'Spot'
 

I've had a couple of threads asking questions for this truck. There was good & bad stuff when I first purchased it back in '17 & the bad stuff took some sorting. Once sorted (& since then) it's been completely reliable. Only maintenance since then was replacing the battery in '19 & annual oil changes.

That being said, it was a handful on the highway. Every freaking part under the front end was worn. I purchased new tires from the start but never put the fronts on as I didn't want them wearing funky & figured I'd rebuild things sooner rather than later. Well.... That didn't happen. When you can walk to work & don't travel, the worn out parts aren't causing an issue.

I've had the replacement parts on a shelf since Dec of '17 waiting. I was planning on a revised rear set-up so the front rebuild waited while I procrastinated. I used my Christmas break of 2020 to get things done & kept it simple for this round of tweaks......

Re: 'Spot'
 

Much better!

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Thank you sir.

5/7 drop
3" Belltech spindles, 1-coil sliced off of the OE springs, & Bilsteins.
OE 1.25" swap bar w/Billet frame pivots & poly bushings.

Belltech flip-kit, bolt-in C-notches w/additional reinforcement, & lower shock relocation brackets.
Western Chassis lift shackles & G-body Bilsteins w/a relocated pass side upper bracket so the shocks angles were the same (pass side was <45° angle after drop; driver side @ 58°).

2" carrier bearing spacer & modified the bed floor brace over the rear end/c-notch reinforcements.

215/75-16's on 16x6's; 265/70-16's on 16x8" Wheel Vintique 62 Series 8-lug.

Existing tailpipes had to be cut off @ the muffler exit as they interfered w/the new rear end height. Picked-up a new 2.5" dual In/Out Dynomax Ultra Flow on Saturday to replace the Flowmaster. The noise level w/the pipes cut off is crazy loud @ highway speed.

Fixed the rear frame rail issues from the previous owner & working on installing the CURT Class V hitch stuff now. Going to attempt another Hidden Hitch set-up if it doesn't over complicate things...

Re: 'Spot'
 

Diggin' it!! Funny you mention the exhaust, mine is lowered bout 4" and had the stock exhaust. I had to put a new intermediate pipes on, and when had those off noticed the rest was kinda hacked. Just put a Dynomax y-pipe on a Borla XR1 muffler. Took it for a spin, (LOUD, killer drone, not in good way lol but no pipe off muffler) and noticed it doesn't make as much noise. Apparently the stock exhaust was hitting somewhere back there, not anymore!!!

Re: 'Spot'
 

Are you going with a stock rear bumper or a roll pan?

Thanks for the specs on all you did.
That saves answering a lot of questions.
Weird how the shock angles were different.

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The bumper is already installed. The pics were straight from getting aligned. No license either in that pic....

I've been pulling the bumper brackets one side @ a time to tweak as needed for the hitch brackets.

Agreed on the difference between shock angle & bracket location difference. I just noticed the shock angles & was really surprised of the numbers.

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I've never seen 3" spindles for an OBS. Only 2". Hated using 3" coils on my 98 to get the 5" drop but since 2" spindles were all I could find that was my only option.

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Maybe the 3” drop spindle is a 2500 (3/4-ton) truck thing.

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Correct... The OBS spindle from Belltech for 3/4 & 1-ton trucks is 3" of drop like the Squarebody trucks.

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So after some measuring, the C/L of the driver side upper shock mount to the C/L of the c-notch was ~15". The C/L of the passenger side was ~19". Thus, the reason why the pass side shock was laying over too much.

*EDIT*
Image #1 is the drivers side
Image #2 is the pass side

Re: 'Spot'
 

I studied the position & shape of the bracket & decided to modify it vs. building something from scratch. There was hardware/holes conveniently there to push that decision.

I knocked the rivets out to allow moving the original bracket back the 4" needed to yield the same shock angle/travel. The lower rail c-notch bolt was already there so I was able to drill the hole in the bracket slightly oversize & utilized the c-notch hardware for that position. For the 'front' lower bracket hole I just drilled a new hole.

