64" spring swap?

[Mattchu60]

I posted a while ago about finding ways to soften the 4x4 ride. Someone brought up the 64" springs. I'd like to keep my stock height, the searches I found only seem to show that the rock crawlers are swapping over to these springs. I looked over the frame rails on the K10 last night and it looks like I have plenty of room to move the front hangers forward (must have the 16 gallon tanks?). I have the 52"s now, I would think i'd need to move the front hangers forward 6" and the rear hangers back 6". Would need to drill new holes in the frame for the hanger locations.

Anyone ever done this? Its seems like it would take a little work, but may not be that bad exception for the time involved removing the rivets and drilling new holes. seems like both the 52s and 64s are 2 1/2" wide, so they should bolt up ok?

[Matt Man]

You will end up lifting the truck about 4" if you swap to those springs.

Look at this thread for some info: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=680201

[Mattchu60]

Just looked through it - didnt see anything about the 64" springs in the rear - i did see the 52"s he put up front. from what I could tell he did a shackle flip on the rear.

[74CustomK20]

I am halfway through the 52 front 64 back, and instead of 64'a I did a 4" shackle flip with normal 56" springs. General concensus said 64's would be too soft to towneith, resulting in a lot of squat. So I went back to normal.

[Mattchu60]

Do the 64's have a lot more arch than the 52s? 4" seems like quite a bit more arch. I would not be flipping the shackle over.

[Mattchu60]

Just wanted to see if the 64's really give 4" of lift or if that is because people are flipping shackles. I searched but cant find any info.

[y5mgisi]

I don't think you will get much of any lift by switching to 64s so you should be good. I think my '12 gmc 1500 has 64s and they are almost identical in arch as my stock 52s and 56s on my other trucks. Plus, the 64s are only a 3 leaf pack so they aren't as thick as the old Springs so that would help negate any possible lift as well. I would encourage you to do it!

[Mattchu60]

Thanks for the input. I'm going to consider this for a summer project, right now its pretty cold in IA and I don't have a heated shop to work in. Probably remove the bed for this project.

[y5mgisi]

Honestly, if it was me, I think I would swap to a set of half ton 56s and do a zero lift shackle flip or the sulastic shackles. This way you don't have to move the front hanger and the ride improvement should be pretty nice.

[y5mgisi]

Oh Yea, how do you use this truck? Just a cruiser? Tow a lot? Off road?

[enaberif]

Most frames have hole provisions for the rear leaf hangars on these trucks. Its usually as simple as cutting the rear hangar off and moving it back if you have the shorter springs.

64" springs in the rear will not result in lift but those who got lift as said usually have a shackle flip.

52" in the front is best left for off road use.

[Mattchu60]

I use the truck for hauling heavy loads a 5-10 times a year, pulling a bumper trailer, being used for hauling a 100 gallon fuel tank in the bed, and the rest of the year I just drive it as a daily driver. I have a 2nd car which I plan to sell and use this full time. Would really like it to ride smoother, honestly would like to see how modern I can make the truck while retaining all the classic looks of the vehicle. I wonder if part of my ride is due to the Rancho 5000 shocks? I thought they would be smooth but maybe not? Thought about trying out some 9000xl and using a softener setting - hate to throw money away chasing it when I have pretty new shocks already.

Here it is before the 14 bolt swap.



After the swap.

[y5mgisi]

I think you and I ar in nearly the same boat with what we want from our trucks! So, if you want best ride and still have load carrying ability, what would be best? Probably if it was me, I would still do as stated above. Half ton 56s (three leaf plus overload) and then the sulastic shackle and or the zero lift shackle flip from totally naked off road. The shackle flip when combined with an "optimized" shackle angle will provide a nice ride. But could lead to a washy feeling while towing. To combat that I would want to run a rear sway bar like off a Dodge rear end or something. They have rear sway bars and links that go up the frame so they would be easy to retrofit. For the front, I would want to do 2" tuff country ez rides. They are the softest rated and lowest lift Springs that I know of. For shocks, everyone seems to have the best luck with either the bilstien 5150s or the adjustable Ranchos. I haven't experimented too much with shocks but I gather that they make a huge difference in ride even with stiff Springs.

