blocks need springs

[724x4LB]

Hi all, new truck owner here. I traded my 67 camaro for a 72 4x4 and although he put some really nice parts on this truck he also took some shortcuts? IDK. There are lifting blocks in the rear and completly sprung on the front. So I'm shoppping for replacment springs for the rear but they speak of 52" 56" and I'm not sure what that means or how to determine what I neeed to get these blocks out of there. I measured the blocks and they are 5.25 inches tall of crap. So I'm guessing I have a 6" lift? Maybe the spring has the other .75 inches...? But I cant find a 5.25 " lift soooo. Here is a picture of the beast. Any suggestions?

[BrianG]

Just by looking I'd say that it very well could be a six inch lift. Rear Blocks are not at all uncommon and even came in some stock trucks later on (altough much shorter). Also, it is very common to buy a lift kit that comes with new front springs and only blocks for the back. Its a money thing. Sometimes, depending on the lift, you actually do both. I believe that thehe 52" - 56" is the distance measured between the bolt holes on the spring, but other members can confirm that. If your ride is okay, you probably could just replace the rear springs. I recommend Skyjacker Softride, although I have heard that their six inch lift rides much rougher from experience. I can't say for sure, I've only ever had their 4 inch lift with new springs all the way around.

[724x4LB]

thanks for that info . i think it rides ok in the front. the rear is stiffer. I also need some real shocks. He put new ones but I dont know who makes em they're just white. I took a couple pictures real quick to show what it has. I also removed the stupid black paint from the grill. I wonder about the pitman arm ....did he do what needs to be done when you lift it? And anyone know anything about the driveshaft? I just know it cant be stock.
Thoughts and comments welcome!

[BrianG]

That is a nice looking ride. I'm sorry I forgot to mention that earlier. You're pitman arm looks good. I'd really look at replacing those rear springs though. The front's are replacement and the backs look original. I'm guessing the PO bought a kit that included front springs rear blocks and maybe new shocks. There are a lot of shock choices. I would not go with the cheapy oil shocks but instead upgrade to a gas charged one. you can also get a boot that goes over the exposed rod. I'm assuming that your rear drive shaft is okay. It's either new or been reworked. Just make sure the slip joint is all good. One other thing that I ended up doing was adding a kit that helped reduce the axle wrap. this happens when power is applied to the rear axle and the axle wants to rotate by twisting the spring. the kit included a shock and mount (both sides) that went between the top of the axle where the spring mounts and the frame of the truck. The bracket that bolted to the truck wasn't the most appealing, but it worked well

[724x4LB]

Thanks! I measured the bolt distance. Looks like 52". Glad you think the pitman looks right. One less thing to worry about. The shocks stink. I'll look into new ones after i get the rear leaf squared away. The steering shock stinks too, and Im sure it will be worse when i get the 35" tires. That is great advice about the rear axle. I got a guy in central coast who fabs sand trucks. He goes to huckfest out there every year. I know I can get him to fab me some frame to diff links to help with axle twist. He rework his LB to a short bed with coil overs....truck is awesome even 2wd. Here is pic of my truck heart. It's a 383 stroker, 4 core aluminum radiator, edelbrock air gap intake and carb. Just enough power? IDK....lol


PS Is that the actual heater core tip broken off as seen in the pic?

[71K20chevy]

Yup..it's broken. Get ready for the fun job of replacing it (not).

[724x4LB]

Originally Posted by 71K20chevy

Yup..it's broken. Get ready for the fun job of replacing it (not).

Do you replace it from under the hood or do you have to go in from the dash? Also I might be pulling the nose off in the next couple weeks. Can I get it from under the hood then?

[71K20chevy]

Wait until you pull the front clip off, usually you have to remove the hood hinge anyway. It shouldn't be too bad with the clip off.

[724x4LB]

ok thanks. I took a better look at it and there are studs so I guess you need the inner fender dropped down to slide off the heater box. I found the rear springs for 268.00 shipped. time to order parts

[724x4LB]

Thought I'd share a quick video I made.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG0_YxdXxjc

['68 Short Step]

when I took my heater box off to install vintage air I just had to take 2 bolts out of the hood hinge and tilt the hood forward and I was able to slide mine out. Hope this helps

[JointTech]

heater core shouldnt be to bad if you dont have an AC truck. I dont see the compressor but maybe it was lost along the way. AC truck took me 6 hours to replace the core. nightmare.

nice truck.

