83 K5 Blazer Expedition rig build up, Finally!

[Cody1771]

you will "just" be able to clear 35's at stock height. they will rub under full stuff. the reason you need a lot of lift to bump up to 37's on those mid 80's chev is purly due to the wheel well opening. they are about 36" wide. to fit 37's on my 86 chevy i needed 4 inch's of suspension lift and a 3" body lift so that under full stuff the tire didnt bite the corners of my fender. you can get 37's and even 40's with 2" of lift if you are comfortable hacking the fenders wider. there are TONS of how to's around on the internet. i always wanted to build a 73 K5 blazer on 40's with little to no lift. they look so good like that.

if you want to know for sure you can always give the guys at ORD a call. they are super cool to talk to and will give you some super good advice. they have been building these chevs forever

 

[biglos454]

the front feders i am getting have a 3 inch bulge so clearing big rubbers up front shouldn't be an issue. the way a D60 sits also add about 3/4 to 1 inch of lift to the truck over the stock 10 bolt set up so it should be ok up front. Ill be giving ORD a call soon to see what their take on it is. ive heard nothing but good things about ORD

 

[Metcalf]

I say buy the tires and see if they fit BEFORE you do any suspension or axle stuff. Even if the lug pattern is going to be different, a cheap steel wheel on the stock axles will tell you a LOT for a minimal investment.

You will also have a much better understanding of where everything is going to end up.

Keep in mind that you can also offset you axles slightly with a redrilled centering pin hole in the spring perch. Sometimes 1/2-1" makes all the difference.

A flatter spring ( less lift ) will also have less front and back axle movement under compression. This can also help a larger tire fit in some cases.

I say call chaos fab and ask what they did.....

The rear opening on that blazer doesn't look very cut to me...

 

[biglos454]

that's a good idea, i was studying that picture earlier and was thinking the same thing. it looks pretty stock out back. not cut and not a fiberglass bed side. i might have to give them a call to see what they did.

 

[Cody1771]

you can get glass rear bed sides for blazers i think... i thin i have seen them before

edit: bingo!!

http://www.glassworksunlimited.com/19to19chblqu.html

 

[biglos454]

now that's something to look into. ive heard its a pain to switch out K5 Bedsides but I'm up for a learning experience lol. thanks for the link.

 

[Metcalf]

Looking at all the pictures of the Chaos Fab blazer....I don't think the rear bedsides are fiberglass. There doesn't seem to be any bulge at all....just a crisp straight body line.

Those fiberglass bed sides are nice though.....

 

[lstzephyr]

What I would do is the old trick of using a bottle jack to flare the sides. Cut the fender support then push out the bed sides as much as needed to fit your chosen tires.

Should end up just like the fiberglass sides without changing it. If you screw it up, then just change it.

 

[roostercruiser]

Im running 35's on my burban and I rub with 4 inch lift in the front. U want low C.O.G but as much wheel travel ad possible. My burban runs trails rated 7-8 out of 10 all the time with my current set up. I get alot of body damage from my witdh and lenght.

 

[roostercruiser]

My own opinion is stay away from fiberglass if your going to play around trees or rocks. One good bump and your gonna crack it.

 

[Metcalf]

You could always buy some aftermarket front fenders and section them like I did my dodge. That way they would be all steel.....

I'm sure someone that was good at body work could do a much better job than I did if you want the body to be perfect when you done. The inner fenders would also require a little more work.

You can also get the 52" spring brackets for longer springs that bolt on the GM frame. Longer springs are nice. I haven't seen a 63" chevy rear spring swap bolt on kit yet for GM rears, but I can't keep up on everything.

Don't get too caught up in suspension flex. The chassis on these old trucks flex a pretty decent amount ( too much ) also. If your interested in doing a complete 'ultimate' buildup I would consider boxing the frame also.

 

[roostercruiser]

My. Avatar is me flexed out. My buddy put 63 inch springs on his 95 Toyota. He relocated his shakels

 

[biglos454]

the 52" spring conversion up front is something ive looked into. it provides a great deal of flex but its actually a little too much flex, people that have it say its driveable on the street but don't recommend it for as much road travel as i will be doing. that is true about theses chasis over flexing. DIY4X makes a frame boxing kit for the blazer but i dont want to make the frame too rigid. talking with other people most recomend just boxing the weak points in the blazer frame. either way i will buy the full box kit and decide what to do with it later.

 

[Metcalf]

I wouldn't hesitate to fully box the frame. I'm sure its not super easy, but I think in the long term it would be worth it.

Most 52" spring conversions use rear springs in front with a much softer rate. I'm sure any rate can be built. A long spring doesn't have to be a sloppy spring. The longer spring will ride better generally for any given rate. Also, the axle will move fore and aft less the longer the spring. This will help with tire fitment.

 

[Cody1771]

i had 52's on teh front of my K10 and drove it thousands of K's on the road with no issue. it actually made it a barable ride lol. i wouldnt hesitate to fully box the frame eather. they are pretty tough. lots of people do it without any issues.