My advice on lowering your truck static.

[CDub01]

Originally Posted by Dr. Overkill

I know you've already purchased this, but you'd get a better ride quality with 2" spindles and 1" coils up front. Only thing with spindles is you'll probably have to replace your balljoints after installing them. I destroyed 3 out of 4 balljoint boots trying to remove the balljoints with a pickle fork.

I was told that it was better to go with drop coils up front rather than spindles with the stock wheels on an OBS. Is this information faulty?

[Dr. Overkill]

Originally Posted by CDub01

I was told that it was better to go with drop coils up front rather than spindles with the stock wheels on an OBS. Is this information faulty?

Oh, that is correct--my bad. With drop spindles, stock wheels will hit the lower a-arms. You either have to cut some of the lower control arm off (then reinforce inside it) or go to larger diameter wheels (I think 17" minimum).

Sorry, hadn't even thought about the wheels...

_dennis

[badkelly]

with spindles, you won't have to worry about messing up the factory ride, though, since you're just tucking the wheels up into the fender a little more.

without reading the whole thing, lemme remind you that when you pull the wheels, take a bat or smooth board or something and roll the front fender lips. it'll save you from coring the wheels when you hit a dip in the road. ask me how i know this.

[Batman2008]

I HAVE A 08 SILVERADO AND ITS LOWERED 4/6....... I HAVE 20s IN THE FRONT AND 22s IN THE BACK..... MY ABS BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON....... ANY SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO GET THIS LIGHT TO TURN OFF....THANKS FOR ANY HELP.....

[92 sierra slx]

Originally Posted by Batman2008

I HAVE A 08 SILVERADO AND ITS LOWERED 4/6....... I HAVE 20s IN THE FRONT AND 22s IN THE BACK..... MY ABS BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON....... ANY SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO GET THIS LIGHT TO TURN OFF....THANKS FOR ANY HELP.....

holy caps batman wrong thread ask the tuning guys or take it to a shop/dealer to read what the problem is

[PEDROG]

I read through all the pages and didnt find what i was looking for. I have a 97 door tahoe 2 wd and am wanting to give it a nice drop (thinking 4/6). I was wandering if the setup for the front is the same for silverado's as the 2dr tahoe? I dont even know what to look for as far as the rear goes. Any help will be greatly appreciated!

[92 sierra slx]

use 3 inch coils 2 inch spindals for a truck there the same and a rea flip kit for the back

[Dr. Overkill]

Originally Posted by 92 sierra slx

use 3 inch coils 2 inch spindals for a truck there the same and a rea flip kit for the back

If he wants a *4*/6 drop then 2" coils and 2" spindles will get the 4"

They are not identical to the trucks. Tahoes cross-reference to extended cab trucks, NOT standard cab. Because they weigh more than standard cab trucks, GM used thicker brake rotors, so the spud in the spindle is 7/16" longer to accommodate. also, the additional weight of the extended cabs and Tahoes requires a stiffer spring. Using a 2" coil for a standard cab will lower the Tahoe more than 2".

As I recommended to Pedro separately, it's informative to closely review the manufacturers' catalogs to see what part numbers cross-reference. I learned the hard way about the spindles being different lengths... (BellTech uses the same casting on both, but different spuds, so when I needed to replace one I simply ordered it based on the part # cast into the back of my old spindle and got the one for a standard cab truck, and there was almost no thread sticking out of the end of my brake rotor to get the nut on to)

_dennis

[NFNTRE]

I just finished reading and I have a question that has not been covered. Does the same rules apply for a 4/6 on a 2006 quad cab short bed. One concern I have is the drive shaft. Any suggestions?

[Dr. Overkill]

Look up the part #s for your truck in BellTech's catalog, then look up some other similar trucks and see if they take the same part #. Another thing you can do is to search the PDF for the part # and you'll find everything it fits.

http://www.belltechcorp.com/download...guide_2008.pdf

_dennis

[NFNTRE]

thanks

[SILVEROD_94]

I had a 5/6 for 2 years no problems beltech 3in springs and 2in spindles with a 265/30/22 a little rubin on the passenger inner finder on huge dips on the freeway but that's a out it rode smooth and yes even with a 30 series and I did roll the renders just to be safe and add some clearance flip kit in rear with notched crossmember that's attach to the bed right under the rear end and it never hit

[Crazed179]

so I read this entire thread and I still have a few questions.
I have an 01 ext cab that this would be going on.

belltech spindles, are they really as bad as slowrado01 was saying?? has anybody else had these issues with brake lines, turning radius, etc? also has anybody replaced their balljoints or anything else of that nature in addition to changing the front suspension?

I would be doing the install in a day and I don't think I can afford to run into many "I didn't think about that"s considering that this is my daily. thanks for any input!

[mullet_2010]

well i lowered my 79 5/7 i had minor turning issues, nothing major, it just rubbed the tires more than usual.

and yes i have had the ball joints replaced, the shop didnt complain like it was a pain in the a$$

just be sure to get it aligned

[Dr. Overkill]

Originally Posted by Crazed179

so I read this entire thread and I still have a few questions.
I have an 01 ext cab that this would be going on.

belltech spindles, are they really as bad as slowrado01 was saying?? has anybody else had these issues with brake lines, turning radius, etc? also has anybody replaced their balljoints or anything else of that nature in addition to changing the front suspension?

I would be doing the install in a day and I don't think I can afford to run into many "I didn't think about that"s considering that this is my daily. thanks for any input!

