Chevy C1500 suspension convert to a 2500 ??

[Cactus]

Can it be done safely/and be feasible ? Are the axles the same ??? I have a 1500 Chevy Work Truck I use on the farm and I want to strenghten the suspension , it has a broken leaf on it and I am going to need to work on the truck anyway and I thought now would be the time to make the conversion if it could be done. Also I am wanting to put the same type of wheels on the truck that come on the 2500 ,just a standard wheel,nothing fancy. I want to be able to haul a load in the truck. Any suggestions etc would be appreciated.

Thank you

 

[kokopelli2]

trade it in on a 2500...it will be cheaper in the long run
you need new leafs, axels, driveshafts, tranny, frame....and much more!

 

[MikePA]

If you want to do something so you can haul just a little more, add an extra leaf spring into each spring pack when you repair the broken leaf. As was mentioned, it's cheaper to buy a 2500 (or a 3500) than to try and turn a 1500 into one.

 

[Cactus]

So the 2500 has a bigger axle than the 1500 (sounds naive I know)....I think the extra leafs will be the easiest.

 

[Soundguy]

Not sure about the chevy.. but on the dodge.. the 1500 to 2500 is even a different bolt pattern on the hub.. etc.

Soundguy

 

[RobS]

It's gonna get even more confusing before it ever gets easy! There may have been both a light duty and heavy duty 2500 model. Ford does this with the F250. The light duty is about the same as the half ton, probably six lug instead of five or maybe eight instead of five/six. Heavier springs but the axles are likely the same. If you want to move up to the heavy duty then it's all new everything. Frame, springs and axles.

If you really want more load carrying capacity, trade the vehicle in on a heavy duty 3/4 ton or one ton. You can easily tell with a rear wheel cover off. The heavy duty will have a large hub that sticks out in the center of the wheel. It will have eight bolts around its edge. The light duty will have a hub more or less flush with the wheel mounting surface and no bolts showing. Harder to describe than picture /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[MikePA]

<font color="blue">You can easily tell with a rear wheel cover off. The heavy duty will have a large hub that sticks out in the center of the wheel. </font>
Floating vs non-floating axle, right?

 

[EddieWalker]

Light duty trucks are designed for confort with minimum loads and abuse.

Every time you modify one part, you shift the problem to a new area. Stronger springs will solve that issue, but now you will have new issues to address. The question becomes, what will break next?

Sounds like you need a heavy duty work truck. If you're busting springs, then maybe you need a dually. At the minimun, you need to go up a class in load range.

 

[RobS]

<font color="blue">Floating vs non-floating axle, right? </font>

Semi-floating versus full floating. Read this for some background.

For a picture, check out the attachment in this post. In the case of Ford, the light duty 250 will have the same wheel bolt pattern but will not have the large hub sticking out in the middle /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[KAB]

On Chevy there is a different axle between the 1500 and the 1500HD/2500. As mentioned elsewhere yes semi-floating compared to floating. 6 bolt compared to 8 bolt. Larger ring and pinion. Much heavier frame. Larger transmission. Larger engine. Same body. (except 4 wheel steering) By using heavier springs you just move the weakest link. It would probably now be either axle or frame.

If you want a 2500 your best bet, as others have said, get another truck.

Good Luck
Kurt