Can you drive on the stops?

[Trip59]

So I cut the stock springs after the 2" drop springs weren't low enough, to get the right profile so I knew what drop spindles to order. Got the look I wanted, but...

Can you drive with the arms sitting on the bumpstops or will it screw something up? Once or twice around town each week for probably a month and a half or so (then I can afford spindles) or should I swap the other springs back in and just deal with a profile I'm not happy with for two months?


OH, and is there anything that can be done with the stock rear panhard bar, I dropped 6" do I have to buy a custom one, or is there some modification that's safe and acceptable to do.

Trip

[OhOneWS6]

For the back I'd buy an adjustable panhard bar. They are not that expensive.

It is going to ride like a buckboard driving on the bump stops. You are basically driving with no suspension. Personally I would not do it. I have heard tale of people tweaking/bending the suspension cross member by frequently bottoming out the bump stops.

[OhOneWS6]

At the very least I'd cut the bump stops down or replace them with shorter ones so there is some travel.

[Trip59]

Thanks!

It's compressing the stops like there's a bit of weight on them...

I wasn't concerned about comfort, I spent most of my riding life on rigid Harleys... I was more concerned with breaking things

All told, the loss of the stock set of springs in trade for knowing the drop spindles I need for sure is a pretty fair trade IMO

Trip

[Fitz]

Originally Posted by Trip59

Can you drive with the arms sitting on the bumpstops or will it screw something up?
Trip

Only if you hit a pothole

Not a very good idea.

[Jeffs70]

if your going to keep the truck this low then I would make it easy and drill the spot welds off theme and the stops will pop off there and then cut them shorter then just spot weld them back on that would be your best bet or get shorter ones what ever you prefer easiest for you. but I wouldn't recommend driving on them either.

[Trip59]

That's what I thought... thanks to you both, I'll swap in the too-tall-drop springs back in tomorrow before I go driving.

Originally Posted by OhOneWS6

For the back I'd buy an adjustable panhard bar. They are not that expensive.

Ah, that's a relative term... Unless I've not looked in the right place, they're $125+ from what I saw, which is a bit more than I can scrape out of the budget right now (thats why no drop spindles yet).

Originally Posted by Fitz

Not a very good idea.

I have some good ones and I have some bad ones, they're all pretty obvious this one, I wasn't sure about, that's why I asked, very glad I did.

Trip

[usmcchevy]

Originally Posted by Trip59

Ah, that's a relative term... Unless I've not looked in the right place, they're $125+ from what I saw, which is a bit more than I can scrape out of the budget right now (thats why no drop spindles yet).
Trip

Brothers has them for $63

[Trip59]

Originally Posted by Jeffs70

if your going to keep the truck this low then I would make it easy and drill the spot welds off theme and the stops will pop off there and then cut them shorter then just spot weld them back on that would be your best bet or get shorter ones what ever you prefer easiest for you. but I wouldn't recommend driving on them either.

Ok, I think I missed somehting in all this research before dropping... is the removal of the stop mounts a common thing? will I need to with 2" springs and 2.5" spindles?

Trip

[Trip59]

Originally Posted by usmcchevy

Brothers has them for $63

Awesome!!! I'll have to order some next payday.

Hey thanks again for that clutch unit, working like a charm!

Trip

[Jeffs70]

Originally Posted by Trip59

Ok, I think I missed somehting in all this research before dropping... is the removal of the stop mounts a common thing? will I need to with 2" springs and 2.5" spindles?

Trip

no you wont need to remove them with 2" and 2.5" spindles because your spindles are doing half the drop for you, but then 2" is only dropped with your coil springs so you still should have alot of travel for suspension.

the reason we are speaking of removing or shortening your bump stops is the fact you was asking about driving when your truck is sitting on the bump stops and its not a good thing to drive while bottomed out, so best bet to drive that low is to remove the stops or shorten them.

[Trip59]

Ah, gotcha...

Not sure I want to remove them then; probably more comfortable just swapping the 2" springs back in for now...it wasn't THAT funny looking

I've gotten pretty good at swapping these, just takes a couple minutes now...

Sort of related, figured I might ask. 6" dropped by spring in the rear, I know I need to do a new panhard and should probably do the shocks, does a 6" have to have a notched frame?

Trip

[OhOneWS6]

At the very least you will need shocks and shock relocation brackets for that much drop in the rear. I got my adj panhard from ECE for $59.

[gkesseru]

About the panhard bar, here's what a $6 black iron pipe and a little welding can do to turn it into a full width track bar. I cut the old bar in half and put 3/4" pipe in the middle to extend it. 1/2" pipe is too small and 3/4" is too big so I cut slots in the end of the 3/4 and hammered it closed around the panhard bar, then welded it all together. Made the right end bracket from an old bumper bracket. Also lowered the left end to clear my exhaust. It's not adjustable, but then why would you want to adjust it more than once?