None of the holes on the top rail aligned & since shifting the bracket rearward required reducing the bracket height (frame rail height shrinks in this area), I sectioned the top off the bracket & welded in a new piece @ the new slightly lower height. Then, I just drilled a new upper mount hole near the C/L of the shock mounting. It has 2-lower & 1-upper fastener just like it's original position...

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Bracket shifted back 4" @ a 15" C/L. Shock angle now matches the drivers side & the shock is @ 16" @ ride height (center of shock travel).

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Did you know Belltech made an UPPER shock relocator for the OBS trucks.
I follow @macsgarage on Instagram.
He just put a set of these on a 1/2-ton single cab truck.
I never knew they existed.

Re: 'Spot'
 

I did not know about the upper relocators. This is only my 2nd 88-98/GMT400 body style truck that I've owned & only the 4th I've dropped..

I knew from my '90 the shocks were compromised. Even w/the lower relocation brackets, the shocks were too long w/a flip kit & shackles (just the flip kit for the heavier duty trucks have the same issue). I had bad tire cupping from that. I switched to the G-body shock & it helped as the travel was in the sweet spot.

I never measured a stock/unmodified suspensions shock angles but I agree 100% the angles are very poor when dropped.

My angle is currently 53°. I like them to have 30° or less (60 - 90° target). I'll have to look into the upper relocators. But.... Pulling & installing a bed solo is a PITA. It wore me out this weekend but the shock angles match & I got the CURT HD hitch & front air dam installed.

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I wish I had known about the upper shock brackets from Belltech. I just 4/6 Belltech'd my 94 truck last week. It's finished now and I'm not motivated to jerk the bed and dig back into it right now. Frankly, it's a failing of Belltech's since I went to their website prior to ordering my stuff and thoroughly explored all of the parts they list for OBS trucks.

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Agreed.... Epic 'fail' on Belltech.

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I used the Googles.

Belltech 6658

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/bel-6658

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Funny thing is, I debated making a bracket that attached to the original for relocating the pass side. But then decided I could utilize the existing bracket w/a couple tweaks.

I'll be getting a pair of these to make the angle even better.

Re: 'Spot'
 

Tx Firefighter,... Thanks for the Belltech part number.
I agree Belltech needs to get the word out, especially with the popularity of the OBS trucks right now.
@macsgarage is a good guy to follow on Instagram.
He usually has detailed posts on what he’s doing and likes to used quality parts in all the vehicles he works on.

Re: 'Spot'
 

Picked up my upper relocation brackets today. Basically you could use just one of these on the pass side & it would bring the 2-sides to almost equal angles.
The brackets are identical.

I'll swap them into place when I pull the bed off again on my next weather free weekend opportunity. This will yield ~4" difference on the driver side & ~8" total difference on the pass side between the relocating the original piece plus Belltech bracket.

Re: 'Spot'
 

Scot do you think you will have any issues at the lower shock mount since you already moved the factory mount back?
Like the shock tube hitting the add on lower bracket.

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I considered that. But, if it will work on the drivers side, I think it will on the pass side. Only big difference is the pass side has the e-brake cable/bracket attatched to the lower shock bolt. It might make that interesting but I think it can still work.

*Blazer chassis & driveline looks outstanding BTW!

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I agree.
n2billet always does amazing work.
I’m lucky to have him putting his spin on the old blazer.
I have the same vision, but he makes it reality.

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He shares progress stuff from time to time. The rust repairs were spot on IMHO. I look foward to you getting it back & logging some CtC miles.

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Well.... I bought 2.5" tubing for the muffler back exhaust & there's no freakin room to run piping w/o being directly in the path of the hitch and/or bed bolt access. Now I get why so many just dump the exhaust w/a stock bed floor.

Re: 'Spot'
 

That is where I am at too. I am considering using a set of V-band clamps to make the tail pipes removable from the back of the mufflers and routing them directly under the frame rails out the back so they can straddle the spare tire.

