Lower Frontend

hardluk1 · December 9, 2009

I have a 4x4 03 short box reg cab. Can i lower the front 1 to 2 inchs with the keys turned down and srill get ajustment?? I am guessing i would have to cut ot trim the bump stops too. I have taken the blocks out of the rear and would like to lower the rear one more inch with the first hole on 2" longer shackels.Truck now sets right at level with a high fiberglass topper on it with just the blocks out of the rear.

Mayfieldsa1 · December 9, 2009

I have a 4x4 03 short box reg cab. Can i lower the front 1 to 2 inchs with the keys turned down and srill get ajustment?? I am guessing i would have to cut ot trim the bump stops too. I have taken the blocks out of the rear and would like to lower the rear one more inch with the first hole on 2" longer shackels.Truck now sets right at level with a high fiberglass topper on it with just the blocks out of the rear.

I would buy lowered torsion keys before I turned them down. Why do you want to lower a 4x4 anyway? each to their own I guess

Nytemare · December 9, 2009

I have a 4x4 03 short box reg cab. Can i lower the front 1 to 2 inchs with the keys turned down and srill get ajustment?? I am guessing i would have to cut ot trim the bump stops too. I have taken the blocks out of the rear and would like to lower the rear one more inch with the first hole on 2" longer shackels.Truck now sets right at level with a high fiberglass topper on it with just the blocks out of the rear.

I would buy lowered torsion keys before I turned them down. Why do you want to lower a 4x4 anyway? each to their own I guess

LOL.... Don't start this again...LOL

Yeah lowered keys would be your best option for the closest to stock ride quality.

If you want to go lower in the rear...you could always go with a spring under setup.

hardluk1 · December 9, 2009

I have a 4x4 03 short box reg cab. Can i lower the front 1 to 2 inchs with the keys turned down and srill get ajustment?? I am guessing i would have to cut ot trim the bump stops too. I have taken the blocks out of the rear and would like to lower the rear one more inch with the first hole on 2" longer shackels.Truck now sets right at level with a high fiberglass topper on it with just the blocks out of the rear.

I would buy lowered torsion keys before I turned them down. Why do you want to lower a 4x4 anyway? each to their own I guess

Thanks ,I think.. Some of my 4x4 history. I grew up in sw florida hunting ,airboats ,swampbuggies, high ride'n ATV's and 4x4 street vehicals. I had the first set of monster mudders back around '73 maybe on a 70 chevy truck back in florida when they were big at 35" and made for only 15" wheels.So you grind down the brake caliper for clearence. Had to build my own lift kits with Florida Spring building the springs for me just to clear the tires. Dick Cepic was the only one around and he was a sand guy. We use to raise them JUST high enought for the most part to clear the darn tires not to look like some never go off the road jerk water fool that so many are today. Jeeps with 9.00-16's and armstong tires back then.

.. We rode in water up to 4foot deep, sometimes deeper ,sometimes you did not make it out. All had a fairly serious water proofing on our 4x4's. My best deep water /mud runner turned out to be a scout 4 cy with a 4 speed 4.88 gears and front limited diff and rear locker. With a just 33" tires 3-m glued and screwed to the wheels so we could let air out and not lose a bead. Intake ran inside the cab and exhaust ran up back edge of the roll bar. This was before beadlocks and I still ran the stock suspentionon that one.. Ride on the seat with a hand throttle pulled put and steered with your feet. Oh no tow vehicals back then ,drove them to and from weekend trips, most were everday trucks. To many jacked up show trucks out there today. We carried oil fillters and several oil changes ,grease guns, bearings, spark plugs, ran vacume lines to our distributors sprayed them with acra-seal all so they would run under water for some distances. If someone drawned out it was just a reason to BS while all helped to get him running again. Frontend, rearend, tranfer and trans all had there vents run to the roof line. Don't forget the gas tank vent too. WE also ran synthitic oils so it was easier to seperate the water and oil and drain any water way from the oils or grease we ran. You also carried a stick to put between your clutch peddle and seat so the clutch would not rust closed over night. Today going to a mudflat with some monster truck wanabe is really cool!!! I guess.

I use a truck like most of the real worlds trucks, run'n more up and down the hard road. I live in the NC mountians and go to work in the snow when i should stay home and it sometimes it take chains to do it and i go up or down gravel roads to work where those same chains get used sometimes on all 4 corners on stock tires. The big bad mud tires don't work real well in snow with hills too. That can be done on a slightly lowerd truck and make the center of gravity lower also makes it easier to get to my tools in the bed. Now those jacked up road run'n mud tire'd trucks don't run any better in this kind of condition than a stock does. Now if you want to go hill climb'n up here build a off road buggy. If you want to run some flat land mud just besure you stay out of the tracks of the guy with the biggest tires( that goes for real swampbuggies too).

