M1008 Front Suspension

[Macmatrix]

I have an 86 M1008 with a worn out front end. This summer I plan on rebuilding it with all new springs, tie rods, etc... Since I am purchasing new springs I was thinking about doing a 4in lift. I would like to do a 4in shackle flip in the rear and springs up front. Should I do 5in springs so when the motor settles it will be level? All advice, opinions, and experiences are welcome.

Thanks

 

[Ilikemtb999]

I have the tuff country HD springs and they haven't seemed to settle at all since installing 3 years ago.

 

[86m1028]

Be sure & do your frame bushings (rear of frt springs) also.

 

[Rustyshackelford]

I did a 4" shackle flip in the rear and 4" TC HD lift springs in the front on my 09. The front sat so much lower than the rear I bought a zero rate to lift it up another 1".

 

[Obijuank5]

This is 4" on a 1008. Very level. 1009 has smaller axle, so lower by about an inch.

 

[Ilikemtb999]

And saggy springs with a 4" shackle flip I don't think will equal new 4" springs up front.

 

[Rustyshackelford]

Here are two pics of my m1009. In both pictures the truck has 4'' Tough Country HD springs in the front and a 4'' shackle flip in the rear with stock springs. In the pic on the right I have added a 1'' zero rate to the front to level it out. The trailer obviously lowers it a bit in the rear but I don't have a better pic.

 

[Ilikemtb999]

Keep in mind the front openings are bigger than the rears. Not sure where you guys are getting your measurements from

 

[Macmatrix]

After doing some more research I found a lift kit for half tons and three quarter tons. Would this work? Would I just need different u bolts?

 

[86m1028]

After doing some more research I found a lift kit for half tons and three quarter tons. Would this work? Would I just need different u bolts?

Yes, frt lift springs are all the same 1/2, 3/4, 1 ton.
Yes, ubolts are different for the 1 ton (Dana 60).

 

[Macmatrix]

The rear is a block. Does this have the same dimensions as a 1 ton?

 

[86m1028]

The rear is a block. Does this have the same dimensions as a 1 ton?

What kit are you looking at ?
I know the title of your thread is noted m1008 but do you have a m1008 or m1028 ?
You also mentioned doing a shackle flip in the rear, might consider doing a 1in zero rate with it to recenter your rear axle.
Order ubolts from the same place you get your shackle flip & zero rate (1in) from.

 

[Chaski]

I'd just go with 4" (or less) springs up front. If you feel the need to go higher you could use ORD zero rates or similar. It is true that the 4" shackle flip will move your rear axle forward a noticeable amount and you may want to move it back with a zero rate or by drilling your spring pads. Depending on your tire size choice you may may want to use zero rate blocks to move your front axle forward to avoid having to hack the inner fender well up front. Other thing is that the 4" shackle flip will turn your pinion up about 8 degrees. You will have to shim to get a satisfactory driveshaft angle.


You might want to consider a 2.5" lift too.


A pretty good upgrade for off-road ability is to abandon the front shock mounts on the frame and cut your inner fender wells so that you can stuff an F350 shock mount up in there and run longer front shocks (ORD sells this setup). The longer mounts can use one of the existing holes and just bolt on. It really allows a lot more travel. Last thing is that if you spend any time on the highway at all buy good shocks. By the time you add large wheels and tires with the Dana 60 / 14 bolt there is a huge amount of unsprung weight that really needs some good Bilsteins or something similar to control it.

While you are up front you may want to tear it down to the kingpins and check everything out.

Any 73-87 lift products you find for up front will fit, just be sure to get the u-bolts for a K30. You may be able to rock auto new u-bolts. I just had new ones bent at an axle shop that had a u-bolt machine. I think there are aftermarket studs available for the passenger side that are 5/8"-11 for the housing end with fine thread up top. Depending on the spring pack thickness and the use or not of a zero rate you may be fine with the stock hardware.

 

[Lebowski]

Off Road Design just recently added a 1/4" thick Zero Rate to their offerings, in case you don't need the full 1" lift version.