'87 V1500 2" Lift Advice

[Redfish]

My '87 already had a "Lift Kit" installed when I bought it but I am unhappy with it and want something better. It has 2" blocks in the rear which I don't really mind. In the front it looks like they just added a 3rd leaf that doesn't match the contours of the 2 original springs. There is some movement going on when I hit bumps that I don't like that I think is coming from the springs and the old truck is riding pretty rough. Before I get crucified for that comment, I grew up driving 4WD Square Bodies and I know what they are supposed to ride like. They are naturally rough. Mine is a bit harsh compared to the two my parents owned.

The truck is sitting slightly down in the rear. I know that seems to be a style... I HATE it. When I see a truck that is sitting down in the rear I always think, "That truck is too weak for the work it's doing." Back in the '70s and '80s it was a matter of pride that a truck could carry a lot of weight and not squat in the rear. The Ford vs. Chevy discussions often focused on weight capacity, back then nobody wanted their truck to squat. I mean no disrespect to anyone that likes the Squatted Look... I just don't want it on MY truck.

What I want:
About 2 inches higher than stock.
New front leaf springs that match.
Slightly better ride/bump control.
A level to slightly nose down stance.

I have been researching the obvious choices but I want to know what you guys think and to hear your personal experiences and opinions on different brands and options. Thanks in advance.

The current situation:

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[Shorty81]

I'm with you. I like a little rake. Don't care for low in the rear. Don't care much for a level truck because when you load it, it "squats". JMO

 

[80BrownK10]

That's the same extra leaf in the front I think most of these got. Those kits must of been super common in the 80s and early 90s. My truck has the same one as well. Although mine sits pretty level. I wonder if your rear springs are sacked out?

 

[Redfish]

That's the same extra leaf in the front I think most of these got. Those kits must of been super common in the 80s and early 90s. My truck has the same one as well. Although mine sits pretty level. I wonder if your rear springs are sacked out?

Since the truck is still on it's original springs from 1987 I can see how the rear springs might have lost some of their original shape. However, this truck wasn't used to haul much, it was sort of a toy for most of its life. I can say that when I have loaded it with firewood it has behaved more or less like the '77 I grew up with.

I have been looking very hard at the EZ-Ride springs available from Tuff Country but I am just not sure I want to spend that much money for a slightly better ride.

 

[mtbadbob]

The Tuff Country 2" Add-A-Leaf front springs I just installed on my V20 fall short of riding up onto the factory keepers at the rear of springs. I added Pro Comp leaf clamps at the front to keep the 3 pack together, works very good.

 

[68post]

I installed all new stock springs all around on my K30 along with 1" Zero rates and heavy duty ORD shackles on the front springs which add a half inch also. Total 1-1/2" lift, of course I have the same super stiff ride like the previous springs, but I'm guessing the lift doesn't change with whatever springs used either

 

[Frankenchevy]

Call Deaver, they will get you dialed.

 

[Redfish]

Thanks guys. This is a Want, not a Need but in reality this entire truck is a Want, not a Need. If I knew that a set of EZ-Ride springs or some other aftermarket springs would make the truck significantly more pleasant I would not hesitate to pay the money.

The websites are somewhat confusing and misleading for some of these companies. The Tuff Country takes some navigating to locate some different options and I suspect that if I went with them I would need to call and speak to someone to get better information. I did call Rough Country, they still have just the front springs as an option on the website but they don't actually sell them separately anymore. Deaver's website didn't show anything for any GM older than 1988.

Calling Rough Country was a bit disappointing... I will call Deaver and see what they can do.

 

[Craig 85]

My prior truck was a '79 K15. It had an old 4" stiff Rancho lift kit on it with a rear add a leaf and a 2" block (photo #1). When I added the 3/4 ton axles, I installed a Tuff Country EZ Ride 4" lift in the front. In the rear I removed the add a leaf and installed a 4" block. My truck had the factory 5 leaf rear springs. I don't know the rating though. (Photo #4)

In the 90's I had done a similar axle swap on a '77 K5 with a 6" Skyjacker soft-ride lift. I tried to add the sway drop down bracket and could never get it to fit right due to the fixed nature of the front sway bar. For a soft-ride suspension, I thought that always rode rough (Photo #2)

Fast forward to my '79 again. I installed ORD's sway bar disconnects on that truck because I felt there was always a flaw in the design of the front sway bar, especially when you lift the truck. The sway bar and front spring are running in separate arcs which I believe causes the rough ride as they are in a bind. The disconnect adds a link that removes the bind. I believe you need only 2" of lift to run the disconnects (Photo #3)

That '79 was the best riding Square I've owned. On my truck the main horizontal body line was 32" above the centerline of the hubs. I would not recommend replacing your springs the factory 3 leaf design in front. It still has the negative arch and rides poorly. I had them on my K30 when I purchased it.

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)

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[86454k30]

I have a Tuff Country 3" ez ride lift on my 81 K20 with Bilstein shocks and the ORD swaybar links. I've had tons of lifted 81-87 trucks and this is the 100% best riding one. I never thought shocks made that much of a difference but in my opinion if you would put a Tuff Country 2" ez ride, bilstein shocks and the ORD sway bar links I think you'd be very happy with the results. www.offroaddesign.com

 

[Redfish]

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.

 

[Joshua Keith]

@Redfish i have the 2” ez rides and I think they could handle the winch and bumper just fine. If you needed more room, could always add a 1” block.

 

[Redfish]

@Redfish i have the 2” ez rides and I think they could handle the winch and bumper just fine. If you needed more room, could always add a 1” block.

Do you think that the EZ-Rides are worth the money? Is the ride quality actually improved?

I am not as concerned with comfort as I am with actually keeping the tires on the road.

 

[Joshua Keith]

I’d be able to give you a better ride review if I had been swapping from a stock setup. The previous owner had a 3” body lift and 2 added leaves on the front (4 total) and back.

Did the ez-rides improve the quality? lol absolutely. But it was basically a dump truck before.

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[Redfish]

@Joshua Keith that is a seriously beautiful Truck! I love that! Thanks for the pic and the response. Can you tell me what size tires you are running? I am assuming they don't rub?