1987 R10 4/6 Drop

[brady01]

Question, I have an 87 r10 I'm planning to do Belltech 2.5" Spindles and 2" Springs up front with a flip kit in the rear for a 4/6 drop. Im currently running 265/70/15 tires with factory rallies. Would these clear when I drop it or do I need to get tires first? And please dont flog me for not using the search bar because I have and I have scrolled until my eyes are crossing. LOL Thanks in advance!

[Tetanus Express]

I just put 3" Belltech drop spindles with 2" Belltech drop springs on the front of my 85 and I did have the factory Alcoa wheels on it and they hit the lower a-arm on the outside edge after putting those parts on and not to mention they rub the caliper just barely. So I went to the junk yard this morning to find a van steel wheel which is a 6-1/2" wide wheel and they just touched the lower a-arm so I put a 1/4" spacer on to bring the wheel out just a bit more and it seems to clear now. My plans are to run some 15" steel wheels for a while and then decide on some 20" wheels. Also in the process of putting on a 6" Belltech flip kit.

[Tetanus Express]

What size wheels are you running? 15x8? If you are running 265/70 all the way around you will most definitely need new tires by dropping it that much but every truck is a little different. Also are you sure it's 2-1/2 drop spindle and not 3" drop spindle? I didn't think they made a 2" or 2-1/2" drop spindle for 73-87. Also and you may know but make sure you got the right spindle for what brakes you are running. 1" thick or 1-1/4" thick rotors.

[bbbc10]

Also u wheels will rub on the lower control arm wth this spindle....only spindle that wont cause the wheel to rub is the western chassis 2.5" spindle which i had.....all other spindles will cause rubbing issues

[Moose62]

I just did the same drop as recommended by bbbc10. I used the western chassis 2.5" spindle and 2" coil and belltech rear flip and 2-4" front shocks, and 4-6" rear shocks, with no shock extenders, and no c notch so far. Got a 4.5 drop from front and about 6.5" drop from rear. Truck sits level at 26.25" on center of each fender. My tire is 29" tall 255/75/15. It does drive and rides fine. However the spindle at the tie rod is about 1/8" from the inner rim lip and I had to cut the balance weights off the back of the rim. My truck is getting 255/45/20, 29" tires soon. So I have no concerns with that tire and drop. Rubbing is expected with strong bumps or dips but inner fenders can be modified...

[brady01]

Originally Posted by Moose62

I just did the same drop as recommended by bbbc10. I used the western chassis 2.5" spindle and 2" coil and belltech rear flip and 2-4" front shocks, and 4-6" rear shocks, with no shock extenders, and no c notch so far. Got a 4.5 drop from front and about 6.5" drop from rear. Truck sits level at 26.25" on center of each fender. My tire is 29" tall 255/75/15. It does drive and rides fine. However the spindle at the tie rod is about 1/8" from the inner rim lip and I had to cut the balance weights off the back of the rim. My truck is getting 255/45/20, 29" tires soon. So I have no concerns with that tire and drop. Rubbing is expected with strong bumps or dips but inner fenders can be modified...

Awesome! Your truck looks awesome, i actually replied to your other thred last night too, but thats the answer I'm looking for. So i think my tires should clear. And you said yours does sit level and thats good, thats what I'm wanting.... I dont want any rake. As far as the wheel weights you could probably use stick on wheel weights on the inside if you had to and they would not interfere. Thanks for the reply!

[slalomsauce]

Originally Posted by Moose62

I just did the same drop as recommended by bbbc10. I used the western chassis 2.5" spindle and 2" coil and belltech rear flip and 2-4" front shocks, and 4-6" rear shocks, with no shock extenders, and no c notch so far. Got a 4.5 drop from front and about 6.5" drop from rear. Truck sits level at 26.25" on center of each fender. My tire is 29" tall 255/75/15. It does drive and rides fine. However the spindle at the tie rod is about 1/8" from the inner rim lip and I had to cut the balance weights off the back of the rim. My truck is getting 255/45/20, 29" tires soon. So I have no concerns with that tire and drop. Rubbing is expected with strong bumps or dips but inner fenders can be modified...

Found this thread since I have an '87 that I'm about to be lowering. To hopefully help others not run into issues, I just wanted to correct the tire size mentioned above ^^. I suspect the OP is running 255/70-15 as that is right at 29.1" diameter not the listed 255/75 which would be nearly at 30" overall diameter.

I'm currently on 265/70-15 (29.6") so sounds like I might be able to get away with a drop similar (but not quite) what the OP has, which is great to know!

