Is uptravel needed in the front suspension? I see jeep all the time on 44's with no up travel at all and they do great. I decided I may redo my front suspension and go with my original idea of moving the stock rear 56's to the front and run them. I put them in today and the truck is now 6"s lower but the crossmember under the motor is sitting on top of the diff. I also need more clearence under the spings between the spring and the steering cylinder. Not sure if this is a good idea or not but what i am thinking about is building some front spring perches that are angled to get my right pinion angle and be about 3" tall or so. They would be welded to the axle and gusseted so they will be really strong and it wouldnt really be the same thing as running blocks in the front. I already plan on having a traction bar on the front to control axle wrap so that wont be a problem. The only thing that I am wandering is if having no uptravel will be a problem. The truck is gonna be for rock crawling and trail riding. Right now the way it is sitting just turned out a little bigger then I was hoping.

This is how I did the 56" springs on the front. I already have 7" shackles and moved the front hanger about 4" forward from the stock location.

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h104/robert97dodge/Chevy%20truck/Chevy%20rebuild/IM004615.jpg

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h104/robert97dodge/Chevy%20truck/Chevy%20rebuild/IM004612.jpg

This is how it is sitting now. It has 56" long 5" lift springs from the rear of a suburban I believe it was. The reason why I picked them is because they have a spring rate of 420 which was the softest springs I could find. I removed the overloaded and the bottom leaf springs and that lower it about 2"-3"s.

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h104/robert97dodge/Chevy%20truck/Chevy%20rebuild/IM004757.jpg

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h104/robert97dodge/Chevy%20truck/Chevy%20rebuild/IM004747.jpg

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h104/robert97dodge/Chevy%20truck/Chevy%20rebuild/IM004617.jpg

Is uptravel needed?

What the fuck is the purpose of even having suspension with zero uptravel?

For rockcrawling you can get away with verry little uptravel and the truck will work pretty good. the problem is the truck will be a bag of shit every where else. look at desert trucks the faster you go the more travel up and down you need

I have 2" of unrestricted uptravel and 2-3" of bumpstop uptravel (at the frame rails). It works but I would love to have more for any high speed stuff. Crawling up a trail is not a problem and actualy kinda nice.

It's going to suck to have that tall of a truck and not even have any uptravel. I run 44" tires and could fit 49"ers no problem. I have around 4-5" of lift. I would seriously consider moving the motor and cab back... or at least the motor....

I have 2" of unrestricted uptravel and 2-3" of bumpstop uptravel (at the frame rails). It works but I would love to have more for any high speed stuff. Crawling up a trail is not a problem and actualy kinda nice.

It's going to suck to have that tall of a truck and not even have any uptravel. I run 44" tires and could fit 49"ers no problem. I have around 4-5" of lift. I would seriously consider moving the motor and cab back... or at least the motor....


That is another thing I started thinking about last night was move the motor back about 3"-4"s and rebuild that crossmember under the motor for more clearance.

For rockcrawling you can get away with verry little uptravel and the truck will work pretty good. the problem is the truck will be a bag of shit every where else. look at desert trucks the faster you go the more travel up and down you need

There are no deserts in east texas so the truck wont see any high speed jumps or anything like that. Just rock crawling and trail riding. I know when I get on a ledge or something and get the truck bouncing it will probably hit pretty hard on the bumpstops but I think that it will be ok. I have a set off of a F-250 and they are like 3"wide 4" long and about 4" tall so they are really thick.

Look in General 4x4 for the Alternative to the Bling Air Bumps or something.

I went out and looked at it a little more this morning and I think that I can make it work. I am gonna raise the motor about 3" which I should have plenty of room to do since I have a 3" body lift. Then I can rebuild the crossmember under the motor to where it is flat across the bottom of the frame or really close to it. I know that raising the motor will make the COG higher but this is the only I see to get the truck sitting low like I originally wanted and get some up travel. By the time I get done I am thinking I should have about 5-6"s of up travel on the passenger side and even more on the driver.


This is how it sits with the 5" lift 56" rear springs.

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h104/robert97dodge/Chevy%20truck/Chevy%20rebuild/IM004618.jpg

This is where it is sitting now with the stock rear 56" springs moved the front.

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h104/robert97dodge/Chevy%20truck/Chevy%20rebuild/IM004770.jpg

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h104/robert97dodge/Chevy%20truck/Chevy%20rebuild/IM004771.jpg

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h104/robert97dodge/Chevy%20truck/Chevy%20rebuild/IM004772.jpg

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h104/robert97dodge/Chevy%20truck/Chevy%20rebuild/IM004773.jpg

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h104/robert97dodge/Chevy%20truck/Chevy%20rebuild/IM004774.jpg

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h104/robert97dodge/Chevy%20truck/Chevy%20rebuild/IM004775.jpg

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h104/robert97dodge/Chevy%20truck/Chevy%20rebuild/IM004776.jpg

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h104/robert97dodge/Chevy%20truck/Chevy%20rebuild/IM004777.jpg

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h104/robert97dodge/Chevy%20truck/Chevy%20rebuild/IM004778.jpg

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h104/robert97dodge/Chevy%20truck/Chevy%20rebuild/IM004779.jpg

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h104/robert97dodge/Chevy%20truck/Chevy%20rebuild/IM004780.jpg

You might want to throw a zero rate in there so you'll have plenty of clearance with your steering ram.

