Edgar: The adventures and ramblings of a high mileage 1992 Chevy K1500 RCSB
- Thread starter TwinDuro
- Start date
TwinDuro
Well-known member
@Todd n Natalie, I thought so too. I’m looking forward to also having the ability to have 2WD low range for moving trailers around too. With the 6.34:1 reverse gear in low range it should be a lil’ tractor.
TwinDuro
Well-known member
Long overdue for an update! Nothing too exciting, but a big step forward none-the-less. I've had a new set of rear leaf springs in the corner of the garage since, well... somewhere between 2 and 20 years depending on how time works for ya with pandemic time-flux factored in at 4:1!
The original 3/1 springs were more then a little sacked-out after 280k miles, which, while great for articulation in the dirt with a light camping load, became downright inadequate while hauling anything substantial and downright scary and dangerous when towing larger trailers.
Before:
This is an old photo, but see how close the tires are to the top of the wheel well? This was unloaded with just the weight of the canopy.
So, after procrastinating and running into distractions for years, @Skinny06 came over and we commenced on a full truck-day of leaf springs on my truck and wiring on his. He dug right in on my rig while I started crimping lugs on 8 ga feed wire for auxiliary wiring on his. Team work makes the dream work...or at least gets you closer to end of the day frosty cold snacks!
Choosing the leaf springs was a tough compromise as I wanted to make the truck as much of a swiss-army knife as possible. Kind of like a KLR650 (put down your milk crates folks, no need to get violent! I love the KLR and have ridden thousands of miles on them) it's not particularly great at any one thing but excels at doing most anything adequately if you respect it's limitations...
My goal since beginning the refresh on 'ol Edgar years ago was to have a truck that would take me anywhere I wanted to go for camping and adventures (within reason) on the road, trail or in the dirt while still being usable as a work truck day-to-day. One of those qualifiers was being able to tow a U-haul or smaller double axle car trailer with a normal size car (so, say, 5-6k pounds total) safely (if not quickly) or carry the max payload (1,500lbs) in the bed for plywood or drywall runs.
So, a order was placed with General Spring in Kansas City for a set of OEM style 4/1 leaves (4 main leaves, 1 overload) meant for the "heavy half" or light duty 2500 trucks, rated at 2,025lbs vs. the 3/1 stockers that were good for 1,425lbs new.
Using a very scientific Rockwell strain test, I determined the old springs were rated to haul exactly one Restaurant Depot size bag of rigatoni noodles and one bottle of lambrusco, no more, no less Giovanni! That's all she could handle!!!!
Would I have preferred to order a set of Deavers or other custom springs tailored to perfection? Of course, but a budget truck requires budget solutions and these aren't just good, they're good enough and 1/3rd the cost.
A new set of axle U-bolts and hardware was also ordered... more on that later.
We pulled the old spring and shackles and prepped the new ones by installing a set of OEM style Dorman shackles with new bushings, new hardware and U-bolts, which as always, are about 4" too long depending on how short you order them (The formula the parts mongers go by is the Length needed + 4 inches you didn't ask for). I kept the old shackles, have new bushings to press in them and will keep them as trail spares.
@Skinny06 got it all put back together but then our last cut off wheel exploded (thank Dog for face shields!) about half way through. About that same time, one of our new U-bolt nuts was also defective (bad threads) so we improvised and used a chrome acorn lug-nut with the end cut-off which was the same size as the unobtanium 14x1.5mm nut or tap and die set needed and not available and any local hardware store. Didn't take pictures of that unfortunately.
About a week went by, and being extra stiff and sore that day, and watching Skinny have to work the angle grinder in uncomfortable positions to trim the U-bolts, I reluctantly decided to take them back off since they hadn't been torqued yet. I chocked the truck in place, wheels/tires still on, all around and used two big C-clamps to make sure the axle didn't decide to pull an American Graffiti type move and exit the building on me...
With new cut off disks in hand, I measured and trimmed them off in the vice. This was wayyyyy eaiser and I had also got my grimy mitts on a M14x1.5 tap and die set to clean up the threads and U-bolt nuts.
While I was at it, I ran the U-bolt plates through the bead blaster. Why not?
The lower plates were crusty indeed, and the old U-bolts were beginning to rot away, where the water collects, but nowhere near as bad as what you see back east or in the Midwest! A fresh coat of the finest project source paint Lowes sells for $2.38 a can (which I've found is actually pretty damn good paint) and bob's your uncle!