I've had BellTech spindles on my hoe for over 9 years now. The only issue I've ever had with them was when I recently over-tightened a tie rod end and it stretched out the hole in the steering knuckle, and getting a replacement spindle from them was a PITA. But that's more to do with the company than the product. If your rims are 15-16" you will need to cut the outer-lower lip off each control arm to clear, with the drop spindles. Be sure to reinforce the arm with gussets underneath! Better still, get 17" or larger wheels :)

My hoe was down about 5/6 for 9 years with no problems. I lowered it more to 6/7 recently, and only then did I decide to go ahead and replace the ball joints, just because I had it apart anyway, not because it was sloppy. I still have 3 of the 4 original tie rod ends, after 140k+ miles. I replaced all brake lines with Russell SS braided years ago and never had a problem with them. Biggest challenge there was bending those rolled guide tubes for the hoses on the upper control arms out and back. Turning radius has always been fine, although you have to take u-turns relatively slowly to avoid rubbing.

[ONEDSOB]

My advice on lowering your NNBS static.
As some of you know I have spent a lot of time and money trying to get my truck to both look good and ride nice.

I started off with using McGaughys replacement leaf springs as well as drop springs and spindles. I would not recommend going this route. When stopping, the long hangers on the springs made the truck feel like the rear end moved forward after the truck came to a stop.

The Forward Mounts for the leaf springs are not the same size as stock, so they don't fit right either.

The front lowering springs held the right height for about a month then they sagged down to the point the front tires would rub the fenders when I hit bumps in the road, so much that the tires wore holes through the plastic fender liners.

I will never use McGaughy's again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



This is what I have now.

Bell tech rear flip kit.
Bell tech adjustable struts with OEM springs.
McGaughys Spindles.

The trucks ride is unbelievably nice.



So in a nut shell, to both save money and your sanity, go with the Bell tech flip kit, Bell tech adjustable struts and spindles, Bell tech rear Nitro 2 rear shocks.

EDIT..... 10-19-08
Quote:
Originally Posted by nox
FYI Belltech sells spindles/struts/flip kit/rear shocks in a complete kit. Part Number: 647SP

Thanks nox

EDIT.......... I forgot to list all the Part Numbers.......................

For the front you can use the Belltech lowering struts part #25003 and spindles part #2509 the good thing about using these struts they are adjustable, from +2 to stock to -1 or -2. They are adjustable in 8mm increments......

For the rear you need the Belltech flip kit part #6521 its adjustable from 4-6 inches, and if you don't remove the factory hanger almost 7.

You will also need new rear shocks, I would recommend the Belltech Nitro Drop 2's they are really nice. Part # 8510



Here are some pictures of how it looks today.....from the ground to the wheel wells its 33 and 1/8" up front and 33 and 1/4 in the back, with 275/55/20's And does not rub.... or bottom out.

also added some twice pipes and a Navigation unit.

[hammsman]

I have a '98 Sportside short wheel base, 2WD, 4:11 diff, 5.7 vortec, dyno'd with lots of goodies.
I have lowered the rear shackle mounts using Belltech lowering shackles.
Can I remove the extra leaf spring on the bottom of the the leaf spring stack to get an extra 1" drop or so?
Will this affect my launch in the 1/4 mile with drag radials?
Right now it launches perfectly with no slip or wrap of the axle using red urethane bump stops between the lower spring and next spring up. It rides terribly in town... too stiff and choppy.
I am thinking that removing the extra leaf might cause severe axle wrapping and cannot seem to find traction bars to fit a slightly lowered rear suspension to compensate.
Any ideas or contacts that have done similar for drag race application?
Belltech says if I put the front leaf spring hangers on combined with the already installed rear lowering shackles that it will drop a full 4" and probably require front end lowering to compensate.
I want to leave the front end stock height and just drop the back another inch to level out the truck.

[hammsman]

I have a '98 Sportside short wheel base, 2WD, 4:11 diff, 5.7 vortec, dyno'd with lots of goodies.
I have lowered the rear shackle mounts using Belltech lowering shackles.
Can I remove the extra leaf spring on the bottom of the the leaf spring stack to get an extra 1" drop or so?
Will this affect my launch in the 1/4 mile with drag radials?
Right now it launches perfectly with no slip or wrap of the axle using red urethane bump stops between the lower spring and next spring up. It rides terribly in town... too stiff and choppy.
I am thinking that removing the extra leaf might cause severe axle wrapping and cannot seem to find traction bars to fit a slightly lowered rear suspension to compensate.
Any ideas or contacts that have done similar for drag race application?
Belltech says if I put the front leaf spring hangers on combined with the already installed rear lowering shackles that it will drop a full 4" and probably require front end lowering to compensate.
I want to leave the front end stock height and just drop the back another inch to level out the truck.

[sLOWrado01]

1 inch drop hanger. done. if your truck launches perfectly why change the springs by taking a leaf...

why wouldnt you want to drop it more? theres tons of handling parts available for a 2/4 drop, trac n sway bars are everywhere for it. plus just that little extra downforce.

[Ken Hiemstra]

I have an 89 c1500 short bed, regular cab with a 4/6 drop. It has 275/45 r20 tires an 20x8.5 inch rims with a 6 inch backspace. They rub on my sway bar and in the rear lower section of my lower control arms. Any suggestions other than wheel spacers ( i can't find longer wheel studs for these trucks)?