getting drop kit soon...

[75shortysocal]

k... im going to get a restricted licence, just so i can drive to work.. so i can take a lil longer paying off my tickets... tomarrow i have to get insurance, and my new tags, and in two weeks im getting a drop kit, two weeks after that ill get some tires..."whatever size that is"

my questions?

1) will this drop kit be PERFECTLY level?
http://www.gmcpauls.com/springs_&_drop_suspension.htm ----- "very bottom one"... 4- 1/2 front * 6 rear
the rear leafs are pretty good, truck was never a worktruck...and there are like 7 leafs each side..

2) with that drop kit, and my 15x8's what is THE BEST size tire to use... i want it to sit very low, and very level...

3) with that kit.... do i NEED to do the C-section?

[Rc 415]

I've heard that you cant lower that much with 8" rallies, that the lower a arm will rub the rim.

[Rc 415]

Thats why I've got my 5/7 drop kit sitting in my garage, waiting till I can get me some DUBS

[boatpuller]

mine rubbed,thats why i ended up going with 17's.some people get away with it by doing some grinding of that lip.i didn't want to take off that much material.they make some after market 17 rallies that are sweet looking.gmc pauls sells good stuff and he knows these trucks i'm sure that will be a good setup.slap some pics on here when you "git er done" love looking at dropped chevies

[benoit454]

So how low can you go in front and safely without rubbing the control arm on the stock rim? What do you use to go that low? springs? spindles or combo?

What if you went with aftermarket 15's?

What if they have a different/less backspace then the factory ones so they kick out further to clear?

Anyone know how much backspace the factorys have?

[knightlife]

Im hopin the kit I ordered from there doesnt make my 18s rub lol

[75shortysocal]

i want my truck to sit EXACTLY like poolboy65-ls1 's truck

[Rc 415]

He had to grind his lower A arms IIRC, if thats what you want to do go for it.

[andrist1]

Why not just purchase new control arms? There is an article about the dangers of cutting the lower control arms in the April issue of Custom Classic Truck entitled "Cheap Thrills, Help Avoid Nasty Spills." You should check it out............

[87 STEPPER]

Originally Posted by andrist1

Why not just purchase new control arms? There is an article about the dangers of cutting the lower control arms in the April issue of Custom Classic Truck entitled "Cheap Thrills, Help Avoid Nasty Spills." You should check it out............

Well it's like anything else anyone does theres a right way and the wrong way to do it.

In 1987 when my truck was 2 days old i lowered it using bell tech 3" spindles and when i put my new wheels on they hit and would not spin due to 4'5 " bs so i tried the stock rallys and they hit when the wheel was truned so i had to cut the lip off the control arms and i fabed a gusset and welded it to the underside of it around the ball joint.

20 yr's later still no problems with by modified control arms.

[Slonaker]

You will only have the problem with the LCA hitting the wheel if you run 3" spindles with rallys. If you use 2.5" spindles, you won't have a problem. I have Western Chassis 2.5" spindles and 8" rallys with no problems.

Slonaker

[boxrodz]

Werd on what Slon posted.

To figure out if your truck will sit level, measure the 'bodyline' heights at the centerline of the front wheels and at the centerline of the rear wheels. This will give you the rake you currently have and the difference between the front and rear of what you need in a drop kit. For example, if you have a 2" rake, then you need a 4"/6" kit. Since you have a 7-leaf springpack, you should take a measurement from the bottom of the axle to the top of the springpack. This will tell you how much of a drop that a flip kit will give your truck. (To be precise, add an extra 1/4" or so for the thickness of the flip kit bracket.)

Try to maintain at least a 3" suspension travel between the axle and the framerail. To figure out whether or not you need to c-notch it, measure the distance between the bottom of the framerail and the top of the springpack. Subtract 3" for the axle diameter and another 1/4" or so for the flip kit bracket and you should end up with the amount of suspension clearance you'll end up with using a flip kit. If it's less than 3", then you may have to notch it.

BTW, poolboy65-ls1 's truck looks like it has a slight rake to it. Maybe, he'll chime in and give his rake measurements.

