Drop Spindle install issue...suggestions needed

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by HumbleChevyBuddy

20X8.5's with 245/40's. I have a buddy that works at Discount Tire and he hooked me up with a price I couldn't refuse.

Originally Posted by primrrd

BTW...
are those the chrome boss 338's?
2 questions:
- did you get em locally?
- what are the measurements/tire size, if you please?

Those are MB Wheel "Old School" wheels. They are sold exclusively through Discount Tire.LINK

[HumbleChevyBuddy]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

Those are MB Wheel "Old School" wheels. They are sold exclusively through Discount Tire.LINK

Thanks for answering that for me. I've been extremely busy all day and hadn't been able to get to my computer.

As an update, I measured several times and it appears my issue may be the body mounts. I ordered a new set yesterday and they shipped out today. As soon as I get them, I'll get them installed and give another update. I'm also planning on checking the springs tomorrow.

Hopefully my other issue will be resolved with an alignment, but I'm not at that point yet. One step at a time. I'll keep you all posted.

[HumbleChevyBuddy]

Originally Posted by primrrd

Glad you got er to break loose.
One bfh (big freakin hammer) is good- but 2 is better.
I was taught by an old shop teacher to hold one bfh (or have someone hold it) to one side, then wail on the other side with another bfh on either side where the ball joint taper passes.
When I spindled my truck I whacked it mayber 4 or 5 times and it popped.
Kind of a back up/like an anvil, or something.
Good trick none-the-less for your bag of tricks in the future.
truck is bueno!
Im in clear lake- your neighbor to the south of htown!

Hey, neighbor. It'd be pretty cool to get several of the Houston members together sometime. Hopefully I can get my truck on the road soon so I can join you all, though.

[HumbleChevyBuddy]

Just got my body mounts in yesterday (sorry...phone pic)! Wooooooooohoooooooo!!! Is there a way to speed up time so Saturday comes around a little faster?

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by HumbleChevyBuddy

Just got my body mounts in yesterday (sorry...phone pic)! Wooooooooohoooooooo!!! Is there a way to speed up time so Saturday comes around a little faster?

Real easy. Just pretend you owe a large amount of money to someone and its due on Saturday. It will be here in no time.

[justpball]

^LOL^ yea that will work. Nice looking truck bro! love steppers

[HumbleChevyBuddy]

Originally Posted by justpball

^LOL^ yea that will work. Nice looking truck bro! love steppers

Thanks! Well, I've got some good news and bad news. The good news is I think I figured out exactly what the leaning issue is. The bad news is I feel like a moron not noticing it earlier. When I went under to check the mounts, I only checked the cab mounts. Had I check the core support body mounts I would have noticed the following...doh!!!!! Duh!!! That will make it lean alright! Even better news, my boys don't have baseball practice tonight, so I'm going to get going on it just after work.

I'll keep you all posted.

[SS Delux]

Same thing happened to me when I was doing bodywork, but instead of the bushings the whole rad cradle was rotted out and caused the front end to sag. Just wondering if you can run stock 15 inch rims with a 3 inch drop spindle. Looks great and keep the pics comin.

[HumbleChevyBuddy]

Ok, so as you all can see from the pic I posted above, there is no upper core support bushing. This explained my "gangsta lean". While I was removing the old bushing, it seems like the bolt and sleeve are stuck together. My question is this, does the bolt screw into that sleeve? Or is it just a metal sleeve like the ones that come in the new bushing kit? I tried hammering the bolt up and it would not budge....I even used a BFH. I even tried to use a jack to jack just the bolt up, but still nothing. It almost looks like the bolt, washer, and sleeve are all rusted together...or it could just be that it screws into it. I'm just not sure.

In the meantime, I put the new upper bushing in place to mock everything up. I also noticed something else while I was doing that. The center of the bushing does not fit perfectly into the hole on the frame bracket. I'm assuming it has to fit directly into the hole so it seats properly. The good thing is that after I mocked it up, I measured and we're about a 1/4" higher now on the passenger side than on the driver's side. But this might be because the bushing didn't "seat" properly into the frame bracket. I still haven't replaced the other bushings, just mocked up the passenger side core support mounts to see if this was my issue.

I'm wondering now if maybe the bolt being off-center may be causing the body not to be centered properly and possibly causing what appears to be a wheel spacing issue.

Can someone give me some advice and pointers on this? Also, do I have to remove the bumper to get to those core support bushing bolts?

I ran out of time and need to run over to the hardware store for some new bolts, so I'll have to finish this up over the weekend....dang

[HumbleChevyBuddy]

Originally Posted by SS Delux

Same thing happened to me when I was doing bodywork, but instead of the bushings the whole rad cradle was rotted out and caused the front end to sag. Just wondering if you can run stock 15 inch rims with a 3 inch drop spindle. Looks great and keep the pics comin.

Thanks, I'm running 20's with a 5" drop up front. I'm sure you can run a stock 15" wheel with just a 3" drop spindle. The question may be what size tires you're going to be running on those 15's.

[HumbleChevyBuddy]

Ok, well I'm back, once again, with good news and bad news. The good news is that installing new body mount bushings fixed my "gansta lean" I was having. It was crazy what I found under there. The passenger core support bushing was completely gone on top of the frame. Also, there was no bolt or lower bushing on the passenger rear cab mount, so I was only riding on the upper bushing on the passenger side from the front cab mount. I had to cut the passenger core support bolt, since it was so rusted into the bushing sleeve. I had asked on a separate post what size the core support bolts are. Just so everyone is aware, I tried using 1/2" X 12 X 4" and they were too long. I didn't want to go back to the hardware store again, so I just used a spacer above the core support. I'm going back to the hardware store today to get some shorter ones. I'm pretty sure a pair of 1/2" X 12 X 3" will probably work.

Now, on to the bad news. It appears I have some frame damage The front passenger core support wasn't lining up right in the middle support mount opening. It's not off my much, but it's obviously causing that not to line up and also causing my front passenger wheel to be sitting further in, about 1 1/2". I'll start calling around and getting some quotes from local shops that can fix this for me, but in the meantime, here are a pic of my truck after I installed the new body mount bushings. Also, I should get the frame fixed before getting an alignment, right?

[KQQL IT]

I may be wrong, but it looks like the sway bar is still hooked up when you trying to split the ball joints? Its seemed easier without that insalled?

[HumbleChevyBuddy]

Originally Posted by KQQL IT

I may be wrong, but it looks like the sway bar is still hooked up when you trying to split the ball joints? Its seemed easier without that insalled?

I actually unbolted the sway bar and just had it laying on top of the LCA. It just turned out I needed a bigger hammer.

I have a feeling I should start a new thread. I jumped from my spindle issue to my body alignment issues and now to frame damage. Sorry guys!

[KQQL IT]

Ok i couldnt tell, just call it a build thread..