k-5 tricks?......1st suspention lift....

[scooterbob]

i got a 86 c10 cab and a flay bed on a k5 frame with 3in body lift 350 700r 208..
on sat we picked up a 4 in sus lift..got a buddie goin help me thats got the know how ..
but im just wonder any tricks  or things to look for ect...thanks

[old school truck dude]

Take the steering box off and lay it to the side to see if the frame is cracked right there 

[OHEARN.2012]

shouldnt be to hard idk just look at susp parts check to see if any of them are bent but pretty easy

[scooterbob]

first rig so just soakin up info.....tryin

[Captn. J]

they re easy   just the old spring bolts might be a bit%h to take out .... zalsaw or blowtorch

[marshall]

changing the steer arm? i consider it to be an important part of becoming a man. you'll see why!

[cnoswalt78]

exactly make sure spring pins are good just look at them and see if anything is moving like old wore out frame like the rivits moving or cracked frame look at the wheel wells has it been jumped leaky axle seals or ball joints, anything like that is gunna cost more to fix and get into your lift and project budget. just lay under it and look around youll always see somthing!

[old school truck dude]

Yeah and get your buddy to turn the steering wheel back and forth pretty hard and also rock the truck back and forth while youre under there so you can see whats movin that aint supposed to. You MUST have a front bumper that is very firmly attached to the front frame rails so that they can not flop back and forth. If you have a bumper on it, make sure its good and tight. If you dont have a bumper, put one on it. If it was loose, be lookin over all your frame rivets around the cross members and such, almost guarantee theyre loose. If they are, grind the heads off, punch them through, and replace with a grade 8 bolt and nut that fits the rivet hole tightly. If you have to, drill the rivet hole out to the next bolt size to make it tight, this is important because it will not steer worth crap if you got loose things on the frame. Alotta guys think they gotta take the bumper off for more ground clearance or to make it look cool, dont do it. That will destroy your frame, youll have all the rivets workin loose in it. Use the factory front bumper or make a nice solid one and attach it very firmly on the top and bottom of the end of the frame rails with big grade 8 nuts and bolts. Tightly! I just cant stress this enough, lmao. The bigger your tires and lift is, the more important this is.  

[OHEARN.2012]

true you would rather be safe then sry safety is a 1st

[scooterbob]

ya i think i have somone thats got a steering arm for it.. and it got a big  cattle pusher on the front
thanks for all the talk will def take time and check it over

one more question..front spring start front eye or back eye first..

[marshall]

ya i think i have somone thats got a steering arm for it.. and it got a big  cattle pusher on the front
thanks for all the talk will def take time and check it over

one more question..front spring start front eye or back eye first..

front, it doesnt move.

[7387chevynut]

changing the steer arm? i consider it to be an important part of becoming a man. you'll see why!

Yes, that steering arm can be a SOB to remove, me and My bro spent 2 hours heating and pounding on it to get to loosen up on my 84 chevy.

BUT.......if you dont want to hassle yourself with that you can get around that problem by purchasing a (drop style) draglink.......made for lifted 73-87 chevys that lets you retain the stock steering arm

[scooterbob]

ya we just changed the one on my buddies 78..and same story lots of beatin then the heatin...
whats the better way to go for strength?
them easy to find used?

[Jjay78]

bubba, ya can have my extra steering arm, just figure out what your gear ratios are in all your axles and we gonna put the  best ones in the first time... i don't wana be pulling off more parts and dealing with more steering arms than we gotta.....

[Jjay78]

oh by the way.... nice new profile pic....when did that happen.................

[Kyle]

GET NEW U BOLTS!!!!!!! i cannot stress that enough!!! just take a cutoff wheel or a sawzall to the old ones. dont even waste ur time in tryin to break em loose and re-use em. just keep ur head at a distance cuz they do tend to make a nice POP cuz of all the strain on them. but the whole 20 dollars spent on bolts will save alot of hours in frustration..... i tried to undo and reuse some bolts that had only been on my truck for just a year and it was a MAJOR pain in the ass. and just to save hassle get new bolts that mount the leafs too. that way u can just take a grinder and cut off all the heads and make removal even quicker. ive ran into issues before with the bolt rusting to the inner bushing so the bolt wouldnt come out and it all had to be cut anyways

and down the road it would be a smart idea to look into crossover steering for it too

[scooterbob]

ya cuttin the old ones off ....lift came with ones to use........

probley check all sets of axels next wken..ill be callin u

[homewrecker john]

put springs in front and do a shackle flip in the rear.....