keakar

ya I got that part but I also see when the springs rotate upward the angle will change on bot sides, the tranny side and the axle side angles will be different so its more then one angle changing so I cant just restore the axle to the same as it was because it would at that point need to be set differently from the first angle it was at. it doesn't look too hard but it does look hard enough that I could easily get it wrong and if I change it I want it to be right not just "good enough" if you know what I mean.

ok, I got the truck back and they said they felt it but they didn't do anything at all to the truck because everything was normal and is working fine, this is what the service ticket said: so in other words, they aren't going to fix anything

thanks guys, that looks complicated and math makes my head hurt lol I guess I could bring it to cottman transmission and have them check it when im done

thanks because that picture showed the axle under the springs but the wedge was backwards for what happens when you are lowering the thing is how do you go about to measure that angle? just a straight edge laid across the yoke and a set point distance out from the yoke? this actual procedure and how to do it correctly and accurately is something I haven't seen anyone post or provide a link to how to do it

well then how do you measure for it? do you just get a ground clearance measurements like you do for the fenders for before and after then shim to return it to the same rough measurements from front yoke of rear end to a flat spot near the rear of it?

can anyone confirm the shim size needed to be used for 2" drop shackles along with removing the stock 1.25" block over the axle? mine will be done just as in the picture and I don't know the procedure to calculate the right measurements and I don't trust myself to do it correctly even if it was explained to me. also please confirm this, from what I am seeing this picture shows the orientation as if it were for a lift kit so if im lowering the truck then the rear end turns down and not upwards so for a lowering kit the shim flips around in the other direction with the fat part end going on the rear side closest to the back bumper correct?

just curious what the attorney cost you (or should have cost you if it was free) because if the dealer offers a buyback, I want to know what the attorney and lemon law route costs to compare whats a better way to proceed. if the dealer offers an out for like $1,200-$1,500 loss to get out of it then it might be a better deal then paying a lawyer and going through all that hassle

the locker is an independent option just like the towing package if you want it you can get just the locker but you CANNOT get the towing package without the locking rear end being included with it the "upper" package trucks mostly come standard with all of that stuff

well don't go dismissing it too fast, the electronic steering absorbs all vibration so it could very well be rattling like crazy in the front but the steering wheel will still be solid and smooth. at least that's the way the service manager said it was designed to work, he said they were told they can no longer expect any feedback from the steering to diagnose front end problems. cant say anything beyond that's what he told me so.... who knows

well that is a good point to make, I thought they all used the same basic patterns so im shocked to see some change geometry. keeping the stock geometry is the whole point of using drop spindles in the first place, at least for me it is. mcgaugheys isn't much more then the others out there at $283 and I don't trust those $150-$160 no name ones, because i think they might be made in china with sub par metal as to the rough country under mount strut bolt design, its scary as hell. sure they are grade 9 bolts but the weight of the entire front end its on roughly an 1/8" thick nut outer ring so if the threads in the nut or bolt heads give way and let go, then you spear the strut into the ground and can have violent and completely out of control serious consequences from it beyond a totaled truck but maybe serious injury or worse. to be honest I don't know how any liability insurance company would give them coverage selling that kit unless they included some sort of clam shaped cast irion metal cover that can hold that much weight in a failure scenario

if someone asked me out of the blue on a non-new truck I would say 99% that its something with slack in the front end so when it has no road input is when its got the most slack to wobble. might turn out to be in the electronic steering crap here is the latest update on my fun and games with GM: I got the truck back today after they were "supposed to" RF balance the four tires they said they replaced. as it turns out, it says on the paperwork that they just swapped tires out with another truck on the lot and sent it off to southern tire to be balanced but nothing was mentioned on the paperwork about it being a RF balance. it was raining when I picked it up so no test drive, anyway on the way home it is still vibrating but not much (about like the last time I was tempted to let it go and keep it) but when I got home I took a good look at the tires they put on just to see if they were different tires but I cant tell if they swapped them all or just one or two. the big problem was right there in my face, my truck has steel wheels with ss hubcaps and they clamped the wheel weights right over the hub caps locking them onto the rim! it has a center cap you take off first before you can pull the outer ring off but they removed just the center caps to balance it and hammered the weights right over the hubcap as though it was the rim. things are definitely looking very hinky at this point so im gonna call southern tire and see if they even have a RF balance machine because at this poinnt it wouldn't surprise me to find out they don't. so far I got receipts for 2 repairs on same problem and on Monday when I bring it back in it will be repair #3 so they get 2 more tries to fix it before lemon law kicks in

