Before you string me up ..

Ron Sebastian said:

Going for the 2.5 Skyjacker. Cannot afford one more inch of lift or it won't fit past the 7' garage door.

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Mine clears with 35's and a 4". Sometimes I get nervous it is going to be too close so I let some air out of the tires. I can get a 1-2" drop from dropping the air pressure from 35psi to 15.

Redfish said:

I still have the original plastic grill which I would be happy to ship to you. It doesn't have the GMC letters, I swapped them over to the new grill. BTW, it wasn't very expensive. I was about to repaint/refresh when I realized it just wasn't cost effective.

@Ron Sebastian please post up some pics when you are done. I am looking forward to seeing the finished product.

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Redfish, Just wanted to confirm with you, The Skyjacker Soft Rides you got are 47" long, 2.5" wide and give you about a 3"lift. The part numbers are C125S correct?

For the OP. Here's my last truck, '79 K15 with a 4" Tuff Country EZ Ride in the front, single shocks. I had a 4" blocks in the rear with OEM 6 leaf springs in the rear. It was the best riding Square body I've had. FYI tires were 33x12.50x16.5" (32.8").

Since the front wheel wells are different heights between 73-80 and 81 & up, here's a measurement to use as a direct comparison. My truck with a 4" lift was exactly 32" between the axle center line and the main horizontal body line. With the old rear springs it was level front to back.

Also go to page 33 of the link and look at Model V1 or V10703. It will give you the specs for a stock 1987 truck.

GM Heritage Center link:
https://www.gmheritagecenter.com/do...its/Chevrolet-Trucks/1987-Chevrolet-Truck.pdf

Redfish said:

I still have the original plastic grill which I would be happy to ship to you. It doesn't have the GMC letters, I swapped them over to the new grill. BTW, it wasn't very expensive. I was about to repaint/refresh when I realized it just wasn't cost effective.

@Ron Sebastian please post up some pics when you are done. I am looking forward to seeing the finished product.

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Very generous offer. Thank you.
I’ve thought about getting a new grille. The real money is in the emblems though! Lol
Again, thanks. I’m going to reuse mine though.

Ron Sebastian said:

Redfish, Just wanted to confirm with you, The Skyjacker Soft Rides you got are 47" long, 2.5" wide and give you about a 3"lift. The part numbers are C125S correct?

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I just did a VERY rough measurement (it is difficult to get a straight line) and the springs are 47" center to center of the bolts as they sit on the truck. They are 2.5" wide. There is about 3&7/8" of travel before the cap hits the rubber bumper.

Thanks to the efficiency and organization of the hairy back walrus (Mrs. Redfish) that lives in the house I pay for, I found the paperwork.
Skyjacker 2.5 inch Softride Leaf Spring C125S

Please remember that you have to use the Skyjacker bushings as their springs are completely different from the OE springs both in width and in the size of the holes at each end.

I guesstimated that I have about 3.25 inches of lift over the OE springs. That is a very rough guesstimate because I am dealing with a 35 year old truck that had an "add a leaf" front lift on it when I got it. I know that the OE setup had almost no travel before the cap hit the rubber bumper. Also, this spring stack is considerably thicker than the 2 leaf setup it had originally.

Redfish said:

I just did a VERY rough measurement (it is difficult to get a straight line) and the springs are 47" center to center of the bolts as they sit on the truck. They are 2.5" wide. There is about 3&7/8" of travel before the cap hits the rubber bumper.

Thanks to the efficiency and organization of the hairy back walrus (Mrs. Redfish) that lives in the house I pay for, I found the paperwork.
Skyjacker 2.5 inch Softride Leaf Spring C125S

Please remember that you have to use the Skyjacker bushings as their springs are completely different from the OE springs both in width and in the size of the holes at each end.

I guesstimated that I have about 3.25 inches of lift over the OE springs. That is a very rough guesstimate because I am dealing with a 35 year old truck that had an "add a leaf" front lift on it when I got it. I know that the OE setup had almost no travel before the cap hit the rubber bumper. Also, this spring stack is considerably thicker than the 2 leaf setup it had originally.

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Redfish, Called the Skyjacker guys and did not find them as helpful. Did you have to order longer U bolts? I ordered some Superlift U bolts (3318) and hope they work, if not the project may take a little longer.

I did order the longer U-bolts through Skyjacker. If your bolts are still good you can probably use those although I am guessing they will be a bit too long.

I ordered my stuff through a local dealer and they messed up by selling me 2 U-bolt kits. I was a bit unhappy about that but I do have that box sitting in my shop right now.

I am sorry your customer service was not good. My first tech call was informative but the guy told me I had to order through a dealer. The dealer was having trouble with the website and I kept telling him to call them...when he finally did he got excellent information and I was able to order my stuff. When I later discovered my stupidity/ignorance regarding the bushings, I called Skyjacker again. Great support, that guy led me to the part of the website that let me order the bushings directly. I guess they will sell small ticket items directly...or maybe I was misled by the first guy.

If things go completely south on you, I do have the correct U-Bolt kit just sitting here. But I am guessing shipping costs and time would suck right now.

Before I have to hear it from someones Aunt on this site about torque and old U bolts, I got new U bolts coming.

Redfish said:

I still have the original plastic grill which I would be happy to ship to you. It doesn't have the GMC letters, I swapped them over to the new grill. BTW, it wasn't very expensive. I was about to repaint/refresh when I realized it just wasn't cost effective.

@Ron Sebastian please post up some pics when you are done. I am looking forward to seeing the finished product.

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So a couple of weeks later and about $2k lighter in the bank account, it's done. Gladly, you can't tell anything was done from 10' away, but. New Skyjacker front springs, Off-road Designs sway bar disconnect, Tuff Country traction bars and the 4 degree shims. If a Square could ride like a Caddy I got it. Thanks for everyone's help in the decision making process.

Good day!

I wish I could make my 84 K-10 ride that smooth.
Since I have trouble getting in and out of my trucks, they need to remain at stock height.
That truck rides so rough, I can drive over a dime in the road and tell if it's heads or tails up.

@Ron Sebastian the pics look great. I hope you got the stance you were looking for. My '87 doesn't ride like a Caddy but it does ride a LOT better with the softer Skyjacker front springs. It drives a lot better too. On a bumpy road I was having trouble keeping the tires on the surface, it was so stiff the tires were not keeping contact with the road.

I am glad I was able to help just a little bit. Your truck looks great.

Redfish said:

@Ron Sebastian the pics look great. I hope you got the stance you were looking for. My '87 doesn't ride like a Caddy but it does ride a LOT better with the softer Skyjacker front springs. It drives a lot better too. On a bumpy road I was having trouble keeping the tires on the surface, it was so stiff the tires were not keeping contact with the road.

I am glad I was able to help just a little bit. Your truck looks great.

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I like it!