Back together and torqued to spec:
The new springs are stiff and I know my body is gonna pay for it in the rough when unloaded, but two different tests with around 500lbs loaded (the first load being the aforementioned mulch) proved they're perfect for what the truck gets used for on the daily. I hauled this OG 1994 BWP XR650 across town (355lbs wet with a 100lb steel HD hitch hauler) and the back barely squatted at all. With the weight, the stiff ride calmed down significantly.
I guess you could say ol' Edgar is turning over a new leaf...
I'm here all week folks!!!
The original 3/1 springs were more then a little sacked-out after 280k miles, which, while great for articulation in the dirt with a light camping load, became downright inadequate while hauling anything substantial and downright scary and dangerous when towing larger trailers.
Before:
This is an old photo, but see how close the tires are to the top of the wheel well? This was unloaded with just the weight of the canopy.
So, after procrastinating and running into distractions for years, @Skinny06 came over and we commenced on a full truck-day of leaf springs on my truck and wiring on his. He dug right in on my rig while I started crimping lugs on 8 ga feed wire for auxiliary wiring on his. Team work makes the dream work...or at least gets you closer to end of the day frosty cold snacks!
Choosing the leaf springs was a tough compromise as I wanted to make the truck as much of a swiss-army knife as possible. Kind of like a KLR650 (put down your milk crates folks, no need to get violent! I love the KLR and have ridden thousands of miles on them) it's not particularly great at any one thing but excels at doing most anything adequately if you respect it's limitations...
My goal since beginning the refresh on 'ol Edgar years ago was to have a truck that would take me anywhere I wanted to go for camping and adventures (within reason) on the road, trail or in the dirt while still being usable as a work truck day-to-day. One of those qualifiers was being able to tow a U-haul or smaller double axle car trailer with a normal size car (so, say, 5-6k pounds total) safely (if not quickly) or carry the max payload (1,500lbs) in the bed for plywood or drywall runs.
So, a order was placed with General Spring in Kansas City for a set of OEM style 4/1 leaves (4 main leaves, 1 overload) meant for the "heavy half" or light duty 2500 trucks, rated at 2,025lbs vs. the 3/1 stockers that were good for 1,425lbs new.
Using a very scientific Rockwell strain test, I determined the old springs were rated to haul exactly one Restaurant Depot size bag of rigatoni noodles and one bottle of lambrusco, no more, no less Giovanni! That's all she could handle!!!!
Would I have preferred to order a set of Deavers or other custom springs tailored to perfection? Of course, but a budget truck requires budget solutions and these aren't just good, they're good enough and 1/3rd the cost.
A new set of axle U-bolts and hardware was also ordered... more on that later.
We pulled the old spring and shackles and prepped the new ones by installing a set of OEM style Dorman shackles with new bushings, new hardware and U-bolts, which as always, are about 4" too long depending on how short you order them (The formula the parts mongers go by is the Length needed + 4 inches you didn't ask for). I kept the old shackles, have new bushings to press in them and will keep them as trail spares.
@Skinny06 got it all put back together but then our last cut off wheel exploded (thank Dog for face shields!) about half way through. About that same time, one of our new U-bolt nuts was also defective (bad threads) so we improvised and used a chrome acorn lug-nut with the end cut-off which was the same size as the unobtanium 14x1.5mm nut or tap and die set needed and not available and any local hardware store. Didn't take pictures of that unfortunately.
About a week went by, and being extra stiff and sore that day, and watching Skinny have to work the angle grinder in uncomfortable positions to trim the U-bolts, I reluctantly decided to take them back off since they hadn't been torqued yet. I chocked the truck in place, wheels/tires still on, all around and used two big C-clamps to make sure the axle didn't decide to pull an American Graffiti type move and exit the building on me...
With new cut off disks in hand, I measured and trimmed them off in the vice. This was wayyyyy eaiser and I had also got my grimy mitts on a M14x1.5 tap and die set to clean up the threads and U-bolt nuts.
While I was at it, I ran the U-bolt plates through the bead blaster. Why not?
The lower plates were crusty indeed, and the old U-bolts were beginning to rot away, where the water collects, but nowhere near as bad as what you see back east or in the Midwest! A fresh coat of the finest project source paint Lowes sells for $2.38 a can (which I've found is actually pretty damn good paint) and bob's your uncle!
Back together and torqued to spec:
The new springs are stiff and I know my body is gonna pay for it in the rough when unloaded, but two different tests with around 500lbs loaded (the first load being the aforementioned mulch) proved they're perfect for what the truck gets used for on the daily. I hauled this OG 1994 BWP XR650 across town (355lbs wet with a 100lb steel HD hitch hauler) and the back barely squatted at all. With the weight, the stiff ride calmed down significantly.
I guess you could say ol' Edgar is turning over a new leaf...
I'm here all week folks!!!
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