WHY does no one make any suspensions for the 81-87 chevy/gmc 2wd fullsize pickups? Other than Rancho, is there ANYONE who makes em? Preferably prerunner type stuff? After spending 8 months turning my cherokee to 1 tons and leaf springs front and rear im kinda sick of making my own suspenions and would love to have something more bolt on than usual.

So...

Anybody got any tips?...links preferable...

try race-dezert?????

Fabtech used to make a pretty mediocre "long travel" kit. Used oe balljoints and urethane bushings. I don't know if they still make it.

again, mostly 88+

is the difference between the two generations really that different? saw i purchased a long travel kit from a 88-98 2wd, could it be used for me 81-87 2wd?

sorry man its gonna have to be a one off deal.

way different, while you looked at the 88+ kit aparently you never looked at your existing suspension.

as much as i hate to say it but if you are looking to do long travel semi bolt on, look at the 67-79 ford 2wd's. long i beams and coil sprung, or at least the after market stuff for them.

If it took you 8 months to put leaf springs under a cherokee, perhaps you should leave your 2wd pickup alone.

3/4 ton rear springs, minus the over load (for leafs). 1 ton Chevy front springs GM part number 328101. Some angle iron brackets to hold the lower control arms together so you don't bend the crossmember. A shock hoop, to mount multiple shocks from the upper control arms. You can plate the lower control arms but it is not really needed. Dual shocks in the back. Brace/truss the rear housing and have an LSD minimum, locker recommended.
This will allow 32 to 33 inch tires on any Chevy 2wd truck from 65 to 87. Not sure about anything newer, have not owned a 2wd newer than that. This will get you 90% of the places you want to go realiably without spending a shitpot of money. Good bumpstops would be nice, but you need to learn to drive off road first. If your on the bumps too much you need to improve your skills. A truck at this level is a pre-runner not a race truck, that means you need to drive accordingly.

3/4 ton rear springs, minus the over load (for leafs). 1 ton Chevy front springs GM part number 328101. Some angle iron brackets to hold the lower control arms together so you don't bend the crossmember. A shock hoop, to mount multiple shocks from the upper control arms. You can plate the lower control arms but it is not really needed. Dual shocks in the back. Brace/truss the rear housing and have an LSD minimum, locker recommended.
This will allow 32 to 33 inch tires on any Chevy 2wd truck from 65 to 87. Not sure about anything newer, have not owned a 2wd newer than that. This will get you 90% of the places you want to go realiably without spending a shitpot of money. Good bumpstops would be nice, but you need to learn to drive off road first. If your on the bumps too much you need to improve your skills. A truck at this level is a pre-runner not a race truck, that means you need to drive accordingly.


I have worked on a few street/lowered 2wd trucks of this vintage. We have always plated in the lower arm. No idea if you would need to for this.

Get a steering box mount reinforcement plate, and add some frame cross bracing in the front. We put a k-members in all the GM trucks I worked on.

The plating of the lca for off road was mainly for strength, but really was never a fatigue factor on pre-runners.

The K bracing is a great idea, we would run a skid plate from the lca connector up to the front of the frame horns, so it sorta did the same thing. boxed that whole front area together.

There were a bunch of folks who marketed the lca braces in the old days.
They came as a set and bolted to the front and rear of the lca pivot bolts. They replaced the metal bushing washers. In the front we would weld a plate to the lip and drill through it to mount up the aluminum skidplate that went from the lca/crossmember up to the front frame horns behind and below the bumper.