This should do for the never will be crowd as to why i want to lower my truck 2 ".

hardluk1 · December 9, 2009

Nytemare Thanks for some help. I don't want to flip the axle that would be way more than i want, some where close to 7" and a frame notch. As is, i am spring over and had 2 1/4" blocks form chevy between the axle and spring. Took out the blocks and that set the truck almost level. Now just look'n for 1 maybe 1 1/2" in front and an extra 1 may two in the rear with shackles. I know i will need rear shocks at that point but useing a awd ss as a base the front shocks i now have are the same as the ss but can't find a different key to lower from chevy ,if any are there to match the ss. Could be a different torsion bar... Parts guy spent a hour with me but some numbers would come up in other trucks. Belltec does not sell keys for 4x4's and most all want to sell costly suspention parts ,either spindles or control arms. just for less than 2". arrrggg. Maybe enough for now. Maybe next year a rear spring change and the control arms. thats good for 2" more. Thanks

Nytemare · December 9, 2009

Nytemare Thanks for some help. I don't want to flip the axle that would be way more than i want, some where close to 7" and a frame notch. As is, i am spring over and had 2 1/4" blocks form chevy between the axle and spring. Took out the blocks and that set the truck almost level. Now just look'n for 1 maybe 1 1/2" in front and an extra 1 may two in the rear with shackles. I know i will need rear shocks at that point but useing a awd ss as a base the front shocks i now have are the same as the ss but can't find a different key to lower from chevy ,if any are there to match the ss. Could be a different torsion bar... Parts guy spent a hour with me but some numbers would come up in other trucks. Belltec does not sell keys for 4x4's and most all want to sell costly suspention parts ,either spindles or control arms. just for less than 2". arrrggg. Maybe enough for now. Maybe next year a rear spring change and the control arms. thats good for 2" more. Thanks

Belltech makes a lowering kit for your truck...2" font and rear...with shocks included.

its 701 bones....but like I said its a proper kit.

You are looking for p/n: 678SP

Lowering Kit WITH SP SHOCKS With Factory torsion keys

Suspension Kit-Complete Kit: Lowering front: 2.0´´ Lowering rear: 2.0´´

hardluk1 · December 9, 2009

Nytemare Thanks for some help. I don't want to flip the axle that would be way more than i want, some where close to 7" and a frame notch. As is, i am spring over and had 2 1/4" blocks form chevy between the axle and spring. Took out the blocks and that set the truck almost level. Now just look'n for 1 maybe 1 1/2" in front and an extra 1 may two in the rear with shackles. I know i will need rear shocks at that point but useing a awd ss as a base the front shocks i now have are the same as the ss but can't find a different key to lower from chevy ,if any are there to match the ss. Could be a different torsion bar... Parts guy spent a hour with me but some numbers would come up in other trucks. Belltec does not sell keys for 4x4's and most all want to sell costly suspention parts ,either spindles or control arms. just for less than 2". arrrggg. Maybe enough for now. Maybe next year a rear spring change and the control arms. thats good for 2" more. Thanks

Belltech makes a lowering kit for your truck...2" font and rear...with shocks included.

its 701 bones....but like I said its a proper kit.

You are looking for p/n: 678SP

Lowering Kit WITH SP SHOCKS With Factory torsion keys

Suspension Kit-Complete Kit: Lowering front: 2.0´´ Lowering rear: 2.0´´

Thank You Never could get any real help talking to them and for some reason there page with order info would never come up for me. Thanks. i will look it up.

Nytemare · December 9, 2009

Nytemare Thanks for some help. I don't want to flip the axle that would be way more than i want, some where close to 7" and a frame notch. As is, i am spring over and had 2 1/4" blocks form chevy between the axle and spring. Took out the blocks and that set the truck almost level. Now just look'n for 1 maybe 1 1/2" in front and an extra 1 may two in the rear with shackles. I know i will need rear shocks at that point but useing a awd ss as a base the front shocks i now have are the same as the ss but can't find a different key to lower from chevy ,if any are there to match the ss. Could be a different torsion bar... Parts guy spent a hour with me but some numbers would come up in other trucks. Belltec does not sell keys for 4x4's and most all want to sell costly suspention parts ,either spindles or control arms. just for less than 2". arrrggg. Maybe enough for now. Maybe next year a rear spring change and the control arms. thats good for 2" more. Thanks

Belltech makes a lowering kit for your truck...2" font and rear...with shocks included.

its 701 bones....but like I said its a proper kit.

You are looking for p/n: 678SP

Lowering Kit WITH SP SHOCKS With Factory torsion keys

Suspension Kit-Complete Kit: Lowering front: 2.0´´ Lowering rear: 2.0´´

Don't bother dealing with them....get yourself a street trucks mag and order from someone (one of the about 10million dealers for Belltech in there)

Thank You Never could get any real help talking to them and for some reason there page with order info would never come up for me. Thanks. i will look it up.

hardluk1 · December 11, 2009

nytemare Found some other info at gmfs site that had all the part numbers and i also have my trucks build sheet . I have the green keys and the yh bars and they are 5913lb bars . Go to 2500 bars after that. Got to see what t the xm bars fit ,they are 5636lb and below that weight drops 800 more pounds. Also now know that the purple key will give a 10* drop set the same alone. Good info also about the rubber bumps being uerathaine preloads to help during the bumpstop to smooth and to some point make the springs feel more progressive than just running out of movement. Gona go talk to the parts guy again to see what the xm bar fits and make a choice also get to check rear spring load too . have it but can't find its load yet..

Nytemare · December 11, 2009

nytemare Found some other info at gmfs site that had all the part numbers and i also have my trucks build sheet . I have the green keys and the yh bars and they are 5913lb bars . Go to 2500 bars after that. Got to see what t the xm bars fit ,they are 5636lb and below that weight drops 800 more pounds. Also now know that the purple key will give a 10* drop set the same alone. Good info also about the rubber bumps being uerathaine preloads to help during the bumpstop to smooth and to some point make the springs feel more progressive than just running out of movement. Gona go talk to the parts guy again to see what the xm bar fits and make a choice also get to check rear spring load too . have it but can't find its load yet..

Good stuff man

Good luck...hope to see you with a lowered front end soon.