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Under Carriage swap?

Veg_Out

Veg_Out

Walking J Designs
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Location
Boise, Idaho
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I have long wanted to keep the 6.5 in my Suburban, and have always wanted it to ride like a 1/2 ton. I've driven several k1500's and the ride is superior to mine in every way.

This lead me to an idea.

Could I purchase a used up gasser Suburban 1/2 ton, and from the springs down, axles, wheels, torsion bars, brakes and tires, switch it over to my 3/4 ton? Then adjust my speed sensor to set the odometer and go?

I'd certainly make the vehicle lighter, I could upgrade to the leather interior if I found the correct one, have a superior ride, get a set of 3.42's most likely, keep my 4L80E and 6.5 with go-fast parts. It would be a Suburban like no other. I'm thinking almost everything would bolt on. Am I incorrect?

Put all my heavy stuff on the half ton, and sell it back into the market, might not cost me much in the end?
 
I dont think the 1500 suspension parts while hold up to the weight of the 6.5. Pretty sure that is why GM didnt build the 1500's with the 6.5. GMO
 
They did put 6.5's in 1500's. The K1500 at least. Is the K1500 6.5 different than the suspension in the k1500 gasser Suburbans?
 
NVM,

What do you mean by center to center measurements within the axles? I'm thinking the bodies of the 1/2 and 3/4 ton's are the same. Just pull the bolts out of each end of the leaf springs in back, disconnect the driveline(s), the brake hoses, shocks, and e-brake, and voila, lift the burb off. Set it on top of the 1/2 ton setup and go. Maybe driveline will need to be custom.

Front end. Maybe all you need is the same torsion bar as the k1500's have? Perhaps I need a junker k1500.
 
dont pull the axles from a 1/2 ton if you want a smoother ride. best/cheapest way to go is to swap out your leaf springs in the rear, and up front if your torsion bars are cranked uncrank them. if they are riding on the lower bump stops then they are as lightly loaded as they can go, whether its 1/2 or 3/4 ton bars. the ride quality is mostly from your leaf springs out back being a heavier setup, get a set (of the correct length, its either 52 or 56" springs on your burb but cant remember) of 1500 springs and bolt them up.

changing the axles/brakes wont affect your ride quality at all, just give you weaker if you go with the 10 bolt axle and 1/2 ton IFS setup.
 
They were labeled 1500's, but for the purpose of this post, I believe they were closer to the beef of a 3/4 gasser's. I remember TD babbling on about that before.
 
Veg_Out said:
NVM,

What do you mean by center to center measurements within the axles? I'm thinking the bodies of the 1/2 and 3/4 ton's are the same. Just pull the bolts out of each end of the leaf springs in back, disconnect the driveline(s), the brake hoses, shocks, and e-brake, and voila, lift the burb off. Set it on top of the 1/2 ton setup and go. Maybe driveline will need to be custom.

Front end. Maybe all you need is the same torsion bar as the k1500's have? Perhaps I need a junker k1500.
Click to expand...

I was thinking you were exchanging bodies, not just the axles. I was having mental block. Leo
 
I've seen lots of plain old half ton's with the 6.5 They were 6 lug, light duty half tons. I've seen a 1990 1/2 ton 6.2 with 5 lug axles

I agree with red, just put 1/2 ton springs in it. K trucks on the front there might be a difference in the lower control arm (not sure) between 1/2 and 3/4 & 1 ton's
The torsion bar fitment is what Im getting at.
 
Keep the 8 lug rears. 1/2 ton rears are junk. Blow the rear=lose the wheel. Not fun having your wheel and axle pass you.Especially at 3 am. Lighten the T bars.
My Tahoe is a 2 door 1/2 ton. When the rear eventually blows I will upgrade to 8 lug 14 bolt.
 
Good shocks. Possible to pull a leaf out of the rear spring packs....?

And as previously stated, make sure T bars are as unloaded as possible and tire pressure isn't maxed out (and you're are not running load range E tires....)

Aces - I've thought about the 8 lug swap myself, but got hung up on the complexity/cost of dealing with the front end....Your thoughts?
 
minisub said:
Aces - I've thought about the 8 lug swap myself, but got hung up on the complexity/cost of dealing with the front end....Your thoughts?
Click to expand...

about the same price/difficulty as doing a solid axle swap as compared to upgrading to the 3/4 ton IFS, why not do a true upgrade?
 
Pull the front drive axle - store it and the other stuff fer posteriority's sake - if the significant other starts bitchin', paint the stuff green and hide it in the grass..............

- pull the half-shafts, disassemble the outer stubs, reinsert back into the hubs, re-torque the nut - that secures the drive hubs in the steering knuckles

- pull the trans\xfercase, convert the trans to 2wd with the appropriate output shaft and tailshaft housing - reinstall with new TC and tailshaft seals (now would be a most excellently good time for a rebuild!)
- install the 2wd driveshaft
- (or, just leave the stuff in there, as is, xfercase adds only ~100lbs to gvw, saves full 2wd conversion, incl driveshaft)

- decrank the torsion bars to handle the lower front-end weight - if not soft enuff, get the 2wd torsion bars, or maybe the 4wd bars for the lighter 350 gasser (patooie!) engine

- install the rear springs from a lower gvw truck, or remove some of the leaves from yer bows

- install lower gvw shocks all around, which will noticeably improve the ride

- the truck is now sprung lighter, giving a better ride, and you will still have the hd braking of the original axles, no need to look for replacement tires and wheels to fit the lighter axles

- patch the xfercase shifter hole(s) in the floorpan

- run the min tire pressures for same size tires on a lower gvwr truck

- or sell the 4wd, get a 2wd - could maybe even work out a fair trade, no cash outlay on your part
 
Last edited:
Whoooops,

I need the 4WD. This is a top of the line, family truckster ski vehicle.

I'm thinking, decrank the the T-Bars, replace the leaf springs with 1/2 tons, decrease the air pressure, pray that someone trades me their 3.73's or 3.42's so I can cruise along the highway quietly.
 
Oh........................................................................................neb' mind..................
 
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