questions about my 68 k-20 and lifting it

[hereinmissoula]

the truck has 4 sp. sm465 i assume, i believe 205, and a 307, dana 44 front and 12 bolt rear.... lift company's are giving me a hard time in getting something to lift this... i would like to use tuffcountry springs, but they are no help saying that the 68's are different than 69 and 70's... what is different.... my truck is a long box and will have to do something about the carrier bearing... what do you guys do????

thanks for a newbie... i have built a k-5 in the past so not uneducated but new to this gen pickup

p.s. the 307 is soon to be a boat anchor... zz4 350 with patriot heads, retrofit hyd roller and airgap/truck avenger going in, should be done started and driving by jan

[hereinmissoula]

[/IMG]

****ty phone pic of the start of this project...
bought from original owner... it also has man. brakes and man. steering... would like to change the steering to power.. good info on this and cost..????

sitting on 33x12.5's stock height

[hereinmissoula]

why no help... i have over 15 views and no reply's or opinions, jeez im inpatient, lol

[jrdv]

The spring perches are different. I think they are wider apart? You could just use spring perches off a 69-72. OffroadDesign had a shackle flip that includes the spring perch. You can get a 2 or 4 inch lift without replacing the rear spring pack.
You would probably have to lengthen the rear drive shaft.
The fronts should be the same as the 69-72, but I am not positive.

Good Luck

john

[msgross]

I think it also has to do with the rear spring length as well... I agree that you could look into the shackle flip for the rear and possibly a 4" set of 69 and up springs... I would double check length and width though... They might have a spacer for the carrier bearing, ask Yukon Jack about that though..

power brakes and power steering are a different issue, you can do the lift now and the axle swap later. Easiest way is to find a 3/4 ton axle from a 70 or newer truck (mid 80's) and bolt it in. Match the gears though... You will need to pull all the power steering parts off a donor as well...

Here are some rought prices to expect...cheaper at the junkyard though

PS pump w/pulley with brackets and hoses = $75
good used PS box w/ drag link= $100
used axle with decent brakes and steering arm = $150+
new brake lines = $40
used brake booster/MC/prop valve/and brackets = $125+
U-bolts = $40
also might find a truck with a sway bar and top leaf plates = $50

If your frame is flat behind your manual box then you need to "dimple" it or pick up a 60-66 conversion bracket = $60

I've done all this to my 68, haven't installed it all but it's in progress...

Nice looking truck, good luck

[WyoRoadDog]

+1 to msgross.
From what I have found/understand, the 67-68 frames use a longer and wider rear spring, and with a different pin position as well. The front springs are not a problem, you can use a 69-72 lifted front spring. But, if you don't want to do a block lift in back, or custom springs, about the only option is a shackle flip.
I am using a set of 4" lift springs in front and a DIY4X first gen shackle flip on the rear with the stock springs. I had Kert at DIY build a set of wider cross tied shackles for the rear, to mate to my springs, with spacers on the other side to mount to the shackle flip. Here's a pic.

[Yukon Jack]

Looks like you're are getting some good info. I will commented that if your transfer case is original it should be a Rockwell T-221 which is a gear driven case. What is your transmission shift pattern - that will confirm whether you have an SM420 or SM465.

When I did my original 4" lift and later 6-7" lift, I did not have to modify my rear driveshaft or drop the carrier bearing. I do have the Rockwell transfer case and I had to add a double cardon joint to the front driveshaft and modify it's length, even with just the 4" lift.

[hereinmissoula]

"I had Kert at DIY build a set of wider cross tied shackles for the rear, to mate to my springs, with spacers on the other side to mount to the shackle flip. Here's a pic."[/QUOTE]

please explain this alittle better..i can be a little slow sometimes.. lol

so you had to add something to the shackleflip...???? can i just take all the perches off and use 69-72, and how hard is this.. don't have access to a welder right now so.....

thanks in advance

sorry for being so impatient.. was gonna order up some parts and couldn't get my **** together... really who thought it could be so hard to lift a solid axle chevy 4"... lol

[msgross]

you don't need to weld anything for these lefts...

cutout 4 rivets per side with a grinder and bolt the new shackle and mounts on..

[hereinmissoula]

so am i better off changing everything to 69-72... stronger and more options... just have to change the hangers right and get 69-72 springs..???? thats it??

[WyoRoadDog]

As for going 69+ brackets, etc. that's a question for someone more familiar than me with the year differences. I don't know if you could or where you would mount the hangers to use 69+ springs. I would think you would have to move both hangers for the rear spring, since the pin location on the later springs is offset. Something to check, my springs were ~56" eye to eye, with the pin centered at 28".
Here's some more pics of the shackle flip setup. You would grind the rivets off and remove the original hanger. The new one bolts on, and there are 2 holes to be drilled for each in the bottom of the frame. As well, I modified the bracket to clear the rivet on the cross brace. Someone else may be able to say if that x-brace can go away.
If you look back at my other pic, looking at the shackle, I had it built wider than normal because '67 stock springs are wider than the '69+ that it is normally made for, then, at the top where it mounts to the flip, you can see where its kind of "shouldered". That would be spacers that Kert welded in to make up the difference in width from the spring to the bracket.
Hope this helps.

[hereinmissoula]

ttt.... there ya go... i wasn't getting any reply's in here so i went to the general truck forum

[special-K]

Have you checked into custom springs?They will cost more.Sure,they will be better quality,but you also have to weigh the labor and all involved in changing mounts.The custom springs are "bolt-on".The perches may not be are strong,but I don`t really hear about them breaking.