Green Mile

[1tonchevy]

looks good

[Low Elco]

Looks good! I've been wanting to do one of these for so long!

[lsxponcho]

What a giant dissappointment this weekend. The weather was cold and crappy and didn't get to go to pick n pull. I guess i shouldn't be supprised...it is winter after all. Some good for the bad, i picked up some spings in good shape from a buddy so ive begun to take them apart to modify the leaf pack for some extra drop once the belltech shackle and hanger kit arrive. Like all other projects on the truck, that quickly led to dissassebling the rear end. In a few hours this afternoon the 14 bolt came out, and i started to remove some other things in preparation for the new 12 bolt once it arrives also, haha. Here is some pics of the tear down!


This picture doesn't show it very well, but these old leaf's are toast. Up close they are pretty wavy, and you can see gaps between just about all of the leafs in wierd spots

Im not sure why i took this pic, but i guess is shows where the electric pump is hiding, for now, the duals with x-pipe, etc

There she sits with a 15x8 mocked up in the rear at a random height. Other news, im not sure how the drive shaft lenght will be affected by the new ride height. I noticed im going to have to modify the carrier bearing cross member a little for the new angle. That led me to thinking if i have to re-shorten the shaft, I might as well toss in the 700r thats sitting on the floor next to the truck. It was supposed to go in my LeMans, but the truck needs it more right now.

[lsxponcho]

Also after blabing about the new seats and not showing any pics, i took the opportunity to snap a few while i was doing laps removing the rear running gear. Again sorry for the poor lighting, and so on.

Here are the front seats from a few angles

[lsxponcho]

And now some various angles of the rear split folding bench

[shoob]

nice results so far,im on for this one, i always wanted a 1-ton dually 4-door....

[THE "10" SILVERADO]

I'm digging this truck.

[lsxponcho]

Finally a small update from yesterday. I received my bell-tech shackle and hanger kit yesterday. I also broke down and bought some new rotors, bearings, spindle nut and washers, and dust seals and caps. I could not wait any longer on the weather to go to pick n pull. Also i picked up a 16 gal saddle tank, as im gonna get rid of the slip tank in the box. Unfortunately the burb tank was too big for the limited space back there so i scrapped that idea. I still need to pick up calipers and pads, and maybe dust shields, but at least the nose is sitting on the ground now.

I can't remember what i mentioned last about the new 88-98 outer tie rods, but when i installed them, i just measured them up from the stock 76 tie rods for a base line, which now that its on the ground there is too much toe in. It may be that the truck has to roll around and settle, but the camber seems a little off too, as the top of the tire leans out a little. Will comment as i make more progress. Over all I think it needs to come down more, until the top of the 235 is flush with the wheel opening i think.

Onto the rear. As i mentioned, i got some new to me leafs for the rear. Some bad news though, after cleaning them up and giving them some paint, i noticed the pass side top leaf is cracked on one side right in the center next to the bolt. Not sure on what im going to do there, but for now i cut off the old front hanger, and mounted the new one, hung the new shackle, clearanced the box mount rail, and tossed in the leaf just to see what it looks like.







Hopefully this coming weekend i can finally pick up the donor half ton frame. I was also thinking now about moving the rear hanger forward and running the 1/2 ton leafs, but not sure yet. Also thinking about what to do for rear shocks. I think im ditching the stock style set up, and maybe running an outboard shock like the new F-150's (after staring at my work truck the other day). Time will tell. Anywho, Merry Christmas to all!

[lsxponcho]

Another holiday update! I picked up my parts 1/2 ton rolling chassis this weekend, made quick work of the rear end and got the 12 bolt out. I also removed the rear hangers, as i decided to do a hybrid of half ton suspension, and new belltech drop 1 ton parts. Today i finished cutting off everything off my truck frame, (old rear hangers, with extra support on the bottom side of the frame, shocks, bump stops, and exhaust. I measured up the 1/2 ton rear hangers, and drilled the truck frame and mounted with grade 8 hardware. I had to clearance the box rail a bit more as the 1/2 ton hanger does not hang as low, and with the 4" drop shackle installed is fairly close to the box floor. Onto the front, I measured up the difference between the 1/2 and 1 ton front hangers, and being that i just spent the money on the belltech stuff, i decided to brake out the grinder and cut up the new hangers. I made up 1/4" - 1" spacers, and welded the hangers back up. I also re-drilled the front hangers 1" up, for a total of 5 " drop hanger from stock. All said and done the half ton springs fit like they should, and i did not have to move or weld any new perches on the rear diff. The springs from the donor were 3 leaf pack with 1 bottom overload. Once again, its dark and the pics suck a little, but you get the idea. Now that the wieght of the truck is on all 4 wheels the front came down right where i wanted it. Tomorrow i hope to finish up the brake work, swap the u-joint and roll it outside and see how it looks. As for exhaust, for now its chopped in front of the rear diff, so i might just dump it out side exit style in front of the rear wheels. So far in the garage it lookes killer, but the garage is a little cluttered to get a full view.

[lsxponcho]

I forgot to mention something about total drop. We'll, i dont have a solid answer, but right now all 4 wheel openings are a 28". If i had to guess, i would say its somewhere in the neighborhood of 6/8 drop from what it was before. Also there is about 2" of space above the diff to the frame, so a c-notch may be in the not to distant future.

[Devillusion]

Like what I see so far, what size tires are you running right now and do they rub? Would like to see some outside pics when you get a chance.

