Rear Drop

[‘Ol Flossie]

Hi, I’ve dropped my ‘84 square body 4” in the rear with shackles and hanger kit. Now wishing I would’ve gone lower. Wondering what you guys think would be the best way to drop it a few more inches without discarding the shackle/hanger kit.

[blazer2007]

I did the same then put a flip kit in but put the stock fr. hanger back in and put the shackle bolt on the highest hole. I think is too low with hangers and a flip kit

[‘Ol Flossie]

Thanks blazer for the info. Problem is, I no longer have the hanger. I wonder about purchasing drop leaf spring pack? Anybody had any experience with drop leaf springs? Not sure I want to notch the frame with a flip kit.

[‘Ol Flossie]

’m thinking of removing the overload and a leaf. It has a 4+1 spring pack on it. Not sure if that’ll get me where I want to be. I’d like to drop 2”. Anybody out there with any words of advice?

[‘Ol Flossie]

Originally Posted by blazer2007

I did the same then put a flip kit in but put the stock fr. hanger back in and put the shackle bolt on the highest hole. I think is too low with hangers and a flip kit

Blazer, did you c notch the frame and if not what type of drop did you get, 6”?
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[blazer2007]

No notch, original fr. hangers and put the leaf spring on the highest notch on the aftermarket shackles. I don,t the drop but here is a pic. It has 255/70/15 on the back, quite tall but I like it. Front is drop spindle and 1 coil cut. 235/70/15,s. Will bottom out with a good load of dirt

[Loco83]

4/5 drop with 2 cut coils up front and flip kit out back with no C notch, 15x8 and 245/60, 15x10 with 295/50's, the two cut coils have a spacer kit to bring it back to alignment specs, 1/2" spacer and longer A arm bolts.

[melks]

I installed Western Chassis replacement leaf springs on the rear of my 84. I think they were labelled as 4" drop. Height was what I was after. The leafs are obviously a bit softer than the originals and wont hold much of a heavy load, but I ain't haulin much with it anyway...

[‘Ol Flossie]

Originally Posted by blazer2007

No notch, original fr. hangers and put the leaf spring on the highest notch on the aftermarket shackles. I don,t the drop but here is a pic. It has 255/70/15 on the back, quite tall but I like it. Front is drop spindle and 1 coil cut. 235/70/15,s. Will bottom out with a good load of dirt

Blazer, I dig the stance. I’ve ordered my flip kit and front hangers. Looks like I’ll be doing what you’ve done. I’ll let you know how it goes.

[‘Ol Flossie]

Originally Posted by Loco83

4/5 drop with 2 cut coils up front and flip kit out back with no C notch, 15x8 and 245/60, 15x10 with 295/50's, the two cut coils have a spacer kit to bring it back to alignment specs, 1/2" spacer and longer A arm bolts.

Loco, really like your look. I want to put some big fat tires on the back too. Have any pics from behind so I can see the width of those bad boys?

[‘Ol Flossie]

Originally Posted by melks

I installed Western Chassis replacement leaf springs on the rear of my 84. I think they were labelled as 4" drop. Height was what I was after. The leafs are obviously a bit softer than the originals and wont hold much of a heavy load, but I ain't haulin much with it anyway...

Hey Melks, really nice looking truck. Guessing you’ve to a 5” drop in the front. What tires you running?

[melks]

Thanks. 275/70/r15 or 275/65/r15 I cant recall off the top of my head. I can verify when I get back by the truck as it is in for some work at the moment

[‘Ol Flossie]

Originally Posted by blazer2007

No notch, original fr. hangers and put the leaf spring on the highest notch on the aftermarket shackles. I don,t the drop but here is a pic. It has 255/70/15 on the back, quite tall but I like it. Front is drop spindle and 1 coil cut. 235/70/15,s. Will bottom out with a good load of dirt

Hey Blazer, I see that you’re in B.C. My good friend up the street who’s been helping me on my truck is from Kelowna and got transferred down here to the south through his job at Western Star trucks. BTW, my truck was built in Canada too!! Small world.

[blazer2007]

I,m about a 30 min drive from Kelowna but hardly go there They have some real nice cars and trucks there and I mean really nice

[slalomsauce]

I know this is a bit of an older thread, but I'm looking into lowering my recently acquired '87 R10 and I want to replace the rear leaf spring as the previous owner decided to bend the end of it to 'level' the ride height and that just doesn't feel right to me.

Seems most people don't change out the leaf spring other than maybe reducing the stack, yet I am curious to hear more from people like melks who are running the western chassis or similar leaf in the rear. Interested in ride comfort and how much is lost in hauling capacity. I have my '03 Silverado for real work, but sometimes, a long bed is just the right thing.

Here's a pick of my truck, if you were curious

[LT7A]

Truck looks good - clean. What is your current tire size?

[slalomsauce]

current tires are 265/70-15 which I realize will have to change. which is a bummer as the PO just put them on new not long before I bought this truck. oh well.

[Loco83]

Originally Posted by ‘Ol Flossie

Loco, really like your look. I want to put some big fat tires on the back too. Have any pics from behind so I can see the width of those bad boys?

This is the only good pic I have of the rear

[bigblock73]

I did the same drop years ago..then wanted to go lower. Had to purchase two used OE hangers and did the flip instead. I ALWAYS recommend doing a flip over the shackle and hanger drip for the exact same reason you are stating...the extra 2” makes all the difference in the world.

[LT7A]

Originally Posted by slalomsauce

current tires are 265/70-15 which I realize will have to change. which is a bummer as the PO just put them on new not long before I bought this truck. oh well.

Looks like we're figuring this out in two different threads at the same time, haha. Too bad we're not more local or we could figure out something on your tires. Who's the manufacturer if you don't mind me asking?

[slalomsauce]

@LT7A my tires are Cooper Evolution H/T.


After lots of measuring and testing and calculating, I have come to the conclusion I'm just going to do a 3.5" front drop and then try out the 4" drop rear leaf springs from Western Chassis so I can get rid of the bent OE leaf springs. I'm guessing I may end up needing a rear drop shackle to level it out, but I figure I can at least start with these parts and see where that gets me. This will set the fender just near the top of the tire. If it ends up not being enough, I can always put in a different front drop spring.

fender should sit close to here if all goes to plan

[slalomsauce]

To anyone else who comes along to this thread... Here is my '87 custom deluxe lowered only with MacGaughy's 2.5" drop spindles up front and Western Chassis 4" drop leaf out back. Along with mostly new bushings and shocks throughout, truck rides better than it ever has. Tires are 265/70-15 btw.

lowered




stock (for reference)