I noticed we used a lot of terms freely, so I thought I'd make a list and try to get some definitions together.
- OBS - Old Body Style (88-98)
- NBS - New Body Style (99+)
- CBS - Classic Body Style (pre 87 1\2 and 3\4 ton pickups and pre 91 1 ton pickups, suburbans, or K5 blazers.
- IFS - Independent Front Suspension, started on all Chevy and GMC 1\2 tons in 88 and followed up with 3\4 tons and 1 tons in later years.
- SFA - Solid Front Axle, front suspension on 4x4 trucks prior to '88.
- SAS - Solid Axle Swap. Replacing the IFS suspension on a newer truck with much stronger and durable strait axle. Articulates far more as well.
- Open end - aka 1 legger. Type of axle carrier where power is transfered to 1 wheel all the time.
- LSD - Limited Slip Differiential, aka posi. Acts as an open end until slip is detected, then both wheels will recieve power.
- Locker - Carrier in axle where both wheels recieve equal amounts of power all the time.
- G80 - Posi unit available to GM trucks from the factory. Manufactured by Eaton.
- Bars - Refers to the torison bars that control ride height \ level on GM built IFS trucks. Turning the bolt that regulates the bar can increase height, but decrease ride quality, and vice versa. Increasing height significantly creates poor front driveline angles and wears suspension parts faster.
- Suspension Lift - Increasing height of a vehicle by dropping suspension components down from stock location. IFS lifts typically go to 12"-14" max.
- Body Lift - Putting spacers between the body and the frame. Typical max height gains are 2"-3".
- Leafs - Leaf springs are a method of suspension for a solid axle. Still used in the rear of current GM pickups. Long pieces of thing metal that can flex. Built in packs with a stretched U shape.
- 4 link - Typically using a type of coil with links attached to the frame and axle. 4 link setups are used in the place of a leaf spring for greater articulation and ride quality.
- 10 bolt - Referring to the strait axle found under all 88+ 1\2 ton GM pickups (with the exception of the 14SF appearing under some heavy duty 1\2 tons). 88+ 4x4 versions came in 6 lug only. Semifloating axle with C-Clips holding in the axle shafts. Commonly 8.5" ring gear. *edit* 1977-1991 Full Floating 10 bolts were made. These came in 6 or 8 lug versions.
- 14SF - Found in light duty 3\4 ton 88+ trucks. SF stands for semifloating axle. Essientially a beefed up 10 bolt. Can be found as 5 lug (454SS's), 6 lug (88-98 OBS), or 8 lug (99+ NBS). Commonly 9.5" ring gear.
- 14FF - Strongest axle manufactured by GM, period. Found in heavy duty 3\4 tons and 1 ton pickups. Does not use C clips to hold axle shafts, instead it uses 8 bolts at the end of the hub. Only found in 8 lug. Typically 10.5" ring gear. All drum brakes until 2000, then it was converted to disc brakes by GM.
- CV Joint \ Angles - Refers to front suspension of an IFS truck. CV stands for Constant Velocity I believe. Method of moving power from differiential to the wheel. Common break point for an IFS truck. Cranking the bars greatly creates bad CV angles, and can cause premature failure.
I think thats it for now. I'm sure its not all correct, but thats what you all are for. Maybe we can get it stickied?
Steve