Raising a 69GMC? I have questions...

[Warrens69GMC]

I will be working on my wifes 69GMC and we are about to switch it to 5-Lug front and rear. I understand how to do the rear, but what front springs will net ~3" in increased height? Yes, I want a 3" lift, and I will have to buy new coils spring for this swap. Any ideas?

[andrewmp6]

I'm taking a guess at this but the 1ton front coils might raise it up.

[Warrens69GMC]

I had heard about doing 1 ton springs, I was wondering if there wasa better solution. Our GMC is 1/2 ton version.

[LONGHAIR]

You are not going to get 3" of lift from the stock control-arm suspension with-out some serious fabrication. A longer spring won't do much for you. The limiting factor is in the design of the control arms themselves. They just won't allow that much "droop"....and even if you could it would be "maxed out" and there would be nothing left and the ride would be terrible.

If you are really set on lifting it, why not a body lift, like the 4x4 guys do? It wouldn't affect the ride at all.

[mclairmo]

I plan on lifting my 68 C10 about 3 inches in front. I just bought a set of one inch upper ball joint spacers off Ebay made by Fabtech (discontinued) for a 73 and up C10 and they work perfect ($75). They effectively lower the upper ball joint by 1.5 inches. It's just like installing a longer spindle. Allows the spindle to drop down farther, allowing more lift. I then bought a set of 3 inch lift coils off Ebay made by Chassis Tech for a 73 and up C10 ($75). I would not run 3/4 or 1 ton springs because the total lift will likely not be 3 inches and the spring rate will be much higher, possibly giving you a harsh ride. You want soft springs for a nice ride, not stiff springs, unless you plan on towing. I plan on using a very low profile urethane button style bump stop on the bottom of the upper control arm to allow the upper arm to drop down more than stock before contacting the frame ($20). Yeah, the upper arm might still end up resting on the frame, but it's the only way to get 3 inches. I lifted a Toyota 2wd this way before and the upper arm rested on the frame but the ride was not much worse. The truck will be street driven so full suspension travel is not as necessary. I also bought some 1.5 inch round aluminum lift blocks for under the rear coils ($50). Global West sells them for cars but they fit our trucks, too. You can find them on Ebay, as well, by one or tow vendors. My truck already has the heavy duty option coil springs in the rear, which are merely oem 3/4 ton springs. I also bought some one inch round plastic body lift pucks/blocks for the cab. A one inch body lift will give me some extra room for bigger tires without requiring all sorts of extreme modifications to the steering linkage, fan shroud, brake lines, bumper brackets, etc. Jeep guys often go with one inch lifts for this reason. I found a guy on Ebay selling 1x3 inch body lift pucks for about $5 each. I bought only 4 of the 1x3 inch pucks for just the cab since I also have a poly cab mount kit that has the thicker 69-72 radiator mounts that are almost one inch thick. The oem 68 rad mount is very thin but if I use the 69-72 poly radiator mounts on my 68 (might have to enlarge the hole in the frame a little), I should end up with about one inch of lift under the rad support, like under the cab. I can always add metal washers to get a full one inches if need be. I plan to lift the bed one inch with bar stock. This should give me 4 inches of total lift for under $300 and everything was purchased off Ebay. If you want, you can also try to find Fabtech upper control arms for the 73 and up C10 or Chassis Tech also makes upper arms that may work to help with increasing suspension travel and maybe giving you even more lift, not sure though. Also, they are not cheap.

[duceducenine]

if i just lift it with 2" coils
would i need any other modifications?

[mclairmo]

Originally Posted by duceducenine

if i just lift it with 2" coils
would i need any other modifications?

Probably not, but the upper arm might end up resting on the frame, even with a low profile button style bump stop. A ball joint spacer will give you back some of that suspension travel that you lose because of the lifted coils and they are not that expensive. On Ebay now for $75.

[LONGHAIR]

I am not a fan of ball-joint spacers. They add leverage to the connection that your steering and brakes are depending upon.

[mclairmo]

Originally Posted by LONGHAIR

I am not a fan of ball-joint spacers. They add leverage to the connection that your steering and brakes are depending upon.

True. However, if the truck will be street driven and you use grade 8 bolts and a good quality USA made upper ball joint, I believe you would be ok. Many Toyota offroad guys run ball joint spacers and I have never heard of one failing.

[pooz911]

I originally installed the front springs in 1990.....had to finally rebuild the original front end in 1995. Have been running the same set up since then with no problems.

[Warrens69GMC]

Checking in to see the comments...

[mclairmo]

Originally Posted by pooz911

I originally installed the front springs in 1990.....had to finally rebuild the original front end in 1995. Have been running the same set up since then with no problems.

You can see here the ball joint spacer and the ultra low profile button style bump stop. Looks like bump stop is not resting on the frame on this truck but has made contact with the frame in the past. The brake hose looks to be stretched and would become over extended when the arms drop down even further. However, that rubber hose apparently can stretch quite a bit without breaking as evidenced by this hose that is still in service. I would probably go with a longer brake hose for peace of mind.