New to all of this, just got an 86 R20 Subruban!

[Nodnarb76]

Hello everyone, after years of having Japanese sports cars (and the car payment that came with them) if have decided to get rid of a car note. After I made my mind up to do this, decided I wanted an older Suburban (pre 1992).
After a month of searching found one that seemed promising. I pulled the trigger and bought it for $2300 and man was I supprised at what I got!
1987 R20 Suburban all original (still has stock radio!) no dents/rust, and everything works! After a few days of cleaning/polishing the stock paint was still in decent shape too!
I am falling in love with this truck! I should have done this years ago!
I am learning a lot about older Chevy/GM trucks and have a question.

I noticed the rear end sags a little, this truck was a trailoring model that looks
like it towed a heavy trailer. Through my research I found out I should have 56" leaf springs in the rear. Are there any other models of trucks/vans that have the same 56" leaf spring that my suburban can use? Maybe something newer that I could get some leaf springs from?

This looks like an awesome forum, glad to be a part of this!

[chevak20]

What a beautiful truck!! Welcome to the forum. I have ongoing project, search on the forum for "my special suburban"

[Nodnarb76]

Thanks for the kind words, I"ll look up your project.

[blakeduren]

I added a 2 inch block to get my suburban to sit like i like it.
It sits an inch high normally but loaded or with a trailer it sits level.

You can think about custom springs, or get some from a c-30 or k-30 truck to raise it just a bit. There are several variations of the 56 springs. 7, 8, 9 leafs...

Great looking Sub.

[Nodnarb76]

Originally Posted by blakeduren

I added a 2 inch block to get my suburban to sit like i like it.
It sits an inch high normally but loaded or with a trailer it sits level.

You can think about custom springs, or get some from a c-30 or k-30 truck to raise it just a bit. There are several variations of the 56 springs. 7, 8, 9 leafs...

Great looking Sub.

what year c-30 trucks should I look at that have a 56" spring? May also look into blocks.
Thanks again!

[70-K5]

Nice looking Sub! I just picked up it's opposite twin, Red with Cream stripe. Same interior though with captains chairs.

One thing to note on these is the wheel wells can be deceiving. The wheel openings are higher on the front than the rear. If level the top of the fender will be a few inches closer to the rear wheel than the front wheel. Just how they're designed.

Park on level ground and measure the distance from the ground to the rocker behind the front wheel and in front of the rear wheel. A 2" block or an "EZ-Inch" would be good ways to get just a little rake in the stance and not break the bank.

[Nodnarb76]

Originally Posted by 70-K5

Nice looking Sub! I just picked up it's opposite twin, Red with Cream stripe. Same interior though with captains chairs.

One thing to note on these is the wheel wells can be deceiving. The wheel openings are higher on the front than the rear. If level the top of the fender will be a few inches closer to the rear wheel than the front wheel. Just how they're designed.

Park on level ground and measure the distance from the ground to the rocker behind the front wheel and in front of the rear wheel. A 2" block or an "EZ-Inch" would be good ways to get just a little rake in the stance and not break the bank.

Good idea, i'll make sure to check the wheel arches. I'm looking at the roof line when it's on level ground and looks like it sits lower in the rear.
Can you post a pic of my oppiste twin? would love to see it!

[Bluerb]

Nice rig, looks like it's in fantastic shape. What size are the tires? Look about the right size, even if you had a small lift.

[70-K5]

Here ya go, picked it up a few weeks ago and dropped it at the father in laws shop, can't wait to get back to it and get it running.

[Nodnarb76]

Originally Posted by Bluerb

Nice rig, looks like it's in fantastic shape. What size are the tires? Look about the right size, even if you had a small lift.

Thanks! those are 315/75/16's that came on it when I bought it. It's a 2wd and from what I can tell there is no lift on it.

here is another pic after some buffing/cleaning:

[Nodnarb76]

Originally Posted by 70-K5

Here ya go, picked it up a few weeks ago and dropped it at the father in laws shop, can't wait to get back to it and get it running.

GREAT LOOKING TRUCK! Man i love these old suburbans! Hope nothing too serious is wront with it! Once you get it runnning and can drive it, you will love it! Not really a lot of cars on the road that will be bigger than you, and I found that compared to driving a smaller car, people don't pull out in front of you.

[68Timber]

That's a super clean truck - nice score and welcome!