Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

One more question, what year truck had the 52" springs, are these rear springs or did chevy have a 52" front spring. If they are rears what spring rate did you go with. Thanks for the help.

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

Subscribed for future reference...

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

1972redneck, what does that mean?

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

Hey 63genIII, is this a short or long bed truck?

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

Its a long step

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

Not sure of the rate. They came off of a '73 K10. Never saw the truck. Thats just what the guy said. They were used and the guy powder coated them. Unfortunately, The 2nd smallest leaf has a crack in it which i suspect was there before PC. I will probably look into a set of stock replacement as I can feel the difference from left to right when Im driving. Drivers side is a little softer. Either that or I really did gain 30 lbs over Christmas! LOL

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

Hey Chris
So after driving your truck with the new setup how is the "sway" if any? I am at the point to decide 3/4 ton or 1/2 spring, doing this swap on a 4x4 Suburban witch is heavier to begin with but also has a higher center of gravity, I am running a sway bar in the front with quick dis-connects if needed on the trail.
You also mentioned limiting straps for droop, any results yet? Thanks for your write up !
Eddy

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

Hey Eddy, I really like the ride of the 52"- 63" combo. Its probably the closest thing that I can get to a "new truck" ride without having to buy a new truck. As far as the body roll, before the installation of the front sway bar, pucker factor was at 11 all the time. Kinda creepy to say the least. With the addition of the '74 sway bar, it is much more predictable although Id still like one for the rear as well for the street driving that I do 90% of the time. Ive never ramped this thing but with as much droop as I saw when I was building it, and knowing that the travel of my shocks is limited, I would get strapped if I ever thought about wheeling it harder than an occasional fire trail or the like.
Unfortunately, last Thursday a compression test revealed 0 (yes zero) lbs on cylinders 3 and 4 on the 396. You'll probably see an "L29 Fuel Injected 454 Transplant" thread from me before any more tune ups or tweaks to the spring swap.

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

That's unfortunate to hear about your compression issues, but who can say no to a fuel injected 454?! :lol:

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

Hey Chris, thanks for the feed back!
So far with the front 3/4 ton 83 Suburban gear (2.5 Skyjacker soft ride) I am really happy no ROLL at all, rear we will see, i will try the 3/4 tons first, see how that will work. My wheel base is 115inch. yours is (correct me if i am wrong) 127inch. that might be a factor for ride comfort as well.
My Burb should be good for Moab UT and the like when done, but are we ever done with them.....?
Bummer for the 396, but then again:
A L29 454 sounds like a ton of fun!

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

No doubt Zach. As I look into the L29 more closely, I realize Im going to have to really watch myself and try no to get carried away. I just need to freshen up the one I have... and get a better cam... and springs for the cam... wait, Brodix makes good heads for this thing? Oh crap its starting all over again!

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

Very true. Don't let an engine swap turn into a frame off resto :lol: they are much more fun when you can actually drive them.

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

Well, this just made my impending '62 K-10 project a lot more involved!!

Being a '62 with the different frame width than the '63-up trucks, I'm wondering if there is a reason I can't just move the original spring hangers to accommodate the longer springs?

(Mine will be fairly light-duty, with Dana 44s front and rear. I'll keep 'em until I break one, then will upgrade to a Dana 60 I guess. Same with the stock transfer case.)

-Brad

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

a little feed back from my spring swap! Thanks again for your help.

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

one more time

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

It rides sooooo much better, no swaying at all, 1ton chevy 62inches for the rear. I weight the thing at the local transfer station 5400 LBS.

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

Right on Eddy! Looks like you might have picked up a little flex in the rear from the picture. Way cool! Are you still using 45" springs in front or have you gone longer there? Very cool to see you're happy with the 1 tons. Mine is a little soft in the rear but I love the ride. I was thinking bags or maybe 3/4 tons for the rear. Too cool.

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

BTW Eddy, did you go with greaseable bolts on your springs? I didn't and they made a little noise with the poly bushings.

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

I went a bit overboard, but then again: greaseable bolts all around and Bilsteins 5160 on all 4 corners!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

Hmmmm. What are the Bilstiens like? Going overboard isn't necessarily a bad thing. Usually the projects that I go a little overboard on are the ones that I don't have to go back and mess with! LOL

Happy to see you got it done and are happy with it. Nice work!