You might want to throw a zero rate in there so you'll have plenty of clearance with your steering ram.looks to me like full hydro, aka no steering arm.

I know it's full hydro. I said steering ram.

It looks like his tie rods could contact the spring. The zero rates would give another inch of clearance under the spring.

I know it's full hydro. I said steering ram.

It looks like his tie rods could contact the spring. The zero rates would give another inch of clearance under the spring.

I plan on doing that here is a few minutes. I picked up some new tie bolts today. I am gonna take the overloads and cut them down and put them in. That will give me a inch. I may still end up making some springs perches for the front axle too that are angled so that I can get the right pinion angle and that will also give me more clearance. I really dont want that leaf springs to hit the ram.

I have about 3 inches of up travel. And works perfectly.

http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh61/bigriveroffroadklub/Grey%20Rock%20Feb%20Frenzy%2008/DSC00988.jpg

I have about 3 inches of up travel. And works perfectly.

http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh61/bigriveroffroadklub/Grey%20Rock%20Feb%20Frenzy%2008/DSC00988.jpg

You got any close up pics of the front suspension and pics of it flexed out? It looks like you got more than 3 inches of up travel by that pic.

Why not remove the body lift and add more arch to your springs. The cab would be the same height but your axles would be further away from the crossmember and engine oil pan. You would have more up travel aswell before negative arch.

Why not remove the body lift and add more arch to your springs. The cab would be the same height but your axles would be further away from the crossmember and engine oil pan. You would have more up travel aswell before negative arch.

Well raising the motor will also help with the exhaust. If I raise it the exhaust wont be so close to the front driveshaft like it is now and I can get it tucked up higher closer to the body.

I'd still look into doing whatever it takes to have the best suspension even if I had to modify the exhaust.

I know u already have your front hanges built, but what about moving the axle further a few more inches? This would move it further from the engine and then redo the crossmember for the clearance. Just a thought.

I know u already have your front hanges built, but what about moving the axle further a few more inches? This would move it further from the engine and then redo the crossmember for the clearance. Just a thought.

You saying make the hanger lower under the crossmember?

if you move your motor back you're going to run into distributor to firewall clearance i'd imagine.
also them tires are gonna kill the firewall big time.
like i said in the other thread you posted about this. get a 3" bumpstop and mount it about 2" above the axle or u bolt plate. full compressed it will give you 5" of uptravel which is a good amount for uptravel

offroad design has a hi clearance crossmember for like $190 that might help

if you move your motor back you're going to run into distributor to firewall clearance i'd imagine.
also them tires are gonna kill the firewall big time.
like i said in the other thread you posted about this. get a 3" bumpstop and mount it about 2" above the axle or u bolt plate. full compressed it will give you 5" of uptravel which is a good amount for uptravel

That is pretty much the way it is gonna end up being set up is to where it will have 5" of up travel on both side. I also still need to raise the motor so that I can get the crossmember higher and also put a bumpstop on it so that when the truck gets to bouncing on a ledge it wont be metal to metal solid hit.

offroad design has a hi clearance crossmember for like $190 that might help

I looked at it but if I raise the motor then I can build one and get more clearance than using that crossmember. Plus I can build one cheaper than $190 and it will be built by me.

thats what i would do then a friend of mine is runnin rocks ill try and get his setup for ya or at least a pic

i think you're going to regret moving the motor up. back is a good thing but up is kinda going backwards.
move your axle forward would help you move wana consider re-drilling your spring perches and adding a zero rate. you could squeeze 2-3" out of that.

i dont know if your going to make any more changes, but the shackle bolts deff look like they need to be beefed up a bit!

i dont know if your going to make any more changes, but the shackle bolts deff look like they need to be beefed up a bit!

They are the same size as factory? How would I got about putting bigger bolts in there? A far as I know they dont make bushing for the springs for bigger bolts.

Here is the front.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y41/Bigred350/K5/DSCN0425.jpg

here is the rear.
I can get better pics if you want and if you have any questions just ask.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y41/Bigred350/K5/DSCN0442.jpg


And yes it works good and flexes awesome

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y41/Bigred350/DSCN0335.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y41/Bigred350/K5/DSCN0382.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y41/Bigred350/K5/DSCN0380.jpg

What the lowest spot under the belly? Your looks like it is still sitting hire than mine even though it is on 44's.

They are the same size as factory? How would I got about putting bigger bolts in there? A far as I know they dont make bushing for the springs for bigger bolts.

This shackle kit increases the bolt size from 7/16" to 1/2" and increases the sideplate thickness to 3/8" for improved durability.

http://www.offroaddesign.com/catalog/hdshackles.htm

They make bushings with a bigger bolt.