'87 V1500 2" Lift Advice

[Redfish]

Just installed the new tires and about to go pick up the new front leaf springs.

The Cooper STT Pro 33x12.5 looks pretty good on the little truck I think.

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[Redfish]

I am kind of intimidated by this little project but pretty excited at the same time.

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[Joshua Keith]

@Redfish That thing is going to look perfect! Can’t wait to see it

 

[Redfish]

@Joshua Keith I Didn't get any side view pics of it yet but it was in a local car show today and it looked okay.

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[Redfish]

I have driven the Old Truck around quite a bit since the installation of the front springs and I have evaluated my work. I am both happy and unhappy with my results.

I can absolutely say that the Skyjacker Soft Ride springs make the Old Truck ride significantly better. I had two of my friends drive it and they agree that the ride is better and the front tires are staying on the pavement more so the truck is much easier to drive on a rough road. No, it is NOT as smooth as a modern GMC but it is a huge improvement.

The negative part is that although they are sold as a 2.5 inch lift, they actually raise the front significantly more than that. The OE springs are a two leaf reverse arch setup while the Skyjacker is a 5 leaf positive arch assembly. I was really hoping to at least level the truck but the nose is at least as high as it was with the "add a leaf" lift that was on it when I bought it.

Pics of the final product:

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[Grit dog]

I have driven the Old Truck around quite a bit since the installation of the front springs and I have evaluated my work. I am both happy and unhappy with my results.

I can absolutely say that the Skyjacker Soft Ride springs make the Old Truck ride significantly better. I had two of my friends drive it and they agree that the ride is better and the front tires are staying on the pavement more so the truck is much easier to drive on a rough road. No, it is NOT as smooth as a modern GMC but it is a huge improvement.

The negative part is that although they are sold as a 2.5 inch lift, they actually raise the front significantly more than that. The OE springs are a two leaf reverse arch setup while the Skyjacker is a 5 leaf positive arch assembly. I was really hoping to at least level the truck but the nose is at least as high as it was with the "add a leaf" lift that was on it when I bought it.

Pics of the final product:

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Well, fwiw, it look's great! And I wasn't a proponent of you lowing it anyways, lol!
That said, maybe they'll settle in a bit and you'll be happier...or they won't and I will be! lol
Great looking truck though!

 

[Redfish]

Well, fwiw, it look's great! And I wasn't a proponent of you lowing it anyways, lol!
That said, maybe they'll settle in a bit and you'll be happier...or they won't and I will be! lol
Great looking truck though!

Thanks. I didn't want to lower it the way the 2wd guys do, I just wanted it to sit level. It has 2 inch blocks in the rear and that is about the correct height for what I wanted and for what it would have been back in 1987. I absolutely wanted it higher than stock!

Mrs. Redfish and Redfish Jr. are both happy with it and based on the reactions it is getting on the street I think I am moving in the right direction.

I have read that for some of you seeing a square body is nothing out of the ordinary but in my area they are pretty rare. I guess the humidity eats them and the economics of my area probably affect that as well.

 

[Grit dog]

@Redfish , yeah any of you squarebody guys from back east would chit your pants in WA. They’re literally everywhere. Many in use as daily drivers even. And many of those are original ish looking.

 

[shiftpro]

So I was about to pull the trigger on the Tuff Country EZ-Ride front leaf springs...but I noticed that they are recommended for small blocks only. While I have no intention of swapping out my 350, I do plan to install a winch and winch bumper. If I do that I am concerned that I may overload my 2 inch lift springs and go too far down in the nose. Those springs are $282 EACH and I would hate to waste that money and time.

I had no idea making a decision was going to be this difficult.

Good point but why not consider using a receiver up front (and in back) and keep the winch in your box, right up nice and snug behind the cab. Use that amazing nylon winch rope which will save weight and your back when you need to mount that winch up. Having the option to put the winch in the front or the rear will far outweigh the added cost of running welding cable to the back of the truck and the extra set of plugs.
You can fab up a simple receiver on a mounting plate to screw down to the bed. Then this will hold the winch and even put a lock on it while it;s safely residing in the box. You build a little aluminum checker plate cover for it too, keep the rain, dust and for the rope.. keep the sun off it too.


