whats a quick and easy way to lower my truck?

[hpcgmc]

I'd like to lower my truck a little. I'm thinking 2" up front and 4" in the rear. My truck suspension is totally stock except for "newer" shocks (I bought them 15 years ago - probably paid $100 for all 4). I have coils up front and leafs in the rear of my 67 1/2t GMC shortbed.

I'm looking at drop springs for the front for the time being (eventually I'll get drop spindles when I figure out the front brake setup I'm going to use).

Whats the best way to drop the rear? What are the pros and cons of shackels and hangers to move the mounting points of the leaf springs, vs. moving the leaf springs from above the rear axle to below the rear axle? Do I need to weld or bolt on any type of bracket to hold the leafs in place if I remount the leafs under the axle?

Thanks for all the great help on this forum!

[BIG ORANGE]

The cheapest and easiest way to drop yr truck is to cut 1 round out of the bottom of each front spring, and 2nd get some blocks and longer Ubolts for the the rearend, you can get the block kit at Advance Auto Parts.
Best of luck,,

[Boog]

Cutting one coil off the front will get you about 2" of drop. Now the rear is another story since you have leafs. Blocks won't be of help since the springs are over the axle. Adding blocks will actually lift the rear.
If you flip the axle to over the leafs it will net you more like 5 to 6" drop, more than you are asking for.
Your better bet for the rear is shackles and hangers to get closer to the 4" you are asking for.

[ChevLoRay]

Shackles and hangers can give you a 4-inch drop. It's what I have on my '96. If you go 5 inches or more, you'll probably need to C-notch the frame.

[BatteryMedicJoe]

Get a fat girlfriend

[Sicklajoie]

Let the air out of your tires.

[Sideways]

How about twenty bags of portland cement?

[Daddy'O]

Originally Posted by BatteryMedicJoe

Get a fat girlfriend

Ha! - I was going to suggest letting the air out of the tires...........

Seriously - Check out Early Classic Enterprise - they have quality stuff and good information on lowering our trucks.

Good luck!

[Daddy'O]

Originally Posted by Sicklajoie

Let the air out of your tires.

You beat me to it -

[hpcgmc]

Thanks guys, I'll go pick up a fat chick to ride in the passenger seat, 20 bags of cement in the bed, and flatten the tires, while I drive around town looking for shackles and hangers.

I'm actually checking with Early Classic to see if they have a front coil/ rear leaf drop kit that includes shocks - I figure if I break up with the fat chick, what I save on food I can spend on a lowering kit.

Edit - Early Classics doesn't seem to have hangers, just brackets, so I'm still searching. If I lower the rear 4" and the front 2" via shortened coils up front and shackels/hangers in the rear, will I need new shocks?

[special-K]

Yes,you'll need new shocks. Personally,I'd buy a pair of 2" lower coils for the front. Removing the springs is no piece of cake and I'd rather "gain" a good ride rather than "kill" it for my effort. They don't cost much at all.

[hpcgmc]

Does anyone know where I can get 2" lowering shackles and 2" lowering hangers for my rear leaf springs? ECD only has 1.5" lowering shackles and no hangers, and other places I'm checking don't carry either of them. I can't afford the $400.00 for the rear drop leafs that ECE carries.

Is there a reason that these lowering hangers and brackets are hard to find? Is there an engineering or design problem that makes these difficult or impossible to use on these trucks?

$125 for 2" front drop coils is a good price, but won't do me any good with a stock height rear end. Maybe I'll just have to stay stock while I save up some cash.

[CC69Rat]

Maybe Nate Porter could make you some or might know where you could get them? He might chime in ..

[special-K]

That stuff is readily available for '73-up trucks. Look into seeing what's involved with using that on a 67-72. I'd think you could use it.

[hpcgmc]

Wes at Classic Heartbeat told me that the shackels don't work well with the leafs because they hit the bottom of the bed and sills. He has a leaf flip kit for a reasonable price, but my truck has 9 leaf springs! I assume when my dad had the rear end changed (after I blew the rear end burning rubber in high school) they put in a 3/4 ton rear end, including the leaf springs. That also explains the very low gearing on the truck (when I had 31" tires, I was still running 3 mph fast on my speedo).

SpecialK - I thought about the 1973 rear axle, but that would give me a wider rear end and 5 lug wheels (I've got 6 lug and I'm keeping that for now). Plus, I think I'd still have the problem with the shackels hitting the bed floor, if Wes is correct.

If I have only 5 leaf springs, that should only lower my truck about 4-5" on an axle flip - can I just remove 4 of the springs from the spring pack - or is this asking for trouble? The truck won't be used for towing or much hauling, other than a couple dirt bikes on occasion (under 1000 lbs in the bed).

[special-K]

I'm not talking about using the later axle,just the lower hangers and shackles. You do have to watch the bed clearance using both. You can also try removing leafs. Basically,you can achieve about the same thing as those pricey ECE leafs. You could also keep an eye on the parts board and Craigslist for used stuff to save money. This stuff used usually doesn't have much wear on it.