I wanna level my truck, but I don't know where to start!

[Telecasterjoey]

Hey everyone! I just finished getting all my trim on the truck I think it adds a lot of character. truck looked pretty plain before. I thought the truck sat ok but after looking at it today I've gotta level it. I have a pic of it sitting at home depot filled with drywall and it sits awesome. How would I achieve this look safely?

I need some help here this is not my specialty lol I know people say once you lower it you'll wanna go lower but I'd really like to just level it I use my truck for working and the roads here are terrible.
Ps dont mind the girlfriend making kissy faces lol just wanted to show how much weight it took to make the truck look right. Also the ground in the fist pic slopes towards the front of the truck making the rear end look even higher.

[J Knight]

The easiest, safeist, and cheapest way to level the truck is to get 2in drop shackles for the rear of your leaf springs. They run about $40-$50. You can get them throu Summit, stylintrucks, LMC, even your local auto parts.

[bigwheel15]

You have several options to choose from to drop the rear. First and cheapest is you could pull a few leaves from the pack. Now the downside to this is you decrease the weight you can carry in the bed and seeing as you said yourself you use this truck for work I dont think this would work for you.

Option two, lowering shackles. Cheap and easy to do, only real downside is you have to notch a crossbrace that interferes with where your leaf pack and shackle bolt up. Now the notch isnt anything structural or unsightly so this might be a good option.

Third is hangers, pretty simple straightforward install. Toughest part is drilling out/grinding off the heads of the factory rivets. However there a few ways discussed on here that are said to make short work of them.

Any combination of these three options would bring you even lower depending on just how high the rear of your truck sits. What id recommend doing is park on level ground and measure just how high your rear sits versus the front and figure how low you want to bring the rear down.

[THE "10" SILVERADO]

Easiest way is to get the 2" drop shackles from LMC.

Hangers take time with the rivets and are a pain.

Loosing leafs drops load capacity.

With the 2" drop shackles you remove two bolts. As stated you might have to cut your bed cross brace BUT only if you have 52" springs. That part gets left out most of the time. If you have the 56" springs you will not need to cut anything. Check to see if you have them by measuring them. Pretty simple.

[muthstryker]

X4 On the 2" Drop shackles! Shouldn't take very long at all to put them in.

[pat386]

I too would opt for the shackles.

I wouldn't pull a leaf on a truck you want to remain functional nor would I do the hangers.
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[Stepper562]

x6 shackles...cheap, fast and easy to do.

[Goldfinger]

replace the front springs with the heavier duty version

[Telecasterjoey]

thanks for all the replies guys! I'll go measure the leaf springs and probably get the shackles.

[Telecasterjoey]

Out of curiosity, how many leaf springs should I have in the pack? I have 5 and I find it rides awfully rough, think I could get away with taking one out? would that make the ride a little smoother?

[Telecasterjoey]

Originally Posted by Goldfinger

replace the front springs with the heavier duty version

that would work but I think I want to go lower. When I had the engine out it looked like a 4 wheel drive lol

[el_guapo]

Drop shackles along with some new shocks to help the ride. Nice afternoon to get that ghetto booty down.

[THE "10" SILVERADO]

Originally Posted by Telecasterjoey

Out of curiosity, how many leaf springs should I have in the pack? I have 5 and I find it rides awfully rough, think I could get away with taking one out? would that make the ride a little smoother?

It depends, standard light duty truck came with anything from 3-8. The 6-8 leaf packs were usually for the "G50" heavy duty rear suspension package that you could order with your truck.

[Telecasterjoey]

How hard are they to take out?
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[Telecasterjoey]

I'm thinking bout lowering the front some too. Maybe cutting a coil off the front spring? Does anyone have any tips on doing this? or does anyone have a chart of coils cut off vs inches dropped? I'd like my truck to sit fairly level and still be able to work. I love the way keith seymour's truck sits. I'd like mine to maybe sit an inch higher than that. Any tips and info would be greatly appreciated.
Like I said this aspect is not my strong point. I can swap an engine and do bodywork but this is the area I'm unfamiliar with.

I like the second truck too but I'd want the rear a little higher. (hope you guys don't mind i borrowed pics)

Thanks guys!

[J Knight]

I think the ideal drop for you would be a 2in/4in drop. I would recomend drop spindles in the front and drop shackles/hangers in the rear. All your suspension will function as the factory intended and you will still have hauling capacity and you wont have to mess with cuting springs, cuting bumpstops, or shuffling leafs around.

[Telecasterjoey]

Thanks man! I'll look into it. The only downside is cost lol. I read keith seymour did it for the cost of new bolts! I'd like to try that route.

[J Knight]

I bet up in ON you could shovel snow on the side a couple of weekends to make enough to get the parts. Lol.
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[Telecasterjoey]

lol we just got about 7" of snow the last 2 days I probably could!

[Telecasterjoey]

I drove through texas once and loved it, Dallas, Austin, houstin then San Antonio.
Went to the gulf then drove back to austin. Drove 36 hours straight to get there (Austin) from here.

[J Knight]

I used to drive otr, been to your neck of the woods many times too. Lol
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[Telecasterjoey]

Wanna trade cities?

[J Knight]

Originally Posted by Telecasterjoey

Wanna trade cities?

Lol! Uuhhhh, Lol!
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[Telecasterjoey]

Originally Posted by J Knight

Lol! Uuhhhh, Lol!
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Fine i'll just keep shovelling snow lol

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by Telecasterjoey

I'm thinking bout lowering the front some too. Maybe cutting a coil off the front spring? Does anyone have any tips on doing this?

There are many ways to get low on a budget and do it with out compromising safety. You have to decide what your best option is. Personally I prefer drop spindles followed by cut coils if needed. With that said let me offer advice on cutting your coils.

Since there is no way of knowing how much your current springs have sagged over the years, its hard to say "exactly" how much drop you will get from a cut coil. The rule of thumb is a half coil equals 1" and a full coil equals 2" of drop. If your not sure how low you want to go cut a half coil and see how it looks. Its more work cutting half at a time, but that a lot easier than trying to add it back on if you cut too much.

Remember that heating the coil will result in the spring eventually sagging, collapsing, or even breaking, so "never" heat a coil to lower a vehicle. I have used many methods for cutting coils over the years. Your primary objective is to cut the coil with the least amount of heat applied.

Lets start with the most difficult. If you have no other way to do it, a sharp blade (or two) in a hacksaw will work. Its slow going but it can be done. You can use a metal blade in a Sawzall too. In both cases it best to have a helper secure the spring while you make the cut.

I have also used a tile blade in a circular saw, a cut off wheel in a high speed grinder, and even a air powered hack saw will work if your patient.

The last choice is a plasma cutter, or cutting torch. If you go this route set the coil in a 5 gallon bucket of water. Keep the water line right below the cut and let it cool on its own. DO NOT cut then cool with water or you will harden the tempering of the spring.