[Bigdav160]

The front springs look like replacement and the rear spring look to be stock with blocks. Probably 6"

The steering arm is aftermarket for a lift

The driveshafts look OE but have been reworked (sticker). The lift has messed with your driveshaft angles. Someone added shims but not enough. Do a search and you can find the answers to fix it.

[724x4LB]

Originally Posted by JointTech

heater core shouldnt be to bad if you dont have an AC truck. I dont see the compressor but maybe it was lost along the way. AC truck took me 6 hours to replace the core. nightmare.

nice truck.

Thanks. I dont think it was an a/c truck. I'm just gonna pull that fender off I guess, its not aligned right anyhow and there are some bolts missing from the inner fender so it could use a good checkin out.

[bbcmudtruck]

Having built many, many mud trucks in my years I think I can help shed some light on your concerns. First up, the rear blocks are completely normal and fine to run as is. If your going to order new springs, do what the other guy said and order the soft ride springs. As far as shocks go, Rancho 9000 seemed to work pretty good for my street truck. The pit man arm looks correct as well. Usually, depending on how much lift you go with, you have to remove the three studs in the knuckle and replace them with taller ones to accommodate the pit man arm block. However with a 6" kit, I doubt you'd have to do that. (I've never had anything less than 8" lifts on my trucks, so I'm assuming). The rear pinion angle is a little off though. I looks like the P/O fabbed up some home made spring perches of some sort? Hard to tell from the pics. The rear blocks are angled and are designed to correct the alignment issue. Yours looks like either the perches didn't get welded in the correct position or the home made perches are just that "home made". As far as a stabilizer up front, I've always ran dual stabilizers. There are two different styles to choose from. You can have duals that stack up on top of each other or duals that run across the front of the axle. Your truck looks like it has the factory stabilizer. I always used the set up that puts one stabilizer on each side of the axle. (Just like the one you have on there, except there would be another one stretching from the other side so that they meet in the middle. That setup allows you more ground clearance and less chance of hitting something with the version that stacks up on each other. The 52" and 56" refers to the distance between the rear leaf bolts. Half tons and some 3/4 tons usually had 52" springs. Hard to tell from the pics, but I'd say you have a 6" lift. What size of tires are on the truck? Also, you can get steel braided brake lines for it that will run through the frame rather than just hanging underneath it. They aren't that expensive and would put them in a less vulnerable place. Buying new springs probably wont fix your pinion angle as it appears your perches are jacked up. It may or may not improve your ride depending on what springs you go with. When you order new shocks, spend an extra $20 bucks and get some shock boots. There are lots of colors to choose from and protect your shock shaft from rock dings. If the shafts get dinged up, the rough edges will tear the seals. If you order a dual stabilizer kit, match it to the rest of the shocks as well as the boot color. If it were my truck, I wouldn't spend the cash on new springs, the blocks work just fine. Especially with a small block. You will start to get axle wrap when you start putting power in there, however with a 6" lift, it would be minimal. I'd spend the money on a good set of shocks instead of springs. Next I would drop the rear axle and cut those perches off and weld a new set on. It may sound difficult but its really not. There are probably several ways to do this procedure, this is how I do it: Loosen the ubolts and shocks to drop the axle. Cut the old perches off with a die grinder and a cutting wheel. You can torch em off, but be careful not to burn through your axle tube! Next, get a new set of perches and place them on top of the axle. Let the truck down onto the axle and adjust the perches so that your pinion is pointed directly at your transfer case. Next, tack weld them in place and lift the truck back up. Now you can weld the new perches on. Don't run a constant bead though. Take your time and move around on the perches as your welding, so that you don't over heat the axle tube and warp them. If you need anymore help, or better directions, just give a holler! Great looking truck!

[724x4LB]

Originally Posted by Bigdav160

The front springs look like replacement and the rear spring look to be stock with blocks. Probably 6"

The steering arm is aftermarket for a lift

The driveshafts look OE but have been reworked (sticker). The lift has messed with your driveshaft angles. Someone added shims but not enough. Do a search and you can find the answers to fix it.

Hey thanks for the info.. The p/o told me the rear driveshaft was from a duramax driveline that he had worked to fit the truck. IDK thou. I'm gonna work on getting the rear leafs to me and figure out those pinion angles too. I did know they where off. I had to adjust them on my jeep when I lifted it. The only difference is I didnt have to figure out the angle I was givin the shims to correct it and I just had to install them.