cant say if its true or not but yesterday I talked to a guy who felt certain the vibration problem was "mainly" with towing package trucks so if that is true it may be related to the automatic locking rear differential thingy they add in the rear end for towing package so how bout it? how many of you guys have a vibration issue in a non-towing package truck that doesn't have the automatic locking rear differential?

thanks, im thinking just about all of them are roughly the same quality as its just a chunk of metal so paying extra for a big name brand isn't needed or am I wrong? any brand recommendations to get or to stay away from

yea I hadn't thought about how its supported but it cant have that much weight since they use plastic spacers for all of the lift kits for it mine is the 2wd so to get 3" im going 2" drop shackle and removing the block making the u-bolts be 1 1/2" too long after, so I should get about a 3 1/4" drop in the rear so since swapping the strut mount to he bottom is out, for the front I cant decide the best way to drop it, there are drop spindles and then there are drop strut bodies you reuse the stock hardware with and they both average $150-$175 in price. I want to leave stock unchanged as much as possible and do the simpler less intrusive mod to it which I think is the drop strut but it is also the most scary dealing with spring compression and trusting I can put it all back together right and safely

thanks, I want to do a 2" front drop and 3" rear drop so that's why I was looking at the whole kit. it costs more to buy it all separate and the u-bolts aren't sold for you as a lowering u-bolt set so its something you just have to go out and buy on your own hoping it fits right maybe I can figure out a way to not need the kit to do it, I saw someone say they just slipped the front strut under the spndle mount and bolted it in place to get the 2" drop and if that's a safe way to do it its free except the grade 9 bolts you need to buy so if that's accurate all I need to buy is the rear shackles and figure out what to do about the u-bolts being too long

since you already did the measurements on yours then we just need the same 2 degree shim you used right? I mean its the same 2" drop shackes mod so the angles will be the same I would think. do you just go into the nearest auto store and buy a rear end shim set off the rack?

I was referring to the rear axle needing to be shimmed to return it to the same angle as before the lowering shackles because it lifts the back of the leaf springs it will roll the rear end slightly downward in the front by the u-joint. I don't think it does change when the truck is loaded because I would assume it would move evenly up or down without tilting as the springs compress. I too only want to lower the back and not raise the front. in fact if it didn't involve pulling and flipping the rear axle over the springs I would do a 2" front drop spindles and a 4" rear drop kit to bring it down to the "normal" height trucks used to sit at before they went crazy with the 20"-24" plus wagon wheels on em. I like my 17" wheels and don't plan on changing them so I don't like having enough room to set a gallon paint can on top of the tires and still not hit the fender with it because its got so much space. in fact if I coiuld have gotten it with 15" wheels I would have, they only cost $75 and not $200 each to replace. I just want to do something that is simple, easy, and cheap that can be done by myself in the driveway in an hour or two with a socket set and wrenches if you are like me and want it lowered cheap and easy look at this kit http://www.mcgaughystore.com/2014-chevy-silverado-1500-all-cabs-2wd-4wd-2-3-5-drop-kit/ 2" drop for the front and do the 2" rear drop shackles and remove the spacer blocks above the axle so you lower the whole truck by 2" and drop the rear an extra 1.5" so its leveled at the same time instead of being 3" higher then the front and you reuse the stock shocks without them being partially compressed. if and when you ever replace the shocks you can use shorter ones and just remove the shock mount extension brackets. I am still doing a lot of research and taking my time to understand how it affects warranty on things (probably a lot) but it seams the easiest and least complicated way as well as the cheapest, to get the look and level stance I want

does something as slight as a 2 degree shim change really need to be done? im asking because I don't see any others with the 2" drop shackles saying they shimmed anything, usually its the guys doing axle flips or slams

has anyone tried to install the fender well liners with the 2" drop shackles? are there any clearance issues since some say the fender seams need bending I ordered the fender liners to put on it but I also want to do the 2" drop shackles