My truck needs some guts...

[bitchin85]

my dad owns a construction company and i am constantly hauling alot of weight. i have an 85 longbed 2wd 1/2 ton. it has stock half ton leafs and coils right now and when i load it up, sometimes the back wheels tuck onside the fender wells... (i haul alot at a time) and when i hit a bump it just sucks.. i was thinking of finding a 3/4 or 1 ton in a junkyard and swapping out all 4 springs. if i do this, is there anything else ill need? and what do you guys recommend? easy, straightforward swap?, or is it going to be tricky.. do i need special tools to get the coils out or...? thanks guys tell me what you think

[71swb4x4]

I believe the 3/4 ton frames are beefier as well. You may want to look into buying a 3/4 ton or 1 ton and replacing your 1/2 ton, or doing a body swap.

[bitchin85]

id love that but that aint going to happen anytime soon.. i know 3/4 frames are a little stronger but wont the springs all bolt right up?

[andrewmp6]

Why not get some helper air bags for it ?

[bitchin85]

id ove something like that but im on a very tight budget and i could get a set of springs for dirt dirt cheap..

[bitchin85]

just got back from the local junk yard. i found a 1 ton or 3/4 ton diesel (8 lug). coils are good, the back cas one cracked leaf on one side i can get the hole set of springs for 30 bucks. i glanced at a few other squares and got a bowtie off the grille on one, and i saw a bunch of real nice brushed dash bezels. thats about all thats good on them

[Goldfinger]

From what I've seen its all the same frame. The suspension varies though. heavy duty axles and larger more capable springs. Although change your springs you can gain a lot of load capacity. Although the most ive had in my bed was 2 6x6 tight bales of hay. 1 halfway hung out.

[gm4x4chris]

your best bet would to be to unbolt the entire craddle from the front of a 3/4 ton and bolt it into yours for the front suspension its a simple bolt in process no need for any cutting or welding, this will make you 8 lug with bigger brakes as far as the rear i would up grade that to the 3/4 also as far as the rear leaves go you have to pay attention as some 73/87 trucks have a 52 inch long spring while others have a 56 inch long spring. if you were to put the 3/4 ton front coils in your half ton front suspension you will find your self topped out most likely and with out the truck being loaded it will ride super stiff

[bitchin85]

i dont care so much about the ride.. afterall it is a truck..once again, id like to get a new truck, or swap the hole front end, but i am looking for cheap and simple-ish

[WigglesTheHoly]

you should get the brushed trim and sell it on here

[bitchin85]

how much are they going for? i found 3 flawless ones... and im not trying to turn this into a for sale/wtb add.. just wondering if theyre desideable

[3r!c84]

i need one lol

[bitchin85]

Originally Posted by 3r!c84

i need one lol

if you werent so far away id give ya one lol

[3r!c84]

lol thanks budd

[bitchin85]

if you ever feel like taking a road trip to michigan, theres one with your name on it

[3r!c84]

yeah.. ill be right there lol but thanks anyways

[westofb]

I just switched a truck from 3/4 ton to 1/2 ton (use search feature, search 3/4 to 1/2). I would think you should be able to do it with just a spring swap. I never measured the 3/4 coils, but if memory serves me, they are very close to the same in length as 1/2's, just a lot beefier. The 3/4 leaves are longer so you will have to move the rear spring bracket rearward, I have been told by others that some frames have both sets of holes, mine did not. On the leaves you found, just remove the broken leaf and the same one from the other leaf and bolt them back together, $30 for those parts is cheap. As far as I could tell the frames are the same on both trucks, the 3/4's have extra bracing to stiffen them up. Good luck on your swap, search for my thread mentioned above, I have more details there. that should help with your swap.

[OleBlue79]

If I remember correctly, the front coil springs are the same on the 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton trucks. They are two variations, regular and HD. There are two lengths of rear leaf springs for these trucks. Measure the length of your springs and see if you can find a 3/4 ton set the same length. If you can, it's a simple swap.
Another option would be to add a leaf or two to your existing springs. Remember the Heavy Halfs? You can get add a leafs from JC Whitney and probably other places. I always try to find solutions without wasting a bunch of money, but that's just me. Good luck.

[OleBlue79]

One more thing, The front end components on the 3/4 ton are heavier and bigger than the 1/2 ton even though the coil springs are the same. The 1/2 and 3/4 ton frames are the same as well. The 1 ton frames are different though.

[bitchin85]

thanks. i can get a set of leafs for 15 bucks so ill probly just do that for now. i really only need the extra "beef" in the back for towing and hauling... themain reason i wanted heavier duty coils is to get it to sit level.. i hate the look of trucks that are super raked out.. my uncle put 1 tons on a half ton 89 chevy and it sits up high in the back and squats in the front and im not into that..

[wheels67]

Frame will probably be okay. Its the axles, tube housings and bearings for the axle that will wear quickly under the load. I would recommend trying to get the rearend asembly with those leaf springs for peace of mind. But i know what its like to be on a budget.