[jdmaffeo]

That's the kit that I bought! Great dealing with Les at GMC Pauls. I rebuilt the a-arms and entire steering system. It has been taking some time as I have been powdercoating/painting etc... Here is a link to my progress so far. http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=237124 . There are some pics of the front end on the ground again. I will try to hang a fender tonight and get a picture for you and post it tomorrow.

[75shortysocal]

im getting scared now.

[poolboy65-ls1]

No need to be scared. I do have 3" BellTech spindles. I did not grind mine but they do rub when I cut my wheels hard. I thought about grinding my LCAs but I think I'm going to go with 17"s. I drive mine at least 4 days a week for about 7 weeks now I just dont turn sharp.

[jdmaffeo]

Like poolboy65-ls1 said....don't be scared. Here are a few pictures that I was able to get last night after i turned the truck around so that I can do the flip kit this weekend. I hung a fender on it so that you could get a little better idea. This is the same kit that you are looking at. Not all the weight is on the front end yet, but it will give you an idea. The tire size is 255/70/15.

[75shortysocal]

thanx guys...
and thanx for the visual jdmaffeo--- you rock!


my 225's are way to small...and jdmaffeo the guy i talked to at GMCPAULS said that the 4 1/2 front 6 back kit, drops the truck perfectly level... when you starting on the rear?




the kit im getting..

2 1/2" front, 6" rear drop kit.

2" front lowering springs
2 1/2" drop spindles
axle flip kit
C-notch kit


if i want it lower........should i order a 3" drop spindle instead?

[jdmaffeo]

I was able to get the truck turned around last night and already sitting on jack stands. I will be rebuilding the brakes and everything just like the front end. I probably won't paint everything now. I will either start on it tonight or tomorrow. I want to have it out of the storage building be the end of the month, so I am going to be really up against the wall time wise.

[boxrodz]

Here's a 'Fear-Reliever':

(BTW, with a 7-leafspring pack, the rear may be just slightly lower, but it'll be close.)

[75shortysocal]

Originally Posted by boxrodz

Here's a 'Fear-Reliever':

(BTW, with a 7-leafspring pack, the rear may be just slightly lower, but it'll be close.)

AHHHH dude, thanx!....

looks like ill get a 3 inch drop coil...that should even it up, tires dont look to small when its dropped...

[benoit454]

Man with all these threads on lowering kits I think we need a big lowering FAQ sticky to read up on.

I mean I know for sure I have tons of questions about it.

Like how big of drop spindle can one get without rubbing anything and running stock or stockish rims or sized rims, like 15's for example. Would it be 2.5 max or 3 inch? or less?

Can one run 3 inch drop coils with the rest stock, except for maybe shocks? or would they have issues?

Also why do most axle flip kits require a c notch and claim to drop 6 inches or in that area, and the djm ones say 5 inches and NO NOTCH REQUIRED?????

Then if one does a axle flip, could the go even lower with the shackles and flipped front hangers on top of the already axle flipped setup?

I know that would require a frame notch for sure if you could because that would be like a 10 inch drop in back.

Then how much drop could you go in the front? 3 inch coils and 3 inch spindles? Anymore? Too much? What would have to be modified or changed to do it?

Plus I know tons of other people have questions so I think we need a sticky or FAQ at least for it. Then ppl can list their truck, and what size kit or how it's done, any bad things to it like rubbing, add tire size, rim size, anything special they had to do or modify, all that stuff.

[jdmaffeo]

I finally got the flip kit completed and the c-notch in. Rebuilt the rear brakes with everything new! I had a small mishap last night and nearly lost a finger trying to finish it up and spent the rest of the evening at the urgent care. No stiches, but they used this cool superglue stuff to put me back together. Here are a few pictures of the way it sits. I will hopepully have the front clip on by the end of the weekend and drive it home!!! (cross your fingers!!)

[knightlife]

I like your thinking of doing it in a storage unit! that is so original dude! if only I could trust the area around the base here, I'd be tryin the same damn thing lol

[jdmaffeo]

I'm rushing to get it done by the end of the month. They are doubling my rent to $160/mo on the 1st. That is way out of my budget. I just hope I can make it b/c i am running out of steam. I have been working on it every night for 3 weeks now. I originally was only paying $60/month...GRRRR....so close yet so far!! LOL

[grinch4om]

if you use 7" ralleys on the front, they wont rub. worked for me