When access is needed to the hardware above it is a simple process to pull the tail pipe that is in the way.

I need to relocate the spare tire hoist closer to the rear end so the tire can clear the hidden hitch and roll pan. After that I can try to fit the dual 2-1/2" tail pipes in that limited space.

Re: 'Spot'
 

Well, I nixed the under-bed spare. Never was a fan of those. In all my years of driving, I've always carried the spare in the bed & even then, only when I felt the need.

I just don't want the exhaust in the way of accessing the hitch hardware. Currently the hitch hangs below the bumper & under the frame rails. My plan is to eventually mount it 'hidden' behind the license plate of the factory sport bumper. Since I know I'll be attempting that, I'm just going to dump them for now & re-visit the tailpipe issue then.

Re: 'Spot'
 

Nice work on this SCOTI. How does it ride and drive with all the changes?

Re: 'Spot'
 

It has a very acceptable ride. The Bilsteins are firm but don't beat you up & they have proper travel. I've yet to have anything make hard contact suspension wise but it's only got a couple-hundred miles @ most. I walk to work so most of the miles have been on several highway trips (45mins each way) to Summit Racing in Arlington Tx & then a G-body parts run to Temple Tx. It handles the common road irregularities well. I did tear up the aftermarket air-dam (cracked it all the way through on one side). I trimmed the air-dam on my 1/2 ton shorter & will likely get another & trim it as well for this one.

Exhaust is still sitting in a box on the shop floor. Haven't had a nice calm Sat/Sun that would allow pulling the bed off for the work. It's too much effort to tackle it when it's windy outside. I'll be re-checking all installation hardware when that happens & inspecting for any signs of trouble.

Re: 'Spot'
 

Good to know, thanks. I always like the first few drives after replacing anything-other-than-Bilsteins with Bilsteins.

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LoL....

I drove my dually around today. It reminded me I need to lube the 4-bar joints & figure out my front caliper clips on it. It was noisy suspension wise vs. Spot w/all it's squeaking & clickity-clackin.

Re: 'Spot'
 

Maybe so, but at least you got it out for a bit. Which rig do you drive the most?

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Spot is the DD. The others make me paranoid when out of sight around town. Plus that 4l80e makes for a nicer drive for the highway trip vs 3krpm.

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Copy that. Any further plans for Spot?

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For sure. I don't leave any of them alone. It's the perfect starting point to end up as a CC SWB dually w/some big wheels. You never know.

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Cool, I am always plotting next steps too.

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Been digging for a threat like this for a while. I have a 98 long bed crew cab that I've been thinking about slamming on 22-inch 8 lug Detroit Delrays.... Is anyone still around this forum

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I'm here every day; betting others are as well. I don't add content just for the sake of adding content though.

I DO have some updates coming but it won't begin for a few/several weeks. I'm getting my back-up vehicle repaired so I can have Spot (aka whitetrash) down for the changes.

Upcoming work:

• ABS corrections. The 'brain' that controls the functionality doesn't work. The ABS constantly engages over rough/uneven road surfaces which makes driving a chore. Asphalt patches, potholes, RR tracks, or just braking over un-even road surfaces can trigger the ABS when applying the brakes. Def can't let someone else drive it because of what it takes. I'll be 'correcting' that issue.

• Front end suspension changes. We cannot seem to get decent Caster settings w/the Camber where I want it on this one. From the get-go, it's pulled slightly to the right. I noted aggressive tire wear on the outer edges as well & we put it on the rack again to verify things didn't move/shift. My buddy tried again to dial in the Caster & Toe but the eccentric arrangement is limiting his adjustment range. I've been investigating adjustable upper a-arms but might just tweak what came from GM. I won't make the final call until I can remove one side for deeper investigation.

• Exhaust. As of this month, the truck is officially done w/emissions testing (once it hits 25yrs, testing is no longer required here). I still have the exhaust system to re-work w/the parts already on hand. The age of things now might have some impact on the original scope of that project.

