The '73 to '87 Chevy trucks and their straight front axle Blazer cousins (up to 1991) have long been fullsize favorites and a great base onto which one can build a fun off-road machine. These 4WDs have come equipped in numerous forms with a wide variety of engines, transmissions, transfer cases, and axles. There is significant parts interchangeability and replacement parts are readily available thanks to the great numbers of these vehicles that were manufactured and the number that still remain on the road today.
Over the years, a variety of companies have delivered aftermarket suspension kits for the Chevys, but it seems much of the innovation for this application stopped some years ago, and has not kept up with today's trail demands and the updated performance demands of wheelers. Stephen Watson, and Offroad Design (ORD), are exceptions to that. They continue to refine available upgrades for the fullsize GM products they own and wheel, so we looked to them when it came time to improve the suspension performance of a 1991 Blazer.
ORD recently released a new, complete 3-inch-and-up lift kit which includes sway-bar disconnects, shackle flip-kit, new springs, and the various other hardware to pull it all together. They can outfit a stock truck or work with you to supplement and improve on suspension parts you may already own.
In our case, we had a Blazer that already had a basic 6-inch lift on it. The front spring packs worked decently, but our stock sway bar setup was binding under articulation. Out back, our lift consisted of stock springs with an added leaf and 4-inch blocks. While it got the Blazer up higher, the performance was not the greatest due to the overly stiff packs and the axle wrap due to the lift blocks.
Follow along as we describe how ORD helped get us the lift we wanted combined with better overall suspension performance. Once we were done, we found the Blazer ride quality was much improved both on and off the highway, and we lost a lot of the stiff, choppy ride we had previously experienced.
 Our Blazer had recently suffered...  Our Blazer had recently suffered a cracked frame near the steering box. This is a common failure point on these vehicles when running larger than stock tires. We opted for ORD's weld-in frame repair kit. It consists of two formed steel plates. One fits between the steering box and the outside of the framerail. It has dimpled hole areas that conform to the stock bumps in the frame. A second plate fits under the frame to provide additional support to the area. |  Once we got the steering box...  Once we got the steering box pulled off the frame we could see how badly the frame was cracked. Hopefully you can catch yours and reinforce it before it gets this severe. This one was cracked in the vertical face, the lower horizontal edge, and across the bottom. Typically, most frame shops won't want to deal with a repair of this nature. |  We removed the front spring...  We removed the front spring pack to take some of the tension off the frame. We weren't quite sure how much effort it would take to pull the cracked framerail back into place, and were surprised how easy the task was with a small come-a-long.
We slid a steel bar in the front spring hanger and in the rear shackle and used them as pull points. With the framerail back in position, we used a grinder to clear the paint in the areas where we were going to weld. Before the ORD plates were installed, we ground a V-groove into each crack and filled them with a weld bead. When working here you need to be careful of nearby brake lines and any other hoses. |
 Next, the ORD side plate was...  Next, the ORD side plate was clamped to the framerail and then welded in place. This plate doubles the metal thickness in this vulnerable area and the double stack greatly stiffens it. We ran one-inch welds around the plate in about a dozen locations. The second plate was welded to the frame to add further strength on the bottom of the framerail. |  While we were dealing with...  While we were dealing with the cracked frame and the steering box was off, we decided to also add ORD's bolt-in steering box brace kit, which consists of two brackets and the necessary hardware for installation. |  After painting the framerail,...  After painting the framerail, we reinstalled the steering box using the new hardware. Here's the installed steering box brace we're using for added protection against steering stresses breaking the frame again. This powdercoated brace mates to two of the threaded steering box holes using longer bolts and then ties to the front crossmember on the other end. You do have to drill one hole in the crossmember for the bolt as shown above. |