OK guys, I did a little searching but didn't find exactly what I was looking for. The deal is, as many of you know, my stock blazer's suspension is wishy-washy as can be and I want to stiffen it up...cheaply. I have new front shocks and the stock ones I took out still felt good so I dont think they were bad. New sway bar link kits up front also. Even with that, the dumb thing bounces around more than a mexican's pimp-caddy. (thats just supposed to be funny, im not racist really)
Also its very tippy but I am hoping some wheel spacers will help with that. Now about the suspension, heres my cheap fix idea:
I just recently got some 12 dollar combination spring compressor/expander brackets for my 86 firebird and put them in the rear, raised the saggy suspension 2 inches and saved a lot of time and money putting in new leaf springs. Also made for a very nice, solid, stiff ride. If I get a couple pairs of those for the front end of my blazer and crank it up just an inch or whatever it takes for them to stay in there, it should help with the road sway right?
Then what about the rear, how do I stiffen that up?
thanks in advance everyone!

 

I used to sell auto parts, and i think your talking about these hard rubber/polyurethane bushings that go inbetween a spring?

I think that would be a good idea to at least try for the price- Think about it, it either helps you or it doesn't, and it didn't break your bank. Also, what _kind_ of shocks did you purchase? This can make the difference also. For instance your standard gas charged item may not be good enough, get something like a monroe sensa-trac - I have heard (though never used) rancho shocks are bouncy but they are great shocks all around and have adjustable ones.

 

actually I was talking about spring adjuster clamps, like these
http://www.jcwhitney.com/COIL-SPRING...3419_10101.jcw
Get a set of those in each spring and expand them just enough to hold themselves in place and not pop out during rough driving, I think might help stiffen the works up.
The shocks I put in were monroe gas charged type, but they were cheap ones. I know if I let my blazer sit for a week or two while driving my firebird and then I hop back in the blazer, the oil or something will have settled in the shocks and it takes about 6 miles of driving before they work at all.
I know a lot of it is just the "nature of the beast" but there has to be something that can be done to help it because its pretty rediculous. I know all the soccer mom's and grandmothers want a nice cushony ride but I don't care about that, I want to be connected to the road so I know what the hecks going on.

 

Don't forget about your tires... keep in mind that some are more "flexy" than others, and be sure to air them up to their max pressure.

 

Good point, but I am on top of my tire pressure most of the time. These tires the truck came with look like they were as cheap as can be, and I think they are passenger tires as well. Better yet, when I bought the truck we noticed the tires were a little worn on the outer edges and the owner mentioned having never rotated the tires before...that helps a lot

 

"Flexy"???....Must be technical term.

 

The amount any vehicle bounces is controlled by the shocks. Sway is controlled by the sway bars.

What brand/model of shocks did you install? There are shocks available that do stiffen up the ride quite a bit and some that are quite soft.

As far as spring rates go, if you want to keep your truck at stock ride height, then there really is not a lot you can do to stiffen it up short of custom springs in the back and, well, there really is nothing that can be done in the front unless you can find someone to make you up custom torsion shafts...

When I replaced the shocks on my Bravada, it went from a boat like ride to a much stiffer ride. I used Monroe Reflex shocks in the front and Monro Sensatrak w/ coil over load assist on the back. It did not really lift the back any, but the coil over springs definitely bolstered the suspension up more to handle increased loads with less squatting. If you were really not too concerned over handling the weight, I would say Monroe Reflex shocks would likely get you the ride you desire... These things are trucks afterall.

 

swart, did you say your bravada has coil springs in the back?? I must be misunderstanding. Anyways its fine if it ends up lifted a little bit as long as it looks ok all around, and as long as it doesnt make it much more prone to tipping over but im sure it would be fine with anything I would do. I forget exactly which monroe shocks I put in, all I know is that it was winter, I was next to broke and they were cheap, less than 30 dollars each. And again I only replaced the front ones, havent looked at the back but the stock ones I took out of the front were fine, the truck has 108 thousand miles on it.
If its a truck why did they build it so bouncy? xD Sit waiting at a stoplight in the turning lane, a geo metro cruizes by and the wind off it makes my truck rock for 4 seconds...I better check out those rear shocks

 

Looking fine and working as designed do not always go hand in hand, especially when talking about shocks. I have never recommended shocks be changed only on one axle... Check out those rear shocks.

The rear suspension on all s-series vehicles use leaf springs. I installed coil over shocks in the rear to bolster the suspension in the back for the weight I was carrying on a routine basis (tools, etc).

 

ah ok. I will say that the ride really was hardly any different before or after the new shocks up front, and at that same time I had put in two front sway bar link kits because mine were missing the nuts on the bolt :S I thought getting that fixed up would cure my problems way back then but it really didnt feel any different.