[724x4LB]

[QUOTE=bbcmudtruck;6321231]Having built many, many mud trucks in my years I think I can help shed some light on your concerns. First up, the rear blocks are completely normal and fine to run as is. If your going to order new springs, do ...........QUOTE]

Thank you. Wow, and thanks for the info.. I like the dual stab shocks running across the truck better than stacked. I think I'll go that route. As for the rear perches, I know. What the hell happened there i have no idea. I hate the look of the blocks in the suspension. I rather new springs. The truck has about 350HP 400lbs torq.. It is a 6" lift. They are 52" rear springs. 33" tires. I found the ez ride rears for 268.00 shipped. I thought I'd go that route. Someone mentioned axle wrap and some kit the connects the axle to the frame to stop it? Still researching stuff. The perchs for me is a big concern. I dont have a big enough welder for the job. This is gonna take some serious thought

[BLAZERMAN]

Is that a cracked main leaf on the drivers side rear spring? May just be an illusion. If your new springs come with u-bolts tell them you want the u-bolt kit for a 73 to 87 K-10, otherwise you will get the squared u- bolts that work with the lower saddles that came stock on these trucks.

[724x4LB]

I think thats the material between the leafs sticking out. U bolts dont come with it. And I will certainly remember to not get factory ones. Thank you.

[swamp rat]

When i bought my BDS lift kit i had to let them know if I had 56 or 52" rear springs, the guy at the 4X4 shop said to measure from one eye and along the bottom arch to the other eye, I ended up with about 53" and he said that with the weight of the truck that's about normal and i had 52" springs, i'm sure your do too.

I ordered a BDS 4" lift kit when i finished installing the front i had 12" from the top of my 33" BFG's top the top of the fender well, my springs and steering arm look a like yours too, your springs have the slipper pads and screws holding them in?? I replaced a 4" Rancho lift and it was not as tall as this kit..

If you want rear springs and no blocks check the BDS site out, they have the option on the build page for full springs and no blocks, they also have a wedge bolted on the bottom of the spring pack to correct pinion angle..

here: http://bds-suspension.com/kit-customizer?kid=103H

The only concern i have at the moment is with the pinion angle changed on the Eaton rear axle it puts the fill plug even lower than stock so hopefully it won't be a problem down the road. Lots of good info here.

[swamp rat]

I forgot to add a couple things.

Your white shocks look like the stock BDS option as well, Bilstines i think? i have the white shock for my stabilizer but got the Fox shocks for the rest, its also a build option on the link above, My truck is still not on the road yet but very close.. sidelined by weather, unexpected setbacks and feeling like i got hit by a gray hound bus the last 3 weeks didn't help my progress any..

Mt Rancho kit was a rear block kit and still had the stock rear springs, all my bolts were rusted and froze up solid and i had to cut the stuff out, it was a pita.

You have a great platform there and lots of fun ahead too.

[724x4LB]

Thank you. Lots of work ahead. Ill be tackling the perch problem first. It seems to be the ugly I need to face. :-(

[bbcmudtruck]

As far as the oil fill plug goes, you could always drill and tap a new hole higher up on the pumpkin. You'd just have to be careful about over filling it. In my last mud truck, I ran 12 suspension lift with 6" rear springs and 6" rear blocks with 44" boggers and a heavy foot! With a high strung 496, I didn't have and axle wrap issues. I'm not trying to talk you out of the springs, as it is often considered an upgrade. Just giving you my experience with blocks!

[724x4LB]

Originally Posted by bbcmudtruck

As far as the oil fill plug goes, you could always drill and tap a new hole higher up on the pumpkin. You'd just have to be careful about over filling it. In my last mud truck, I ran 12 suspension lift with 6" rear springs and 6" rear blocks with 44" boggers and a heavy foot! With a high strung 496, I didn't have and axle wrap issues. I'm not trying to talk you out of the springs, as it is often considered an upgrade. Just giving you my experience with blocks!

OK I hear ya. another reason i was going with springs is I noticed the mount on the frame for the bump stop hits the spring plate during hard compression. I could take a better picture if need be. Any ideas as to why it would hit? In the picture where the dude said it looked like a cracked spring,,,you can see the paint missig from the bump stop mount right above the supposed crack in the leaf.

[swamp rat]

Heres a couple pic's of my rear BDS springs to show you the pinion angle and shim below the spring pack.