Comments on the lift on the blazer please. Safe to do this?

[weider1717]

Looks like maybe custom zero rated maybe 2" zero rates all around.

I wanted to do this simple life on mine but was told not to do this in the front but honestly it's not even a leaf spring and it's bolted to the pack is it really a bad idea to do looks like that's what lift this is.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Chevrolet-Bl...m=321922522920

[68Timber]

Yeah, blocks up front are not a good idea. Lots of people won't use them on the rear axle either.

[kalbert]

Those sure look like cheap aluminum blocks to me... Blocks on the front = Bad. I'd pass on this one, whoever put those blocks in didn't' know what they were doing. Who knows what else they did. Unless you're able to personally inspect it bumper to bumper. Baffled why the seller took so many pictures of the blocks in the front... That'd be a trick you'd want to hide I'd think. Also, assume the drive train to be a leaky slobbery mess, it has obviously been pressure washed the crap out of to be more photogenic.

Reason not to use blocks in front is they aren't designed to take lateral load. They'll walk out, making the axle free to float anywhere it wants to go and since it's the steer axle and it does 80% of the braking, you'll go with it.

Blocks in the rear aren't as scary, they are less likely to walk out but when the axle twists it has the additional leverage from the blocks to wind the spring up. Ok for show, not for go.

[CrewCab59]

The block & u bolt kit is from the auto parts store , I wouldn't even test drive that until they were removed.

[bhc41051]

My 62 K10 came from the factory with 4" blocks plus a shim on the rear.

[riz]

http://www.offroaddesign.com/catalog/Zero%20Rates.htm

You CAN use these in both front or rear BUT these aren't blocks.... they are zero rate add a leafs. These allow you to move your axle(s) forward or back or left on center. Other than these.... never use blocks in the front and avoid using them in the rear.

RIZ

[UKNOWME]

I've had a few pickups with blocks on the rear from the factory. Not sure why anyone would say not to use them on the rear. The front is another situation I'm not familiar enough to speak on.

[KQQL IT]

90% of every diesel truck on the highway has a front block.
Usually has a 3°+ taper built in.
Would I? No, but they're not the devil either.

[wilkin250r]

As kalbert pointed out above, lift blocks do not handle lateral load very well. Since the front axle steers the vehicle, it has significantly more lateral load acting on it.

As you brake, your weight bias shifts forward, and the front axle does significantly more braking than your rear, and lift blocks will increase the tendency for a your axle to roll underneath the car (a phenomenon known as axle wrap). Another very important reason NOT to run front lift blocks.

I would never TEST this, but the theory would be that taller the lift block, the more dangerous these aspects become. So would 1" be safe? Maybe, but it would be nearly useless as a "lift", and more likely be tapered to correct caster angle. Anything beyond that, I personally wouldn't trust. It might be fine during a test drive around the block, and might even perform just fine for years, right up until you have to brake and swerve in an emergency, and the added leverage from the front lift block causes the axle to brake away from leaf springs, leaving you with zero control at the precise moment you need that control the most.

[KQQL IT]

Ehh I guess

[special-K]

It's not that blocks on the front will fall out as soon as you test drive it. In fact, they won't necessarily shift or cause any problems at. But the point is, "What if it did?"...and "It is more likely to happen on front due to lateral forces caused by steering". Just not a smart thing to do. A block can be manufactured to work just fine, such as on big trucks. But 4wd adds the axle wrap issue to the steering concerns. When a steer axle wraps it changes steering geometry.

I don't know why anyone would do what was done on this Blazer when an add-a-leaf does the same thing properly, goes in fast and easy, and probably costs the same as the blocks. I had my '90 Blazer front end leveled up by the spring shop when it was new. Just wanted 1, maybe 2", and they could do exactly what I needed. It's inexpensive to do it right

[andrewmp6]

Look around at http://offroaddesign.com/catalog/2inchliftsystem.htm they have full springs for the front and the rear they have a small shackle flip or you can get new lift springs,I would do the shackle flip tho.

[JIMs70GMC]

Those blocks on the k5 in the ebay ad look to narrow. I have run ord's zero rates with no problems.