2wd lift.

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Burban_on_ice87

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New to the group. Recently purchased a super clean 1987 2wd R20 Suburban. Anybody have any experience with slightly (2 inch)
lifting the 2wd's? Going to be pulling a drag car and wanting a taller stance. I hate saggy butt on trucks hauling weight. Thanks in advance.
 

bucket

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Suburbans typically sit a little lower in the rear compared to pickups. What's the weight of the car and trailer you will be pulling? If your springs have went a little flat over the years, you can have them rebuilt and a leaf or two added in. Or if they are still in good shape, you can simply install a pair of 2" blocks. Just make sure to get the good cast blocks, not the cheap aluminum ones found at the parts stores.
 

rpcraft

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Burbs' and Blazers always seem to suffer when it comes to rear springs. I'd venture your's could easily accomodate an extra spring and it would help stiffen it and not destroy the ride quality. It might also just be a case of weak springs on the rear and needing replaced. If you are going to be towing a lot and still want a cushy ride you might want to check into air bag assist units.
 

shiftpro

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If you'll ever carry any load or trailer... air bag it. It's worth the effort.
I would replace the springs and leave the stock spring rate or only slightly over. I would lift with blocks or shackle reverse if you're ambitious.
I like lifted 2x trucks, generally they work better imo.
You can lift the front of your 2x also by running big block coil springs(up front of course).
 

Craig 85

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I installed Airlift bags inside my front coils and install a cast iron 2" block on the rear of my truck to clear 33's. The front only needed minor trimming. The front air bags gave me about 2" of lift without a horrible ride. When I sold this C20 3+3, installed the bags, blocks and tire & wheels on an '88 Suburban C20. Both had 454's.

Sorry for the poor pictures, it's from the early 90's. I don't have any photos of this set up on the Suburban. I would probably run air bags on the rear on a Suburban since you're towing. I ran a set on a 2001 GMC 2500 HD when I towed a 30' travel trailer. It easily raised the rear 2" when towing and gave a much better ride quality with the trailer on. I would air it down when unloaded.

Here's a link to Airlift for your truck. I used Firestone bags on the rear of my 2001.

https://www.airliftcompany.com/vehicles/chevrolet/r20-suburban/1987/#l

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rpcraft

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I installed Airlift bags inside my front coils and install a cast iron 2" block on the rear of my truck to clear 33's. The front only needed minor trimming. The front air bags gave me about 2" of lift without a horrible ride. When I sold this C20 3+3, installed the bags, blocks and tire & wheels on an '88 Suburban C20. Both had 454's.

Sorry for the poor pictures, it's from the early 90's. I don't have any photos of this set up on the Suburban. I would probably run air bags on the rear on a Suburban since you're towing. I ran a set on a 2001 GMC 2500 HD when I towed a 30' travel trailer. It easily raised the rear 2" when towing and gave a much better ride quality with the trailer on. I would air it down when unloaded.

Here's a link to Airlift for your truck. I used Firestone bags on the rear of my 2001.

https://www.airliftcompany.com/vehicles/chevrolet/r20-suburban/1987/#l

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Nice looking CC by that last picture!
 

Burban_on_ice87

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Right on, guys. Thanks for the info. Looks like blocks and bags are in my future.
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Craig 85

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@Burban_on_ice87 I don't recall if my '88 Suburban had the weight sensing proportioning valve (red circle) at the rear axle. I know my '85 K30 and both of my '87 trucks did. If you have this, you will need to remove/bypass it or raise the mount off the differential a same amount as your rear lift.

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bucket

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My '86 C20 Burb had that valve too.
 

TerColHan

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Going through this same scenario with my 91 R2500, ironically I'd just installed air lift springs on the 2012 Sierra 1/2 ton it's replacing. The half ton handled the weight of my enclosed car hauler just fine but the 5.3 needed more torque to handle the hills. Before spending another $400 on an air lift system for my Suburban I'm installing a 2" lift block on the rear and a 1" body lift all around to better clear my 305/55/20 tires.
I'll try and post pics when the parts come on and I can get them installed.
 

Craig 85

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Going through this same scenario with my 91 R2500. Before spending another $400 on an air lift system for my Suburban I'm installing a 2" lift block on the rear and a 1" body lift all around to better clear my 305/55/20 tires.

When sold my 3+3 (post #6), I took the lift bags, rear blocks & the tires and wheels and installed them on my '88 R20 Suburban. I don't know if you'll need the 1" body lift unless you're trying to get some more space in the wheel wells. My tires were just a little wider than yours and only needed some minor trimming on the leading edges of the front fenders.
 

TerColHan

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Yeah, the front tires are a little over 33 inches and need about an inch more clearance. They rub at the front and rear edges on some corners and will sometimes bottom out at the top if I go through a dip or over a whoop too fast. I haven't trimmed or rolled the lips yet even though I have a tool to roll them with and either/or would probably give the clearance I need but I think the extra inch is just looks more aggressive.

The rear blocks really are just asthetic because I can always adjust my load to neutralize the tounge weight, I just don't like the arse sagging look even if it is mostly an optical illusion due to the shape of the roofline and the shorter rear wheel arches.
 

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