1st post - Before and after leaf spring swap pics

[GreenSilverado]

Hello everyone,

I read a lot on here but haven't posted yet. Recently did a small upgrade and thought some might appreciate the before and after regarding lift of the back end.

Details: 1998 Silverado 1500. Came with the stock 3-1 springs on the back. They were worn out completely.

Upgrade: I pulled the springs out of a junkyard off a 1500 that had 4-1 springs packs. I think it was one of the "Heavy Half" versions.

Swapped the rear springs and it made a big difference. Really happy with the outcome. Sorry for the poor lighting. I took the first one in the morning and the result in the afternoon.

Thanks
-Curtis

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[GreenSilverado]

Tape measure pics if curious. It will likely settle a little but the change was significant.

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[SUBURBAN5]

Good to know I was actually gonna switch mine out to 4 in 1. Then add a roadmaster kit. Just dont look forward to unbolting the bolts.... what's the torque setting for the u bolts?

 

[alpinecrick]

Replacing my 3/1 springs with the Husky 22795 4/1 springs is one of the better things I've done to both my 96 and 97 K1500's. It helped the handling/steering too.

I'm pretty sure these are the same spring rate as the light 2500's/heavy 1500's.

 

[alpinecrick]

Good to know I was actually gonna switch mine out to 4 in 1. Then add a roadmaster kit. Just dont look forward to unbolting the bolts.... what's the torque setting for the u bolts?

Buy new U-bolts, and use the biggest cheater pipe you can find to get the old ones off.

I put my MG725 to mine with the air pressure turned up to about 120 psi, surprisingly I didn't break any of the U-bolts. I did squirt them with some penetrating oil the night before though.....

 

[SUBURBAN5]

I'll keep that in mind. I feel like I may have to cut the bolts. U bolts are new when I got a lift kit so not worried about those. But the bolts that hold the bushings are in a tight spot. The body to close to the frame and I think gas tank too

 

[GreenSilverado]

The way I did it was to leave on the rear shackles that came with the ones from the junkyard. The higher position of the shackle bolt/mount had a lot more room to work with. I soaked all the bolts the night before with penetrating oil and hit it with the pressure washer in the morning just to get rid of the crud. I rounded a cone bevel on the end of the new bolts (like the factory ones I took out) and was able to persuade them into place without messing with the gas tank at all. Putting a cone on the end did help. I swapped over the new bolt into the replacement spring eye while on the ground and it was much easier that way. When I hung them in the truck, I put the front one in first and used the loose shackle for the play needed to drive in the bolt. Having a second set of hands is high recommended as these springs want to flip over in your hands like a canoe. They are awkward to handle to say the least. Having the play in the shackles helped to get things to fit loosely (with the help of assorted pry bars) and once on the ground, I tightened everything up.

I used all new hardware from Rock Auto and would recommend going with new bolts. Especially the u-bolts. The ones I took off were fine but were definitely showing their age. 6 new bolts/lock nuts and 4 new u-bolts with nuts was $68. The peace of mind was worth it to me. Plus installation was easier. I reused the plates on top of the leaf and u-bolt cradles under the axle. They were in fine condition.

Some people swap the bushings and that should be done if they are in bad shape. These looked fine to me so I didn't mess with them. They were in better shape than ones I removed. I think the hardest duty the donor truck had was likely hauling a cooler of beer.

SUBURBAN5: My haynes has the torque on the u-bolts as: 81 ft-lbs (unless you have the 7.4 or a dually, then it's 109)

If you need or want specific pics, just let me know.

Cheers,
Curtis

 

[SUBURBAN5]

Thanks for the info. I'll definitely keep that in mind. I was thinking of getting new hardware and bushings. Suspension has 400k miles on it and need to be replaced. Just on the to do list. Not to mention body bushings.

 

[alpinecrick]

I'll keep that in mind. I feel like I may have to cut the bolts. U bolts are new when I got a lift kit so not worried about those. But the bolts that hold the bushings are in a tight spot. The body to close to the frame and I think gas tank too

The bolts through the bushings can be a Royal PIA. After helping my buddy with his Suburban, I bought a air chisel and ground off the pointed bit to make a flat point. With a couple days worth of squirting penetrating oil around the bolts I could just fit the air chisel in and was able to push them out without too much fuss.

 

[GreenSilverado]

Good to know I was actually gonna switch mine out to 4 in 1. Then add a roadmaster kit. Just dont look forward to unbolting the bolts.... what's the torque setting for the u bolts?

I wasn't familiar with the Roadmaster product. Looks pretty cool. Let me know how you like it if you do get one. It seems well suited for heavy loads and big campers. I don't tow much though. Occasional boat/camper/trailer. I am going to try one of these rear sway bars next and see how it does.

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