Thanks BOe, on site participation, yes some lack off. On a new person, just joining, I like to wait a day to see if others will respond to the OP's question(s). I look see how many have viewed it. I can think of no better way to build site participation as saying "Hello ......, Welcome to FTZ". Then try to help with ? or say Hopefully some one will be along in a bit to help you out. Encouragement to let us know how they make out and sometimes I say, WE Like Pictures.

Ya know your black paint? 29 view and me one of them, I can't help. Should I have said so??? We could have a discussion about it with thoughts on how I would do it, but haven't.

 

Folks, Sorry for no response. Apparently I haven't been getting the replies because my mail server marked the emails as spam for some crazy reason. Update is that I found the springs Summit sold me were for a 4WD not 2WD, They swapped them out for stock springs (heavy duty) but I'm still searching on how to level this truck in the front. I had considered lowering the rear using a leaf spring "flip kit" but I'm not crazy about having to notch out the chassis to do this so I'm back to raising the front by 3.5". Checking with all the parts houses, I'm coming up empty for a 3.5" front lift. I'm finding 2" spacers but still that would not be high enough to level it and I would still need the drop down pivot brackets for the two I-beam axles to keep the camber in spec. I can find the drop down pivot brackets but they are all for 4WD, not 2WD.

If anyone has a source for 3-4" lift from stock coil springs with the lower pig-tail bend in the spring like the rounded bend in the picture I initially posted (stock spring on right in pic), is what I need, with I-beam drop down brackets to keep camber in spec and of course longer shocks.

Again I apologize for the missing of the replies here and THANK everyone for their comments.

 

This is a stab in the dark! Some make kits, I don't know who, for lowering the front end and it has fabricated front axle's. How about contacting such companies and ask them if they would make you two axles that instead of being dropped, turn the king pin eyes over to raise instead of lower. I have seen the drop axles and they ARE fabricated, not cast or forged like stock. Looking to use everything stock except longer brake hose's. After thinking about this you would have do something with the tie-rods coming thru the radius arms, could be doable with steering arms that bolt to the spindle upper holes. Like I Said, Stab In The Dark!

On the rear, how about stock springs but, have them de-arched, modify bottoming out bumpers to allow travel of the axle.

 

I think after reconsidering the front end modifications I'm going to try to go to lowering the rear end. There's just too much to change on the front end and I really didn't want to raise it anyway. In addition I could find no one who made a three and a half inch higher spring for the front end of the truck and there's still the issue with getting the drop-down brackets for the I-beam's. No one makes those either for 2WD. I have looked at one company (Eaton Detroit Spring) who will custom make rear leaf springs to lower the rear 3 in. However the prices for their leaf springs are astronomically high ($959.50 shipped from Eaton). I am curious as to the best way to de-arch a leaf spring?

I read in a custom rod forum: "de-arch the rear springs by pulling the spring apart and reversing the 2nd leaf onto the top of the spring cluster and squeeze it back together in a big vice. Then fitted a new center bolt and flattened the spring a good 3 inch’s and still kept it stiff enough not to bottom out".

I am concerned that doing this would increase the length of the spring and they would no longer fit without a shackle modification. But since the base slat is unchanged, the shackle in the rear should pivot enough to accommodate the longer length. By the way, there is no way to increase length of shackle in order to effectively lower the truck because the truck bed is only a couple of inches from the top of the shackle. Also De-arching like this would reduce the load capacity substantially. However, I think the load capacity could be compensated with the installation of air bag helpers, which I would install anyway to ensure truck doesn't bottom out if I load it up. By the way, I have a total of 5 slats on these springs with the slat on the bottom (last slat on top of the axle) to be much shorter than the other 4 so I suspect this is a helper spring for when loaded down.

Anyone here ever tried this de-arching approach?

 

Try to find the nearest commercial spring shop to you. They would be pros on all this and the ones to de arch your springs or possibly a competitive price on new to accomplish your goal. A trip there with the truck and they can see what there is to work with. I also think lowering the rear best way to go. Cap

 

Thanks, iicap, will do.