2wd 1977 Blazer LS swap, mild drop….escalating

[Willowrun]

Keith knows drops for sure!

[Advanced Design]

Originally Posted by lolife99

You need a shock extension bracket.
Not only will it fix your bolt problem,… it will also stand the shock more vertical so it works better.

Thank you Keith! I have them ordered.

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

That shock mount is a issue..I was gonna say move the mount, but what Keith showed would work just as good if not better

Due to my lack of experience on this series truck I was unaware of the issue and solution. I had in mind making a nut plate and welding it to the mount next to the leaf spring. Keith provides a better and simpler solution.

Originally Posted by Willowrun

Keith knows drops for sure!

And I sure appreciate the help!

[Advanced Design]

And I struggled a bit figuring out which way the Holley LS swap mounts installed. Their instructions were general in nature and had zero pictures. Again my struggle was due to my lack of experience (or just lack of clear thinking)……

So I called Holley help line. The rep there referred me to an outside website from someone doing a C10 swap using Holley mounts. That guy was selling a book on building a C10. Maybe I should buy it!

Anyway the mounts are in.

[Advanced Design]

Brake lines are in. The lines were in excellent condition, so we just cleaned them up and re-used them. I remember spending a LOT of time bending lines for the 48 truck (avatar pic) and the 56 Bel Air. I have yet to have anyone say…”Hey man, nice lines!” So I decided not to sweat these too much. Actually they look decent.

Before I torqued the castle nut on the ball joints I thought I better double check with Detroit Speed. The spindles came with zero instructions. It didn’t feel right to crank the castle nut down on that nice aluminum. Glad I did. Detroit Speed includes hardened washers, in the bigger kits, for placement under the castle nut. So I picked up some grade 8 washers from Fastenal and have them in place.

Borgenson got the call for one of their power steering gear boxes. Back when Gary Mullins owned the gear box portion of that business (he sold to Borgensen Universal joint company), I had one of his gear boxes in a 55 Chevy I built. Bought one from Borgenson for the 56 Bel Air and I’ve been very happy with it!

The center link and new steering parts received their new paint from Mrs AD.

Who doesn’t enjoy bolting clean new parts together?

[oldman3]

Doug, coming along nicely...Jim

[youngrodder]

That chassis is looking great Doug. Making short work of it.

Marc

[lolife99]

Interesting that the outer tie rod bolts in from the bottom side.
Can the bolt on spindle arms be swapped to the other side and then the tie rods could bolt on from the top like stock spindles?

[mongocanfly]

("Interesting that the outer tie rod bolts in from the bottom side")
i was wondering the same thing Keith..
so i went google searching...all the pics i saw of dse installed spindles are "upsidedown" like Dougs are

[Advanced Design]

The spindle arms could probably be swapped left for right. I would guess the spindle arm mounting surface, going against the aluminum, was machined smooth for a more consistent and stable mating surface. And the exposed surface on the opposite side isn’t. Just theorizing on my part.

The interesting question is why did DSE develop and produce them this way, with the tie rod ends pointing up? Maybe something to do with keeping the tie rod in the same plane of the center link at typical vehicle weight and dropped ride height? Or more likely it has to do with their Speed Max system that is complete from their own designed suspension crossmember, through a steering rack and out to the brake rotors.

[Advanced Design]

Originally Posted by oldman3

Doug, coming along nicely...Jim

Thanks Jim, we’re hitting it pretty steady. Hope you guys are well! Have missed you all.

Originally Posted by youngrodder

That chassis is looking great Doug. Making short work of it.

Marc

Thanks Marc, we are trying. Really enjoying our time in the shop this winter!

[lolife99]

Definitely makes more sense after seeing the spindle arm location in relation to the hub centerline.
Thanks for the pics.
Looks like top quality parts there.

[Advanced Design]

I ended up going this route for rear shock mounting.

[Advanced Design]

It was almost funny how I struggled loading the pads into the clips on the calipers.

[Advanced Design]

An hour later I was still struggling though not as frustrated.

[Advanced Design]

Changing to the retention clips that came with the pads solved the interference issue I was fighting.

Detroit speed provided the GM part numbers for the calipers and the brake hoses for use with their spindle and brake rotor. Also helpful are the suggestions for tire and wheel size.

[lower50's]

Very nice so far!! Wow the chassis looks like it is brand new. I might just have to use ridetec in my next build.

[oldman3]

Doug, just now catching up, looks super...Jim

[Advanced Design]

Originally Posted by lower50's

Very nice so far!! Wow the chassis looks like it is brand new. I might just have to use ridetec in my next build.

Thanks Bob! The RideTech parts are nice.

Originally Posted by oldman3

Doug, just now catching up, looks super...Jim

Thanks Jim!

Wow, we lost a couple weeks or so on the build as we took a vacation to Dallas to visit friends and family. It was good to see Wayne and Dee, who I met through this forum.

Just one more item on the DSE spindles and big Silverado brakes. The DSE suggested factory hose part numbers work perfectly and attach to the original brake line location. Not shown here are the DSE hose brackets which secures the hose to the top of the spindle.

[Advanced Design]

To better match up with the new cam specifications, we picked up a 3,600 stall converter from Circle D. It looks really nice.

[Advanced Design]

With the transmission on the stand, it was a good time to drain fluid and replace the filter. Went back together and of course I forgot the washer magnet.

[Advanced Design]

The table for the transmission and the gantry crane chain hoist hooked to the Mac tie downs engine sling simplified connecting engine and transmission together.
Mrs A.D. was holding her own in getting it done.

[Advanced Design]

The Holley engine and transmission mounts are nice pieces too. I remember their development engineer use to post his progress on this forum periodically.

While the pieces are nice, the supplied transmission mount spacer and fasteners were not right for this application. The fasteners were too short for the transmission mount spacer and the spacer provided is not thick enough for this transmission.

[Advanced Design]

While we were getting ready for the install, a young car buddy stopped by and helped out. Much appreciated!

[lower50's]

Looking good as a roller once again Doug.

[Advanced Design]

Originally Posted by lower50's

Looking good as a roller once again Doug.

Thanks Bob, it is nice to get back to this point. Once a few parts come in in a couple days, I’ll be able to assemble the accessory drive and power steering lines.