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

Fast cornering on asphalt, washboard going 45 to 50, braking hard in a corner (hydro boost)no problem at all, waaaaayyy better handling overall compared to rough country shocks! then again they are 25% of what Bilsteins are.
I decided that i want the best handling out of this truck i can get on and off road, its painted, has ac power seats new window rubbers a mildly enhanced 350 tbi, ron francis wiring bumper to bumper, gps usb ports front and rear. Lockers are probably next ....

I hear you by not going BACK, i am building this truck as best as i can and do not want to go back..maybe a little more power later on. I will paly with it for the 6-8 month then we will see.

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

still in the shake down phase...

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

Okay, okay already. I give! Seriously though, your Burb looks killar, and wheeling it looks way fun! Im super jealous now! The only new additions to my truck are spiderwebs on the bumpers. LOL!

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

to finish the evening 2 dash board shots in the making

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

So I have a question if you're not sick of answering them. How hard was it to put the 73 sway bar in. Did the brackets mount up easily? Did the B52 kit affect anything? I recently finished the B52 kit on my 67 and I love it. But now the rear ez rides seem like they came off of a deuce and half compared to the front. I already sourced a pair of 64 rears from the bone yard and I ordered the ORD shackle flip. I'm going to relocate the factory front mounts. I love your old truck btw!

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

Thanks for the write up. Hope to do this to my Suburban like Dsuper5. I followed all pretty good except how you determined where to drill the holes for the rear springs front and rear hangars. If you get a chance I would appreciate if you could describe that for me. Thanks again for doing this and the documentation.

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

Thanks. The B52 kit allowed the softer springs to be installed which allowed more body roll than I was comfortable with. You actually caught me at a good time for this as I was just re installing the sway bay last night while wrapping up my engine swap.

The crossmember itself is 2"x4" tube. Its held on with 2- 3/8" bolts at the ends to the frame. The little nut gizmos are left over from my B52 kit. DIY makes some killar quality stuff!

I have seen a couple of members modify and install the stock bracketry to get their sway bar installed. As for me... Im a little too lazy. I just happened to have the square stock laying around and as it turned out, it lower the bar enough to make it parallel to the leaves which may or may not help with any kind of binding.
You also need the u bolt plates / spring clamps that accept the sway bar bolt.
I would say that the bar has taken nearly 90% of the sway out of the ride.

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

Not a problem at all. The swap actually works really well for me.
As far as locating the spring hanger, I started by making a reference mark (used a plumb bob) on the frame which showed the original center of the axle. Since the 1/2 ton 63 - 64" springs nearly flatten when loaded, I just measured from the spring center pin to the front spring eye center and used that as my mark for the hanger eye. I then used C clamps to mock up the springs, shackles and hangers and sat the truck onto the axle to compare the axle / frame center line with a plumb . It came out about 1/4" to the rear of the center mark on the frame which worked because I wanted to move the axle back anyway.
After measuring 20 more times and using reference points that were the same on both sides of the frame, I was pretty confident of two things - my frame was as straight as I could ask for and that my rear axle was squared to the frame as best as possible.
With the front mounts still clamped, the center punch came out and the holes were drilled and bolted.
Using the front mounts to measure, I adjusted the rear hangers so that my shackle angles were where I wanted them and the hangers were exactly the same distance apart. Drill, bolt and done.
My biggest concern was getting the axle as close to 90 degrees to the frame centerline so it didn't dog walk. It seems to be tracking straight so I guess I got it.

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

Great, thank you.

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

Hey Chris, when you put your DIY4x front 4 hole brackets on were you able to place them in exactly the same place on the frame side to side? When I put mine on in the same place the measurement from the center of the bolt hole i am using, the same one you used, is different from side to side. Frame is straight and square. I moved the right bracket back almost a half inch to align the holes and then the core support holes are off. Just wondered whaat your expericene was. thx

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

Hey JWALT,
The holes that lined up for me were the center hole of the DIY bracket and one of the top rivet holes for the cross member brace on the inside of the frame. Even though the holes "kinda" lined up, I did have to wallow them out a little.

Whats a little strange though is that on this last go round on my truck (the engine swap), I pulled the front sheetmetal off. My core support was rotten at the frame / mounting area so I picked up a new - used one off of a later Burb (thanks Randy!). When I went to install the core support, it seemed as though the mounts were farther apart than on the original. I really had to wedge the long support bolts in and then crank down the nuts.

