83 suburban springs

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squareton

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Joined
Dec 9, 2021
Posts
53
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32
Location
topeka ks
First Name
chris
Truck Year
1983
Truck Model
k2500 suburban
Engine Size
350
Thanks for the replies, it looks like some new hoses at least are in order. I just measured and I came up with 58 lol so it must be the 56 inch springs. Now to start spraying the bushing bolts ahead of time and see if i get lucky.
 

75gmck25

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Joined
Oct 13, 2016
Posts
2,038
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1,833
Location
Northern Virginia
First Name
Bruce
Truck Year
1975
Truck Model
K25 Camper Special TH350 NP203
Engine Size
5.7
Prop valve should be tucked up under the edge of the radiator shroud on the drivers side. Just follow the brake lines down to it.

I've replaced bushings on my K25 front springs, and the only difficulty I had was getting the truck up enough so that I could drop the axle down and get the spring shackle clear. I jacked the body high up by putting a wood platform under my hydraulic jack to give it a higher lift, and then putting the jack under the frame near the front door. Then I put a small bottle jack under the axle to support it when I removed the bolts. I did one side at a time.

Some of my shackle bolts came out without any problem, and then it was fairly easy to drive out the bushings. However, the large shackle bolts on the rear of the front springs were completely stuck, so I just used a 1/2" drill to put multiple holes in the rubber all around the outside and then finally drove the bushing out. I think its the large ones that also have a metal sleeve around them. I bent the edge of the sleeve up by driving a screwdriver between it and the shackle, and then had enough lip on it to use my air chisel to drive it out.

I used replacement energy suspension poly bushings and found it really hard to figure out exactly what parts combination I needed. I finally ordered what looked like the right parts, but I think I ended up with a few extra bushings. The bolts on the larger diameter bushings are also larger, and some were a really tight fit into the inner sleeves they provided. I ended up using the beaten up original sleeves in some cases. It was like the parts were mismatched in the kit.
 

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