• A/C revamp. We charged the A/C last summer in June & it worked reasonably well until a line ruptured this fall/winter. By 'reasonably well' I mean 45° vent temps while on the move but it quickly creeped up >10° when sitting idle. I swapped a new clutch fan in place w/no change so a new condenser was in my future. So, a condenser, hoses, & recharge was the plan. But, I scored an unbroken dash in March '23 so it's likely I'll add that work into the A/C re-vamp so I can do the accumulator while replacing the other stuff. The blend door motors are also non-functional.... It's a 'while you're in there' thing right??

• Interior. As soon as I owned the truck one of the first things done was pulling the nasty, stained, stinky-arse carpet out. With it gone, i swapped the 60/40 front bench for buckets & console package. If/when the dash gets pulled & swapped, I'll go ahead & finally get some interior isolation products & carpet down on the floor. I'll hit up my interior guy & likely re-work the headliner that officially let loose along the front windshield last summer from driving w/the windows down w/the high heat climate.

I've been monitoring front tire wear & know I just now have cord showing through the rubber (<10k miles). New tires are already here but I won't put them on until I correct the front alignment situation.
So.... The front alignment & brake problems will be the immediate priority.

Re: 'Spot'
 

Dang...highly envious of your skills Scoti.

Re: 'Spot'
 

So I did some additional investigating to sort through my alignment/tire wear issue. I've been trying to learn what others are getting/using on their alignment specs. While searching the web for what guys are achieving, most were just going by what GM called for (and what I assumed).

I'm used to the previous GENs C10 ability to manipulate the alignment specs/targets vs this newer GEN/OBS chassis. Ridetech specs for the 88-98 OBS tubular StrongArm set-ups call for:

• NEG .5° Camber

• POS 3.0° -- 5.0° Caster

• 1/16 -- 1/8 Toe In

I told my buddy to dial in the NEG .5° Camber; put as much Caster as he could w/that Camber target, & set Toe to OE spec. He did this & I had a 'pulls to the Right' issue from the start. In all the years I've lowered my vehicles, I'm familiar w/this issue ("you'll feel a slight pull but it won't wear the tires"). That being said, it's hit or miss. On this one, it was a miss & chewed up the fronts in about 15k or fewer miles.

We got it back on the rack again recently to review where things were & see if something changed after the chassis settled (*I didn't think it should have settled since I re-used the original springs minus a coil trimmed off). He tried messing w/the Caster but it's @ the limits of the factory a-arm mount 'knock-out' holes/slots where the alignment eccentrics adjust the settings.

My plan was to go aftermarket & get adjustable upper arms so I can have more adjustability. The set-back was the only adjustable C2500 spec upper arms I could find utilize fixed bushings which don't give me the warm & fuzzies because once you alter the length of a 'leg' on a control arm that mounts to the chassis in this arrangement, the centerline of the pivot for the arm is changed. To me. that change would induce bind because the bushings would no longer be 'square' within the mounting tabs on the frame. This may or may-not be a notable issue; but it would suck to spend $600 only to have created a problem. My solution was going to utilize a better set-up (w/spherical bearings) that allowed making the changes but keeping the pivots from bind. But the spherical bearing set-up requires 1/2 ton spec BJ's which have a diff foot-print vs 2500/3500 BJ's. Thers's a solution to that as well.....

But, I'm going to tweak the factory mounting tabs first because I don't know what the lead time will be on my new uppers & I need this thing mobile vs idle. I'm going to increase the lengths of the slots to see what he can get away with. If it still has the pull after the change, I'll opt for the owner modded aftermarket uppers.

It's apart now to extend the slots. I should be able to get it back together tonight & hopefully he can squeeze me in before the weekend to see if extending the slots allows the ability for him to adjust things more/where we need (want ;) ).

This where we left things after he hit the wall & couldn't adjust any further. I told him don't worry about the numbers because I wouldn't be driving it until the upper arms could be adjusted more. This will be the baseline w/the OE limts. It was @ -0.4/-0.5 Camber before he started trying to dial-in more Caster: