can i lower my stock 53 truck ?

[baconburners]

i have a 53 gmc , leaf spring front and rear i want to lower my truck like 4 inches , can i lower this type of suspension or do i have to swap chassis to s10 ? if i can use my stock setup how much would it cost ?

[ghettoluxury]

Yes you can lower your factory suspension. For the rear just use lowering blocks and new U-bolts. As for the front there are a couple of options. You could get lowered leaf springs or a drop axle.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Lowered multi leaf sping pack, a mono leaf, a dropped axle, or a combination of leaf AND dropped axle.

You need to do an extensive search to understand that you need to do modifications to the steering in order to avoid bumpsteer.

[mr48chev]

I go along 100% with what they said. Just don't start removing leaves from the front springs or this will happen.


Yes that is under my truck, I think I took three leaves out when I threw the truck back together in August 1989 to take it to the KKOA Mountain High National in Centralia WA. It was a 16 hr a day three week thrash that took the truck from a cab laying on the ground behind what is now my garage and a bare frame at my buddy's house to a driving truck that I loaded my family in and drove 190 miles to the event.

The truck drove like crap all the time it was set up that way and what was intended to be a quick and nasty throw together to go to that show and one other and then tear the truck back down to the bare frame ended up being my daily driver for 15 years without any redo.

There is no free lunch with these trucks, spend a bit of money and do it right and be done with it.

Lower profile tires will also help drop the truck down. I run 195-60-14 on the front most of the time but a low profile 15 inch tire would help get it down some. You don't need huge tires on the front of these trucks.

Sids is the go to place for having your axle dropped http://www.droppedaxles.com/

Posies and some others sell dropped leaf springs.

One more option might be a bolt on Mustang II crossmember on the front. NO welding and you just have to be able to measure and drill holes in the right spots. The cost wouldn't be a lot more than a dropped axle and springs if a guy used Ford MII suspension pieces from a donor car. It woudn't quite be stock then though.

On the rear lowering blocks and new U bolts will get it down what ever the thickness of the blocks are but 4 inches may be asking a lot without a C notch in the frame.

[67GMCkid]

Found this picture on the net, it's not the way I would have done it..

[low54panel]

That looks so wrong

[_Ogre]

Originally Posted by 67GMCkid

it's not the way I would have done it..

Originally Posted by low54panel

That looks so wrong

yes to both of you

[Dan in Pasadena]

Honestly? That's terrifying.

Welding cast iron to plate? I've always assumed the I beam axle is cast. Maybe it's forged but still.

[mr48chev]

That is wrong and most likely illegal in most states. You saw too much of that kind of engineering in the 70's when the street rod thing really took hold and guys were trying to build stuff without having much to go on except seeing a low car or truck in a magazine photo.

[whitedog76]

You can get this for the front. http://www.speedwaymotors.com/1947-5...Axle,5842.html

Sid's will lower a stock axle also. http://www.droppedaxles.com/

I like the dropped axle better than the lowered springs. lowered springs on the front limit your suspension travel.

There's plenty of options for the rear. A leaf spring kit and/or block setup are probably your best bet.