Few questions - 83 c10 - drop ?, seat ?, etc

[pitchblack86]

new here. just want to say this forum is amazing. now instead of cluttering the forum with a bunch of post, i'll put it all in one.

first, after many days of researching, i decided i was going to lower my 83 c10 shortbed. I went with the Western Chassis 5/7 drop...3'' spindles and 2.5'' coils & flip kit, shackle, and c-notch. having never pulled a spindle...do you need to replace the ball joints everytime you pull the spindle? just had new ones installed less than 3 months ago...?

second: after looking over all my parts, i found i had everything. then when i was prepping the truck i realized i think i'm missing something....from what i understand, when you install the flip kit your shock is moved and it needs a newer/lower place to mount to...so there is shock extensions...unless i'm retarded, i didnt get any with my kit???

next, i hate bench seats. i want buckets, or atleast a split bench with a console. are there any trucks that have a split bench with a console pulls up so you still have the middle seat that will bolt right in? like out of a burb or a blazer?

after searching for 2 days on here and google, i can find no information on how to do a handle flip on the tailgate. i want to install a blazer band on the tailgate for the shaved look but still need a functional tailgate....anyone point me to a write up on a handle flip?

sorry to write so much. to sum up, biggest thing is the suspension. need to know if i got to blow another 100 on ball joints and what to do with the rear shocks. i'll try attaching pics of what i was sent. sorry if there a little crappy. any help would be great.

[pitchblack86]

oh, and i hate being a newbie. i've got like 5000 post on a jeep forum and a dodge forum. found my dream truck and now i need to be a member here.

it aint much too look at right now. 49K miles. mostly original except for the headman headers, pypes xpipe, and flow 40's. primer grey right now, waiting for the 2 small quarter patches to be done and get painted. need to find a good grille...maybe a phantom or a 91 burb clip swap.

really want to put a newer chevy bed on it, but havent found any helpful info on the web. and i'm not touching the 305/700r4 in it right now. just going to save for a 454 and a set of 16'' or larger rims to throw on it. lol, its got 30x9.5 on it now. i dont think i can even lower it with them on there...but my camaro rims were stolen...need rims.

[3r!c84]

welcome
you dont need to replace balljoints when changing the spindles.

take lots of pics lol

i cant realy help u on the other million qestions u got
but some other ppl on here will me happy too.

[cochino12]

Originally Posted by pitchblack86

new here. just want to say this forum is amazing. now instead of cluttering the forum with a bunch of post, i'll put it all in one.

first, after many days of researching, i decided i was going to lower my 83 c10 shortbed. I went with the Western Chassis 5/7 drop...3'' spindles and 2.5'' coils & flip kit, shackle, and c-notch. having never pulled a spindle...do you need to replace the ball joints everytime you pull the spindle? just had new ones installed less than 3 months ago...?

second: after looking over all my parts, i found i had everything. then when i was prepping the truck i realized i think i'm missing something....from what i understand, when you install the flip kit your shock is moved and it needs a newer/lower place to mount to...so there is shock extensions...unless i'm retarded, i didnt get any with my kit???

next, i hate bench seats. i want buckets, or atleast a split bench with a console. are there any trucks that have a split bench with a console pulls up so you still have the middle seat that will bolt right in? like out of a burb or a blazer?

after searching for 2 days on here and google, i can find no information on how to do a handle flip on the tailgate. i want to install a blazer band on the tailgate for the shaved look but still need a functional tailgate....anyone point me to a write up on a handle flip?

sorry to write so much. to sum up, biggest thing is the suspension. need to know if i got to blow another 100 on ball joints and what to do with the rear shocks. i'll try attaching pics of what i was sent. sorry if there a little crappy. any help would be great.

Welcome to the board

No need to replace ball joints every time

You need shock extenders or shorter/drop shocks

some of the 88+94 seats had a small console and those seats bolt in with only a few modifications, or you can grab some buckets from a burb just make sure to get the mounting brackets
Not sure about the tailgate handle flip write up, sorry

[JohnC]

Welcome to the boards. Glad to have you here.

on the ball joints.
on the seats
The handle flip should have pretty good directions in the kit when you buy it. It seems pretty simple to do, but I don't recall a thread on doing it. Here is a thread about the tailgate bands. Several guys have the blazer bands on there. They may be able to help you out.
Tailgate Band Thread
Good luck sounds like you are on a good path. Can't wait to see pics.