Too bad you weren't closer to Manitoba, I would take that 14 bolt off your hands. I need some backing plates and drums to convert back from discs (Damn inspections)

[lsxponcho]

Originally Posted by Devillusion

Like what I see so far, what size tires are you running right now and do they rub? Would like to see some outside pics when you get a chance.

Too bad you weren't closer to Manitoba, I would take that 14 bolt off your hands. I need some backing plates and drums to convert back from discs (Damn inspections)

The tires are 235/75 front, and 265/75 in the rear. The fronts have about 3" clearance from the inner fender, and the rear's have about 5" to the tub...even though there's only 2" to the frame. That's a bummer about your inspection. Id send it to ya for free if i could figure out how, haha.

[lsxponcho]

I worked my ass off yesterday trying to get the honey do list done so i could get the truck wraped up. Almost got finished up. I got the new front calipers, pads installed, torqued the ball joints/tie rods, swapped the u-joint (still have to install the shims to fix the pinion angle up). Then the inlaw's called and we all went sledding for the evening, haha. I just have the rear brake line to do, and its mobile again. Im not sure what to do about the rear shock situation, and I have to get the new saddle tank installed, then i can drive it over to the inlaw's to do some exhaust. I snapped a better bird's eye view of the truck, and some pics of the hangers, etc. Outdoor pics soon!

Here's the rears from a few angles




Here you can see where i had to add an inch to the front hanger.

[rosenberry]

Really like your truck I also have a crew cab I found back in oct. has no rust hard to find around here. Trying to to make up my mind if I want to lower it or
make it a 4x4.

[lsxponcho]

I finally rolled this thing out of the garage for the first time a few nights ago, but there wasn't enough sunlight to snap some pics. Tonight i finally got home in time to get some work done. Too bad it was getting dark to take a decent after pic. I pulled the shim packs out of the upper control arms to gain some camber back. You will see that after the 88-98 spindles, it looks like its taking high speed corners sitting still with the top of the tire leaning out, haha. Overall, it looked way cooler in the close quarters of the garage. I didn't have a full set of 88-98 center caps either, so i stuck some stockers on for now.

Now that its on the driveway, I kinda felt a little let down by the stance. Either its the staggard tire size that makes it look funny, or mostly the uneven drop that the tire size makes up for. The rear is noticeably lower, but thanks to the 31" boots in the rear it has a decent stance. It just looks stupid with the uneven wheel height/fender relation i think.

So I can do one of two things;

-Go lower in the front, in which case im gonna run out of inner fender room with the 235,

-Or go up in the tail, which is kinda counter productive i think.

Im thinking i might try and pick up some 15x10 rally's with either a 28x12x15, or a 30x12x15 sportsman sr, which is alot closer to what i have now. Then up front run a 15x8 with 255/60, or 275/60 radial of some sort. Or some sweet 20's, haha. Anyways, here are some pics, let me know what you guys think.






Here's the poor shocks almost at the bitter end of compression

[lsxponcho]

Here's a few more pics.







Here she is in the dark with the shim packs gone. It made a bit of a difference, but its hard to tell in the pic.

[lsxponcho]

One more small detail i failed to mention. Im sure the 73-87 2" drop spindles are the same. I know some guys have trouble with the 3" drop spindles and clearance, but the 88-98 spindle has lots of room for lca and tie rod clearance. I also have a spare 15x8 rally that I tried on tonight just to see, and there's still at least 1"+ clearance. So...hopefully soon it will be wearing 15x8's in the front. Then maybe once the ride height is sorted out, i can focus on transforming this tub into a single color!!

[rosenberry]

I think your lowering job looks real nice. Its maybe a tad higher in the front but I think it looks great. I would leave the smaller wheels in the front I like it.
Also I was looking at your gas tank in the bed what did you use could you give some details please thanks. I also have a crew cab check out the pic.

[maxxxy]

I like your truck! I don't know if you know this, but from the factory, the wheel opening in the rear is 2" lower in relation to the body line than the front wheel opening. That is the reason the rear looks lower.

[lsxponcho]

Originally Posted by maxxxy

I like your truck! I don't know if you know this, but from the factory, the wheel opening in the rear is 2" lower in relation to the body line than the front wheel opening. That is the reason the rear looks lower.

Thanks! Yeah, I knew about the wheel opening. I was just thinking if i had same size rubber all the way around, it would have a cali lean which is not what i was going for. Im not sure what to do about it yet.

[lsxponcho]

Originally Posted by rosenberry

I think your lowering job looks real nice. Its maybe a tad higher in the front but I think it looks great. I would leave the smaller wheels in the front I like it.
Also I was looking at your gas tank in the bed what did you use could you give some details please thanks. I also have a crew cab check out the pic.

Thanks for the comments, Thats a pretty solid starting point for your project. The tank in the back is my primary fuel tank. Had to do something once i turned it into a short box, and had to lose the 20gal saddle tanks. Its a 60"x12"x18" slip tank, plubed with a supply and return line, and a sending unit built in. I can take some pics for you. Im ditching it for some sort of hidden fuel tank set up, i just have not decided yet.

[rosenberry]

Did you make the fuel tank or buy it?

[lsxponcho]

Originally Posted by rosenberry

Did you make the fuel tank or buy it?

I got lucky...it came in my parts truck. The previous owner had it built by a shop in town.
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[v30crewcab]

you need to get some new fender emblems made that says "low sierra" instead of the high sierra!

[maxxxy]

Originally Posted by v30crewcab

you need to get some new fender emblems made that says "low sierra" instead of the high sierra!

Yes!!!!! That's be so cool!
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