I just chalked it up to tolerances being a little loose on the old truck.

One other thing that it could be. I do know that mine was in a wreck on the passenger side at one time. I don't think that the frame is affected but Im pretty sure that the firewall on that side is pushed in a little. Since the inner fender is supported by the firewall and more or less sets the distance for cab to core support, there could be a discrepancy there? You might want to take a few measurements (core support to cab on both sides)?

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

Thank you for an awesome write up on this process. And thanks for taking the time to answer everyone's questions. When are you going to show the us something on the new engine and tune that you have done since this post? Or did I miss it? Are you in trouble with your wife all the time like I am over my truck? lol

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

Anytime. I really like how its worked out. I was able to get her out of the garage yesterday under her own power and down to the exhaust shop.

I have no idea how to post a link but its in the engine and drivetrain section under "7.4 L29 Build for '63 K15 with NV4500" or something like that.

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

Well since I got her Bug back in the garage yesterday, things have been pretty cool at the house. LOL. She was even helping install carpet, hood and fenders just to get it out of the garage. It was pretty funny.

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

Subscribing for future reference :)

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

Bringing it back from a short pause. An update, a repair, a little maintenance and as usual, a bunch of questions (and of course pics) coming soon.

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

Finally getting back to finish up a few items that were bothering me from the last go round. So far Ive logged at around 7 - 8 thousand miles on the new suspension. Unloaded, its a real comfortable ride, articulates well stops better than before and is an all around improvement for my usage.

There are however a few shortcomings which I was hoping to address before our summer camping trip in 3 weeks, namely;

Ball joints- since I first swapped the front axle onto the truck (7 years ago?) I knew the ball joints on the Dana 44 were marginal. There was a little play evident in that I could rock the wheels top to bottom maybe 1/4". Bearings were repacked and adjusted so I knew it wasn't that.

Front spring pack stiffness - although the ride is super smooth now with the 52s, it has become clear that I needed something a little firmer. The 5/16 - 5 leaf pack has always been a little looser than I like for my taste. I was thinking that maybe going to a 6 leaf pack of the same thickness. Then there was also the issue of a possible hairline crack in the 2nd from the bottom spring on the drivers side. Couldn't tell at the time if it was a scratch or what but back in February, the boy and I were driving and heard what sounded like a 5/8 or 3/4 wrench either fall out of the truck or get kicked up by the wheel. We stopped in traffic, looked around and didn't see anything. Well, lets just say that I found out yesterday what the sound was.

Aside from the ball joints and springs, I was going to do inner and outer bearings and seals, new calipers, vent the axle, install some Warn Premium hubs, change the gear oil and giver her a coat of paint to match the rest of the underside.

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

The first surprise was the missing 6 - 7" of the leaf spring:lol:

I started disassembling the axle starting on the passenger side. The amount I could rock the wheel top to bottom had grown to near 1" by now. By the time the knuckle was off, it was apparent that the ball joints were hosed. And this was the good side.

Got to the driver's side, everything still going smooth. On this side, the wheel could be rocked 1-1/4 to 1-1/2". Before anyone says anything, yeah, I let this go way too long, I know. been too dam busy trying to get through probation at work to pay attention to the vehicles. Anyway, I got to the knuckle removal and it came off without incident. Popped it into the parts cleaner and as I was moving it, the upper ball joint pulled out. CRAP!

In comparing the two knuckles I noticed that the upper part of the driver's knuckle appeared bent and the bore for the joint wallered out. Possibly a bad press job? The left knuckle is the pass. side. The right is the dr. side. Notice how the joint doesn't sit flush with the bent flat top? And yes, the joint goes in and out easily by hand.

Looks like Im on the hunt for a new knuckle now as well.

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

Why does it always seems that when everything going great until you get to the second side, I feel for ya.

Re: Spring Swap Thread - 1963 K15
 

I have no idea why it always goes like that :lol:. I had the driver's side almost all the way stripped down for a day already. Was taking my time, feeling real good about the idea of driving straight down the road soon. Took me a few minutes to process what happened when that joint fell out. Although I don't think it can "pop out" while driving, it certainly wasnt the way it should have been and I do consider myself lucky that nothing happened while I was moving.

Just trying to decide if I want to fix this axle, get another 44 or rewrite the script and get onto a Dana 60 now. Kind of a crossroads moment for me. Craigslist here I come!