quite a rake to it. You can see that on the level. So I ordered the 2.5" shackle flip brackets from ORD and installed them this morning. It has a nice stance now. I promise to get you pictures of the finished lift ASAP. I haven't had a chance to get good ones yet.

[arrover]

If you're planning on installing a lift, this is probably worth a watch:

1973-1987 Chevy Truck: 4" ORD Lift Install -...

[Sodell]

Great info, truck looks great!

[MTCK]

Truck looks awesome. Curious to see how the rear wheel is centered with the lower shackle flip.

[y5mgisi]

How does it ride and drive?

[arrover]

Thanks guys! I swapped out the 4" ORD shackle brackets for the 2.5". The swap was easy and quick. I'm really liking the result. It's much more level now.

[arrover]

I had read that on some trucks, depending on what lift and shocks you put on it, the rear passenger shock body could contact the axle tube. Unfortunately that was the case on my truck. The interference was so bad that the shock couldn't even be mounted to the axle. ORD said that a lot of guys just cut a slit in the shock bracket on the axle, then bend the bracket backwards, and then weld up the gap that opened up. That's how I did it and it seemed to work well.

After I actually drove the truck, I found that my turning radius was horrible to the left and the pitman arm/drag link joint would contact the tire. The steering wheel was also way off center so I adjusted the drag link and that fixed the steering/rubbing issues and centered the wheel.

The truck feels like it drives almost exactly the same as it did before the lift. The ride is better with the lift. I think that is probably because of the new shocks.

[arrover]

Forgot to post these pics showing the ORD 4" lift brackets next to a 2.5" bracket. The strange lines on the finish of the 2.5" brackets are because ORD shipped the brackets to me when the paint was still wet. I told them that I needed the brackets for this weekend. They called me back later in the day and gave me the option to ship them that day or wait for the paint to dry. I told them to ship them wet so I could get the truck together in time.

[arrover]

The payoff for the last few weeks of work was that I was able to actually take the river truck to the river this weekend! We went camping and the truck performed great. I hauled lots of gear and several loads of firewood. The truck is popular with people which is funny because it was over 20 years older than all of the other vehicles there. Fun time.

[Sodell]

Looks awesome, not over done, and drivable!

[MTCK]

Great work! Glad you got to get out and use it.

[Low Elco]

Looking good, glad you're putting 'er to work!

[arrover]

Here's some footage of the truck from the river camping trip last weekend:

1982 GMC Crew Cab: River Trip! - YouTube

[y5mgisi]

Looks great! How do you like the ride now compared to stock?

[arrover]

Thanks y5mgisi. It steers the same as before the lift and the ride is better. I think that's because the old shocks were shot. Hopefully the new shocks will continue to break in and it gets even better.

[y5mgisi]

Thanks! I just cant figure out what the heck shocks i want to get... i was thikning the 8000's might be a bit too harsh and that i might want the 6000's. My k25 is fairly "light" and will be getting an ls motor which will lighten it up more. So im currently thinking i want to get the tuff country 2" ex ride(non hd) front springs, the 2.5" shackle flip for the rear and i kinda think the 8000's since i'll have the non hd springs.

[arrover]

I'm really not an expert on shocks but I have always been lead to believe that more expensive/higher end shocks will give a better ride. You might want to just call Tuff Country and ask them to explain the differences. The EZ Ride springs should ride better with your setup. I went with the HDs because of the 454 in the truck now and the possibility of a diesel in the future.