[bbbc10]

Belltech dont make 2.5 spindles only 3 inch an yes u will need new tires....i had to get new oned when i went 5/6 go wth a 255/60 up front an 275/60 rear

[LT7A]

Hey, thanks! Your truck looks good. The thing about long beds, which mine is as well, is that if it is lowered and ends up with a smaller diameter wheel and tire combo, it starts to look out of proportion with all that real estate in back. In my opinion, the short beds can get away with it but the long beds look better with the wheel and tire combo that fill up most of the wheel opening. I like how your truck sits, as it is. Not trying to discourage your plans at all. But I am using it to gauge what I want to do for mine, haha. With that wheel and tire combo, which I would like to replicate, I think lowering it 2 inches front and 2 inches back would look really nice.

[slalomsauce]

Thanks!

This truck is lowered in the back 2". The previous owner (one of them at some point) decided to bend the rear end of the leaf spring to effectively lower it for a more level stance. I'm not super happy that they did this as I worry about the integrity of the leaf spring now. I'll snag a pic of it this weekend as it effectively is doing what a drop shackle does w/o needing to cut your bed supports for clearance.

I've considered just a more mild drop of the following:
Front: 2.5" drop spindle
Rear: 2" drop hanger and then pull a leaf out of the existing stack | or just get a set of 4" drop leaf springs to replace the modified one that is there now

I'm just hesitant to go that route as I think I'll want to go lower and I wouldn't want the drop hanger in back if I decide to do a flip kit. Still spending time debating on what to do.

[LT7A]

Interesting. That's unfortunate on the Oxy-Acetylene lowering kit. I bought a parts truck with the full belltech kit so I plan to put the spindles on but will probably use stock springs in the front. I'm thinking that I will use the flip kit but then use K truck spring hangers and shackles to lift it back up a couple inches. Make sense? That way, I hope to not have to cut anything. And I think the spring under axle is actually more stable than over axle, but doesn't have as much strength for carrying loads. My truck actually has the heavy duty rear springs option so I may have to tweak that a little to get the height right and for it to ride nice, since I won't be carrying much in the back.

[slalomsauce]

Originally Posted by LT7A

Interesting. I bought a parts truck with the full belltech kit so I plan to put the spindles on but will probably use stock springs in the front. I'm thinking that I will use the flip kit but then use K truck spring hangers and shackles to lift it back up a couple inches. Make sense?

not knowing K series trucks well, I would assume their spring stack is much stiffer which would further reduce ride comfort. If you don't want a big drop, I wouldn't bother with a flip kit at all. Just start with a drop hanger (worth 2") and then if that isn't enough, get a drop shackle as most have 2 options on placement for 1" or 2" additional drop. <- that approach should be a lot less work than a flip kit and will likely get you where you want to be all while keeping your current ride quality.

My $0.02

[LT7A]

Originally Posted by slalomsauce

not knowing K series trucks well, I would assume their spring stack is much stiffer which would further reduce ride comfort. If you don't want a big drop, I wouldn't bother with a flip kit at all. Just start with a drop hanger (worth 2") and then if that isn't enough, get a drop shackle as most have 2 options on placement for 1" or 2" additional drop. <- that approach should be a lot less work than a flip kit and will likely get you where you want to be all while keeping your current ride quality.

My $0.02

I follow, but I would use the hangers and shackles off of the K truck, not the springs. That way I don't have to cut anything and I go to a spring/axle relationship that is more stable. Not going to autocross this thing, but it will be cool to have it go around corners better than it should. Truth be told, I think both it and the parts truck have 3.08 open axles and so I will probably swap the entire assembly and install the other hangers and shackles at the same time.

[slalomsauce]

That makes a bit more sense. Do be sure to share how it turns out!

Mine has the 3.08 rear axle as well. It is great on the highway but leaves a bit to be desired, especially with the lethargic 305.

[LT7A]

Originally Posted by slalomsauce

That makes a bit more sense. Do be sure to share how it turns out!

Mine has the 3.08 rear axle as well. It is great on the highway but leaves a bit to be desired, especially with the lethargic 305.

I have a 305 as well. But it is the LE9 which is designated by GM as a high torque motor. I figured I'd be tossing it out, but it actually does much better than I expected. And when I pulled the carburetor off, I realized that the secondaries were stuck shut. So I'm looking forward to driving it with secondaries that will open. It originally had a 700R4 but a TH350 was swapped in its place. I would like to get a 700R4 eventually because this would be a really good road trip truck with highway gears, a low first gear plus overdrive in the transmission and a small V8.

[slalomsauce]

mine runs good (TBI) it is just soft imho. so far the 700R4 is decent too. I have a swap in mind eventually.