Suspension Stabilization For Trailer on '73-'87 Chevy 3/4 Bed Converted to Trailer

Question:

Hi there! I have a 10 slide in camper in the bed of an old chevy 3/4 ton truck cab removed and hitch welded on, hillbilly style. Its feeling very, very wobbly while driving. I am changing the tires out for newer tires that I plan on running at a higher pressure, but what I am wondering is what I can do, suspension wise, to stabilize the load for under $xxx, since the trailer is a rusty old POS. I have done add-a-leafs on other vehicles before and that seemed fine, but may not be adequate for this application. A sumo bump or other bump-stop device seems like the best bet but I am writing to hear some expert opinion! thanks.

asked by: Spencer D

Helpful Expert Reply:

Appreciate the photo, and this is a pretty new one but I think we do have something for you to help out. I showed that photo to some colleagues and it seems pretty likely what you have there is a 1973 - 1987 Chevy C20, which is the 3/4 ton. And the best option to stabilize the suspension would be bump stops, like you said, as they'll work in the same manner as if they were on a passenger truck.

There are actually two options for Timbrens that fit a 1973-1987 Chevy C20, depending on if the truck was 2WD or 4WD. Assuming you don't know that though, the best thing you can do is take a look at the accompanying photos from the install instructions to see which looks most similar to your suspension, and make a choice from there:

- 2WD: Timbren Rear Suspension Enhancement System # TGMRC20

- 4WD: Timbren Rear Suspension Enhancement System # TGMRK10

I do need to note that I can't guarantee a fitment here. While it looks like your trailer is from a Chevy of those model years, since it's a trailer, and there may have been some modifications done to the axle, it isn't 100 percent that it will fit, but an educated guess is this is going to be exactly what you need.

expert reply by: Kyle S