1977 k20 rear leaf HELP

[1badk20]

I have a 1977k20 4x4 looking at a lift for my truck, the guy I'm buying the lift from says the leafs are 56" , however mine (if I measure from bolt to bolt) on my current leafs it's 52"

My question is can I put them in? How hard is it to move my rear hangars ?

 

[HotRodPC]

Your frame should be punched to move the spring hangers back 4inches. Grind off all the rivers, move back to the other set of holes, use grade 8 bolts and locktite Red.

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[77 K20]

Funny- I spent the day removing the rubber bushings on some 56" rear springs for my '77 K20. My springs are stock replacements though and not lift springs. I currently have 52" springs on my truck now.

In my case I'm going to do a 2.5" shackle flip as I'm wanting it to ride better. The stock rubber bushings have almost like a built in star washer on the bushing's inner sleeve. This prevents the shackle from moving freely.

Below are the parts I'm talking about. With the shackle flip brackets you can run either 52" springs or 56" springs depending on which way you "point" the bracket. They come unpainted. I painted mine yesterday...

http://offroaddesign.com/catalog/shacklekit.htm

http://offroaddesign.com/catalog/hdREARshackles.htm

I thought I had all my parts but somehow I didn't order rear U bolts. Depending on if I can find them locally I'll will be tackling the removal of the shackle bracket as soon as tomorrow. (FYI there are 6 rivets per shackle bracket. 4 as you can see in the above pic, and 2 that are on the underside of the frame)

 

[Charlie]

 

[QBuff02]

1/2 and 3/4 ton trucks use 52" rear springs, 1 ton trucks use 56" rear springs. The frames all generally have the provisions for relocation, so You can move the hangars, or go aftermarket and buy brackets and shackle flip kits, etc. IMO I just feel like all that is unnecessary for what the majority of us do with these trucks. So ask yourself if you want ease of installation, look at current and future use of the truck, and how much $$ and time you want to spend. Because You could buy a new set of springs to your liking that are the correct length for what you already have for a little to nothing and bolt them right up and go in a few hours, or get crazy with relocating brackets, shackles, spring, and spend a whole bunch more $ and an entire weekend at a minimum or more to do so pending no issues. It's all in the road you want to travel.. Lol

 

[HotRodPC]

1/2 and 3/4 ton trucks use 52" rear springs, 1 ton trucks use 56" rear springs. The frames all generally have the provisions for relocation, so You can move the hangars, or go aftermarket and buy brackets and shackle flip kits, etc. IMO I just feel like all that is unnecessary for what the majority of us do with these trucks. So ask yourself if you want ease of installation, look at current and future use of the truck, and how much $$ and time you want to spend. Because You could buy a new set of springs to your liking that are the correct length for what you already have for a little to nothing and bolt them right up and go in a few hours, or get crazy with relocating brackets, shackles, spring, and spend a whole bunch more $ and an entire weekend at a minimum or more to do so pending no issues. It's all in the road you want to travel.. Lol

C10's and K20's could be either 52 or 56 for some reason which is likely why the frames are punched for either. I've had 3 C10's with 56in springs. A 56in lift spring is going to ride alot better than a 52in lift spring. IMO it's a no brainer if you can get 56in lift springs and it's as simple as moving the brackets, I'd be doing it.