K10 rides like a wagon.

[suburban99]

Got 35's and a 6" lift on my K10...looks like a BDS lift kit installed by previous owner...just LS swapped it and driving it lots.
Any ideas how to soften the ride?

[sweetk30]

what color spring bushings ?

and suspension pics ?

and any tags / stickers / painted part #'s on the springs . ?

bds is about the best off the shelf kit . . . they tend to run gray speckle paint on brackets and such . and black bushings .

you sure its not rough country ? ? ? there the dump truck ride brand . and most used for cheep price untill you find out there quality level . i refuse to install there stuff . i have removed a lot of there brand and toss them in the dumpster .

also shock brand and style has a lot to do with it .

and how much air pressure in tires ?

last nice lookin truck .

[Warrens69GMC]

You could airbag the front seat like the big rigs. Not being a smart *ss.

[Brad54]

I haven't done it yet, but a couple guys with '60-'66 K10s say the key to a softer ride is installing longer springs... they're using late-model factory springs, with DIY spring hanger kits. They swear by them, so I'm going to do it on my '62 K10.

-Brad

[suburban99]

Originally Posted by sweetk30

what color spring bushings ?

and suspension pics ?

and any tags / stickers / painted part #'s on the springs . ?

bds is about the best off the shelf kit . . . they tend to run gray speckle paint on brackets and such . and black bushings .

you sure its not rough country ? ? ? there the dump truck ride brand . and most used for cheep price untill you find out there quality level . i refuse to install there stuff . i have removed a lot of there brand and toss them in the dumpster .

also shock brand and style has a lot to do with it .

and how much air pressure in tires ?

last nice lookin truck .

Front springs have Blue Bushings and 001-402 painted number on top leaf.
Rear Springs have 22-403 sticker on them has a 4" rear block...bushing look black
Shocks are BDS brand...
Tires are 35x12.5x15 C rated and have 25lbs air...(rides better since air down)

[andrewmp6]

A shackle flip in the rear will give you 4 inchs of lift and ride better http://diy4x.com/product.php?product...cat=250&page=3 you can lose that lift block if you that.The other thing is those white body shocks are kinda crappy,Look in to bilstein shocks.Or talk to http://offroaddesign.com/index.htm they own these trucks and know how to get them lifted right.

[Stocker]

A few Google hits say those front springs are 4" Glide-Rides, but nothing about spring rates. The rears are OEM-type replacements, 2350# capacity. Hard to say about the shocks, if they are as old as they look, it may be replacement time which might help soften the ride.

['63GENIII]

Originally Posted by Brad54

I haven't done it yet, but a couple guys with '60-'66 K10s say the key to a softer ride is installing longer springs... they're using late-model factory springs, with DIY spring hanger kits. They swear by them, so I'm going to do it on my '62 K10.

-Brad

Like Brad, this is the way that I went. Truth be told though, I adapted DIY's B52 front kit and the rear shackle flip to the '63. They are actually sold for use on the '68 - '72 trucks FWIW.

It is a much more comfortable ride than with the factory springs let alone an arced lift spring. IMO a front sway bar is near mandatory and a rear one may be a good add as well.

Im running Rancho 9000s and am thinking about looking at Bilstiens myself like Andrew has suggested. If you can, get rid of the lift blocks. I drove my truck with the bed off for a couple of days (stock springs with 4" blocks) and was floored by how much leverage the blocks allowed the axle to exert on the springs. Lots of movement, axle wrap and a bunch of bad stuff. Shackle flip will help that.

[polishspy]

Hey i know a little off topic, but what size wheels and offset are you running with those 35s?

Just curious because I'm looking to put 34s on my K20 suburban.

[suburban99]

Originally Posted by polishspy

Hey i know a little off topic, but what size wheels and offset are you running with those 35s?

Just curious because I'm looking to put 34s on my K20 suburban.

They are stock 6 lug 15x8 rally's off a square body ...I believe their is only 1 size offset..
Tires are bfg all terrains 35x12.5x15
Truck drives good with this combo other than the ride harshness

[special-K]

I have had hydraulic shocks give a better ride than gas. Nitro shocks were developed for off road racing with trucks getting air and running fast over rough terrain to prevent cavitation from heated oil. This doesn't happen in normal use. It's not always the spring causing rough ride. I think Tuff Country EZ-Rides are the best off the shelf springs, from my experience. They are gas, but the Rancho RS9000 adjustable shocks are a true functional enhancement. I never messed with the in between settings. Ran on softest setting unless towing. Big difference. Truck swayed on softest when towing, rode perfect on stiffest towing, rode hard as a rock on stiffest otherwise, and rode same as stiffest with trailer when set on softest not towing. My experience is with those combined with EZ-Rides.

[Zoomad75]

Shackle flip out back. Ord/deaver stock length springs up front. Bilsteins all the way around.

52's are nice but most note a lot of sway and the stock sway bar don't fit up front with 52's. Plus 52's usually require changing to cross over steering.

If you want a better ride without re-engineering the front suspension, call Stephen Watson at ORD. Spec out a custom spring for the front and get the bilsteins that are custom valved to his specs.

['63GENIII]

Stock '73 up sway bar with the 52s and stock push pull steering. Both work great. Last go around while rebuilding the front axle, I added a few leafs from the original '63 rear spring pack to the '74 1/2 ton spring pack that I run in the front which tightened up the sway considerably. Still very comfortable on city streets and highway. Little bit of sway but not a problem since I stopped drifting the truck .

Its not for everyone and its a little trial and error but now that its set up, I don't think I could have gotten any better without going to a multi link or some ridiculously expensive front suspension.

[Killer Bee]

nitrogen reservoir and never look back.. take a ride in one and you'll notice the difference immediately..

had a class 7 truck for several years and it floated through the desert at speeds that would wreck the average truck..

[special-K]

How did it ride and handle on the street?

[mike16]

what about grease between the leaves. GM did it on thier more expensive cars back in the day

[Killer Bee]

Originally Posted by special-K

How did it ride and handle on the street?

depends how fast your going






but what fun is driving on the street?

[Matt Man]

On my 81, I have 4" rancho springs on the front and the biggest thing that improved the ride was getting a adjustable shock. I went from the quad rancho 5000 series (one of the worst out there) to a procomp mx6 6 way adjustable shock. I have the front set at 2 (1 being the softest setting) and the rears at 3 and it rides a TON better. It is still a solid axle leaf spring truck, but it is pretty comfy for me.

[Brad54]

Originally Posted by '63GENIII

Stock '73 up sway bar with the 52s and stock push pull steering. Both work great. Last go around while rebuilding the front axle, I added a few leafs from the original '63 rear spring pack to the '74 1/2 ton spring pack that I run in the front which tightened up the sway considerably. Still very comfortable on city streets and highway. Little bit of sway but not a problem since I stopped drifting the truck .

Its not for everyone and its a little trial and error but now that its set up, I don't think I could have gotten any better without going to a multi link or some ridiculously expensive front suspension.

Even with the front sway bar, it still rolled bad?
And just for clarification, the '74 1/2-ton spring is originally a front, or rear spring?

I'm picking up a Dana 44 tomorrow (if all goes well). I know of dozens of 1/2-ton trucks and Suburbans in junkyards all over here, and two K5 Blazers in two different junkyards... both are pre-'80. One has already given me its front sway bar. They both have the front leaf springs on them yet.

Which springs should I be looking to bring home for my conversion?

-Brad

['63GENIII]

Originally Posted by Brad54

Even with the front sway bar, it still rolled bad?
And just for clarification, the '74 1/2-ton spring is originally a front, or rear spring?

I'm picking up a Dana 44 tomorrow (if all goes well). I know of dozens of 1/2-ton trucks and Suburbans in junkyards all over here, and two K5 Blazers in two different junkyards... both are pre-'80. One has already given me its front sway bar. They both have the front leaf springs on them yet.

Which springs should I be looking to bring home for my conversion?

-Brad

The roll isn't bad at all now. I'll PM you Brad. I don't want to jack 99s thread.

[Desert_Eagle02]

I know it's not a 67-72, but for what it's worth, I have done quite a bit of research of lifts for my '78. I have talked to numerous truck owners and 4x4 shops, and have ridden in quite a few different trucks. Top brands for both ride quality and strength seem to be SkyJacker, ORD custom springs, and Tuff Country. ORD springs are going to cost a bit more because they are custom. When I do my lift I'm going to either go with them or SkyJacker.

As for how to try and make your current setup have a better ride, best bet is a nice set of shocks. BDS shocks tend to suck, so a nice set of Bilsteins will probably make a noticeable difference.

Whatever you do, don't get Rough Country. Yes they are inexpensive and will give you lift, but you won't ever want to drive it lol.

If your lift is BDS though it's a great brand. I'm a big fan of them on Jeeps and modern IFS trucks. For these older leaf spring trucks they will ride rougher, but the springs are going to be real tough.

[suburban99]

Don't have room for the shackle reverse with my current dual exhaust...Spent more money on the exhaust than any other part of the LS swap...My Son (Volkswagen tech and series off roader) figures the rears are causing the rough ride. I tend to agree with him..So whatever I do has to fit in the stock hangers..

[jeffahart]

Ya, I had to hack my exhaust for the flip, but my exhaust is junk. I've never run a 6" block, I've run a few 4" and never had any issues and they rode/drove fine. I would just try the easy stuff first. Grease all the shackles to get everything moving and in unison. Get new shocks and maybe let some air out of the tires. I don't like my Sky(crap)Jacker softrides, too soft for me. I like my suspension a bit stiffer. The comment on the seat above, yes, you need a good sprung seat. I love the springs in my seat!

It's truck, it has an old carriage type suspension, love it! But I guess you know this and are hoping to mitigate. Keep on truckin!

Oh, look! Here's a hack with some skyjacker softride springs, bet it rides great! Bessy the mule complains no matter what though. And... I did to just get that pick out of the crapjacker catalog!

[special-K]

This one probably rides an awful lot like a wagon I figure

[jeffahart]

Well, some of the young guys are going to like the wheel and tire set up for sure. Old is New Again. I'm seeing those wagon wheels on Tahoes!