[slotard]

I think most C trucks have front swaybars, and rear bars are certainly available as well (I have one that's going under my C20).

[Edahall]

You can use air springs to increase load capacity on an undersprung vehicle.

[redneckwheelman2]

with the 64s you'll have to move both sets of shackle mounts if you have the 52s. the center pin to rear leaf bolt have the same or pretty close length between the 64s and 56s.
so move the rear shackle mount back to the 56 holes and move the fronts up roughly 7 or 8 inches. and about the 64s being to soft. chevys been making them since 1988 up to atleast 2010. so if you get the 5 pack from a 2500 or 2500hd it should sag just as much as any newer chevy. if you need more spring capacity then find a set of the 3500 overload springs and hangers. then you wouldn't need to worry about the firm ride and still be able to pull anything without squating.
i'm about 90 percent sure ill be swaping to 64s since the rear springs in my 87 have like 4 broken leafs
the 64s i have in both my 91 2500 and 02 2500hd sit almost flat, with maybe 2 inches of arch.
im guessing that i might need to run a 4 inch block with the 64s in the 87 to get it to sit level with the 2 inch lift i have up front.

[redneckwheelman2]

Old thread but waneed to update. Just doing the finishing touches to my 64" swap. It sits almost dead level with no blocks in the rear and brand new 2 inch lift springs in the front. I had to move both hangers since I slid my axle back from doing a 4l80 swap to retain my original driveshaft . And with a flatbed you can't tell it's moved any.
if any one is curious still. you should only need to move the front spring hangers if you have 56 inch springs under your truck currently. Since I moved my axle 2 inches or so back for the tranny I had to move my rear hangers so the front holes aligned with the back 52 inch hanger holes.
It may have dropped the rear an inch from the stock 9 pack my truck had going to the 6 pack 64s.

[Mattchu60]

You have any pictures of the swap you can put on here?

[redneckwheelman2]

Yeah ill upload some when I get on my computer later today. Any specific pics you want of it?

[Mattchu60]

Maybe some of the brackets on the frame and the overall stance of truck. Did you notice any improvement in ride?

[redneckwheelman2]

i dont have any decent before pictures really. and i have yet to drive the truck so am not sure of ride quality. will be able to once i get mine on the road.
after i moved the rear shackle mount. only had to move the rears because of the 4l80 being 2 inches or so longer then the original th400. if you have the 52 inch springs then you will need to move them to the next set of factory holes for the 56s

the front hanger mounts moved forward. would be an extra 2 inches farther forward if i didnt slide the axle back.

rear hanger in the stock 56 inch position. my shackle was almost maxed out with the spring bolted in and with the trucks weight on it

this is a current picture. measuring off the flatbed i have 1 1/8 inch rake in 8 feet.
fender measurement is right around 37 inches with the 2 inch lift springs

pulling the 64s out of my donor sucked since the bolts were seized. the one side took a good couple hours to pull and the other side maybe an hour. went alot faster by melting the rubber bushing out and sliding the springs off that way.
really the hardest part was getting all the dang rivets out. since there is 6 on each rear hanger and 12 each on the fronts.
quickest way i found was to just center punch the rivet then do a pilot hole then stepped up to a 7/16 bit. then get a chisel wedged between the bracket and frame. still a major pain but worked out ok
all hardware is 7/16" by 1 1/2" grade 8 bolts.

[redneckwheelman2]

ill be able to compare to my friends 3 inch lifted k20 once mines on the road for ride quality forgot to put that in

[redneckwheelman2]

Don't know if anyone is interested in this yet but the 64s in the back and 2 inch lift springs in front rides like a dream can't even tell it's a solid axle truck. Rides smooth on wash board dirt roads with no wheel hop and goes over potholes at highway speeds perfectly. Feels like a 2000+ half ton almost

[Mattchu60]

Thats great to hear that it gave good results. I want to try this once I have some time and funds to start another project.

About the rear hanger, you mentioned it was closed to maxed out - does it work ok still in the stock rear position?

[redneckwheelman2]

I ended up moving the rear mount back like 2 inches to make my old driveshaft work with the 4l80e swap I did. Otherwise the center pin. To rear. Shackle is real close measurement wise between the 56 and 64s