[Driveway Dreams]

Alright, you are getting some answers, now show us the truck!

[pitchblack86]

i got a set of drop shocks when i ordered my kit from sport truck direct...doetcsh tech or something like that...supposed to be one of the best drop shocks around...

i got nervous when i was looking at a thread on here and saw someone having problems with their shock extensions...made me worried....so i dont need anything other than what i've got....flip, shackle, notch, and drop shocks.

okay, so i dont need to do the ball joints. i had it all jacked up and ready to tear into it when my friend said you have to replace them because you break the seal when you use the fork to take them off...i hate to admit it, but ive never dealt with ball joints before so i'm clueless. i dont want the damn tire falling off because i had a 87 cutlass that had a bad ball joint and the tire came off going up a hill and a 02 towncar that had the same problem.

lol, its not like i'm a cheapskate i just dont want to burn another 100 on them.

so drop starts on friday, hopefully i get to pick up a clean burb front end and seats and looking into a newer bed swap, like off a 98 or so, but havent found much info on that either.

as for the pics....heres a couple. not to pretty at the moment.

[pitchblack86]

as you can see it wasnt much to start out with but the body is pretty good. all i've done since these pics was primed it, got all the rear bumper bolts off except 2, did a full exhaust swap, minus tails, and a steering wheel. lol. got a good vision for the truck but hard to rip it apart since its my daily driver.

i'll be happy once its dropped and i get rims for it. god awful driving it on damn near off road tires. i dont think 30x9.50 will fit when its dropped and unless i score a really cheap or free set of rims i'm kinda screwed for the time being.

and this was about 3 months ago. had to get rid of the **** paint and the cap. primed it and didnt even worry about taking the moldings off. had to prime the whole thing in less than an hour with no garage in a driveway on top of a mountain and it was windy as hell...had to be to work in like 55 mins haha.

[Igotachevyor2]

looks like a good start

[3r!c84]

im surprised they taped off the windows when they painted that thing

JK man nice truck

[flamingbig10]

looks like a good start, when you use a fork on the ball joints be care full, I use a fork every time and don't have any problems, and your 30s will be to tall up front, I have 215/70/15 27" tall on my truck and they rub

[pitchblack86]

like i said we were in a big hurry. not much to look at, at the moment but my brother works at a high end auto body shop and we'll be tackling the body and paint soon. i want to pull every piece of molding off the truck, roll pan it, swap out the mirrors with something much smaller...maybe a 77-81 trans am mirror???, and thats it. no fancy shaved handles or anything.

just hard finding the time to do any work when you work 12 hours a day 6 days a week. i'm gonna quit haha.

more updates in the days to come.

[pitchblack86]

one other question...not sure if i should just make another topic or not...

finally started to tackle the drop.

i pulled both leafs out, all ready to finish up the back today, just need to take the old shackle out and replace it with the new one. now is it me, or does it look like a new drop shackle is actually longer than the stock size and wont fit?

i ended up with the Western Chassis 5/7 drop from sport truck direct. 2.5 spindles, 2.5 coils, 5 flip kit, and 2 shackle.

it just seems like it wont fit, above the factory shackle, there is only a little gap, cant quite figure how a longer shackle is gonna fit?

[bigblock73]

You only need a pickle fork for the tie rod ends. To remove the spindles, just loosen the castle nuts a little (1/4" gap between them and the spindle), whack the spindle with a hammer, and they will break loose. Once they break loose, put a jack under the LCA, remove the castle nuts, and lower the jack SLOWLY, this will allow a safe coil spring removal. DO a search for spindle removal, you will find numerous threads on the subject.