Tuff Country all the way... from ORD. The next best thing is a Deaver or OFD custom thin multi leaf but wait... you think the Tuff Country springs are pricey...

 

[shiftpro]

Good informative post Craig. The stuff I deleted haha.

The ONLY place for those Tuff HD springs is the K30 Crew Cab with a big block.

What most people don't realize is that we can to a certain extent 'tune' leaf springs. Depending on the spring set and where the clamps are, you can zip disc off an inch at a time, from and rear of the bottom 'helper' spring. Take an old wood chisel and drive it between the bottom leaf and the one above, right near the end you want to cut off. That way you won't accidentely put a stress groove in the spring above when you end up cutting through (and then some!)

My K30 has a Tuff County 3" HD spring in front. Even with my 454, dual batteries and A/C it rides poorly. I will be removing the 4th leaf in the front pack this summer. Tuff Country said it will return it to the EZ Ride specs. The funny thing is due to the taller K30 frame, my 3" lift is an inch taller than my 4" lift K15. Both are running the same height tire. (Photo #5)

 

[Redfish]

Good point but why not consider using a receiver up front (and in back) and keep the winch in your box, right up nice and snug behind the cab. Use that amazing nylon winch rope which will save weight and your back when you need to mount that winch up. Having the option to put the winch in the front or the rear will far outweigh the added cost of running welding cable to the back of the truck and the extra set of plugs.
You can fab up a simple receiver on a mounting plate to screw down to the bed. Then this will hold the winch and even put a lock on it while it;s safely residing in the box. You build a little aluminum checker plate cover for it too, keep the rain, dust and for the rope.. keep the sun off it too.


Tuff Country all the way... from ORD. The next best thing is a Deaver or OFD custom thin multi leaf but wait... you think the Tuff Country springs are pricey...

I do think that is a good idea but a big part of this project is nostalgia. The truck I grew up driving had a Ramsey PTO winch mounted on a sturdy front bumper and that is where I would eventually like to go with this truck. I just don't think I am ever going to be 100% happy with The Beige Unit until it has a proper winch setup on its nose, even if this old thing doesn't see much mud use. Since a Ramsey is so expensive and so difficult to install I will probably end up with a decent electric winch. I am absolutely convinced that the modern synthetic "rope" is the way to go. I once broke the cable on Dad's old truck and I have seen the results of a winch cable breaking on two other occasions. One of those was fatal.

I hear and read good things about the Tuff Country product and ORD but the Skyjacker springs and bushings were first rate. I am extremely pleased with the improvement in ride quality and drivability. Skyjacker's technical support was excellent and their product was excellent. It is a Good Thing when we have multiple companies turning out quality products.

 

[Redfish]

Well, I was unable to leave well enough alone. I absolutely HATE to see a truck sitting nose up unless it has a lot of weight in the back. I respect what others do and I don't criticize their trucks, but for my own truck...I cannot stand it.

The Skyjacker 2.5" lift is actually a bit more than 3 inches probably close to 3.25" more or less. After driving it and hoping it would settle down I decided to disassemble the springs and remove the bottom/overload leaf. This is obviously quite a bit of work and I am Very Lazy. Today I finally got around to doing it. I am sore and hurting all over but my son and I are pretty happy with it. It drives and rides significantly smoother. BigUn/Mrs. Redfish should have slightly less trouble crawling up into the cab.

Before:

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After:

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[Redfish]

That may not look like much but it was a Big Deal to me.

The Skyjacker 5 spring stack:

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[Ron Sebastian]

Looks great! I know exactly what you had to go through. By the way I also installed the ORD sway bar disconnect and I might be the oddball but I feel it rides better with the sway bar connected.

 

[Ron Sebastian]

Also did ORD kevlar bushings and greasable bolts on all points. I think it helped the 35 year old suspension.