[pitchblack86]

oh what a way to celebrate my birthday today. go outside about 10 minutes ago to load my 4 new tires up to go get mounted and balanced.....and they are MISSING!!! thank god i installed 4 cameras on my property, saw exactly the 2 kids who did it. just what i want to do spend time at a police station on my damn birthday. betting they were the same kids who stole my carb out of the garage and all my car manuals.

anyway, assuming i get my rims and tires back, will 15x7 rallys with 225/50/15 and 255/60/15 fit well on the truck?

not to worried about the spindles on the front, if ball joints go bad, advance auto is only 1/8 mile away. worried about the shackle though....seems like its way to big...

well, off to the police station to file a report and try to get my stuff back. great day, and its not even 8am yet. yee!!

[N2TRUX]

Dang sorry to hear about your bad luck. As mentioned you won't hurt your ball joints, but the boots are prone to be damaged with the fork.

As for the shackle clearence, you will need to notch the crossbrace on the bottom of the bed if you have the 52" springs.

[pitchblack86]

not to sound like an idiot but how can i tell what spring i have? and when you say notch...looks like a mini c-notch if you ask me...the shackle is literally atleast an inch or 2 longer than stock. odd though, i havent seen any mention of anyone having problems when adding their shackle...

oh, and yeah, thanks. just the story of my life. something is always going down. thats why the drop has been put off for so long, but since unemployed now, what better time than to work on the truck haha.

sitting back, lit a fire in the stove, having a couple of buds and its not even 10am yet lol.

i posted another topic and figured i'd link it here, trying to figure out what to do about the leaf bolt when trying to take it off to flip it. can i notch it a little to get bite on it? http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=366298

[bigblock73]

On the 52" springs, the shackle will be right below a bed brace (will have to be cut if drop shackles are installed), the longer 56" springs have the shackle back further, and the rear spring hanger is tight to the bumper brackets.

Don't the WC instructions say anything about notching the bed brace? My Bell Tech instructions did.

[N2TRUX]

To clarify, the lowering shackles will be longer than stock. The additional length is what allows your truck to set lower.

No need to measure your springs. If you have a SWB and the bed brace is directly above the shackle, you have 52"ers.

[bigblock73]

Make sure you check the U-bolts WC sent you. Both of my kits were wrong, you need 3" ID bolts, they sent me 3 1/4" jobs both times.

[pitchblack86]

not sure how to measure the ubolts, but heres a pic...put tape measure on one side, to the other. read 4.5 from outside to outside....that tell you if its right or not?

[glock35ipsc]

Originally Posted by bigblock73

Make sure you check the U-bolts WC sent you. Both of my kits were wrong, you need 3" ID bolts, they sent me 3 1/4" jobs both times.

Originally Posted by pitchblack86

not sure how to measure the ubolts, but heres a pic...put tape measure on one side, to the other. read 4.5 from outside to outside....that tell you if its right or not?

Looks to me like they sent you 3.5" u-bolts. If the end of the tape that we can't see is on the outside of the bolt, then they are definitely 3.5" ID.

[glock35ipsc]

Wait a minute...... 1/2" diameter u-bolts?? The bolts on my 85 are 5/8". They use a smaller diameter u-bolt when doing a flip? Aren't the u-bolts used on a flip kit longer than st

[pitchblack86]

sorry for the **** picture, hard to hold it, hold tape measure and try to snap a non blurry cell phone picture lol.

i hooked the tape measure on the outside of one side, ran it to the other.

so they are the wrong u-bolts? nice, i took the grinder to my old ones....

another problem came up that shouldnt have even been done....in the process of trying to get the leaf center pin back in the right direction, the nut ended up getting stripped. any ideas on what size nut i'm gonna need?

so, lets recap....day starts off with police, center pin bolt strips, and u-bolts are probably the wrong ones.

[glock35ipsc]

Should be a 3/8"-24 nut. But if you want to replace the bolts too, just get a 3/8" bolt of the right length, and take the grinder to head and knock off the corners until it's round enough to fit in the hole on the spring pad.

I have a small lathe, and did this when I pulled mine apart to remove one leaf:



And a good trick for putting the springs back together.... use a c-clamp, or any kind of clamp on each side of the hole. Tighten each one up a little at a time until you can get the nut on. Use a punch or a screwdriver to keep the hole lined up. Do this too when pulling the leafs apart. If you can get your hands on a pair of clamps, this is VERY easy to do.

Here's a pic from when I removed a leaf to lower mine while swapping rear ends. You can see the clamps: