Rear End Leveling

beboswell · June 18, 2009

Has anyone lowered the rear end of their NBS? If so, I'd really like to see some pics. I've done it on some older body styles and it's just a matter of changing the spring shackles, but really changes the way the truck looks.

brims · June 18, 2009

Quite a few guys on here have, I Zembones is one of them, can't think of any others. I almost went with drop shackles but decided against it.

spikesputnik · June 18, 2009

Has anyone lowered the rear end of their NBS? If so, I'd really like to see some pics. I've done it on some older body styles and it's just a matter of changing the spring shackles, but really changes the way the truck looks.

No pics, but the short story on installation (that may sway you) is that you must remove the trailer hitch and either need to loosen the bed bolts to raise it off of the frame or cut and bend an interfering underside bed seam, in order to remove the upper shackle bolt....

cerbomark · June 18, 2009

On my NBS 07 we changed the blockes and u bolts. Ordered the ones for a Silverado SS (Don t remember the size). No hitch removal or bed problems. Took the guy like 10 mins to do it on a lift. Lowered the back almost 2 inches. Leveled it with the front. It looked good espcially if you have 20 in wheels.

beboswell · June 18, 2009

Hadn't thought of the block and u-bolt way. That sounds easy enough. Thanks for the suggestion.

Gray Ghost · June 20, 2009

I purchased Ground Force Performance Lowering Shackles from my local NAPA store. They were recomened by local body shop. I was advised to grease them well upon installation. A mechanic who has a shop around the corner from where I live installed them. Mechanic is also my five star custom muffler guy. Could have been done in driveway, but he had a lift. The weight was taken off the rear and springs and the old shackles were removed. There was a metal seam that had to be slightly tapped over with a rubber mallet to give complete clearance for the full 3". The directions recomend cutting out part of metal seem. I Did not want to cut on my Sierra. It now looks level and rides great. I made a post with the pics of her after the modifications. Dont remember name of post but cant look it up and give it a bump. I noticed that stylin concepts now have a kit for the front in for those trucks built without torsion bars in the front end. I like the shackles, no squeaks, nice ride, and great look.

beboswell · June 20, 2009

Goat, I found your post. Looks really good. That looks like the result I want. That was 3"'s? I hadn't measured yet, but I was thinkin. 2". Thanks for the info.

Rick53 · June 21, 2009

Has anyone lowered the rear end of their NBS? If so, I'd really like to see some pics. I've done it on some older body styles and it's just a matter of changing the spring shackles, but really changes the way the truck looks.

I used the Belltech kit which included 2" lowering shackles and 1" bushings.

These trucks have a 1" lifting block between the leaf spring and the rear axle housing from the factory. To remove the block, you just undo the u-bolts and the blocks just come out. The bushings in the kit fit over the u-bolts to take up the space on the threads.

As for problems removing the upper shackle bolt, the trick is to remove the u-bolts first. While the rear end housing is disconnected from the spring, you can remove the bottom shackle bolt and lift the spring up and to the outside to avoid the bed seam. This gives you the room you need to remove the upper shackle bolt.

It drops the rear between 2-3", just enough that the rear is about 2" higher than the front. Just about right. The whole job in my garage without a lift took about 1 1/2 hours, with at least a half hour figuring out how to get the upper bolt out.

Good Luck!

Matt_ · June 21, 2009

Here's a trick for removing the rear shackles:

Take off your bump stops.

Put the OEM bottle jack on top of your axle and jack it up until it contacts the frame, thereby taking load off the spring pack.

Remove the lower shackle bolt.

Adjust the jack to 'lower' the back of the truck (effectivly raising the shackle) to the point where you can get the upper shackle bolt out.

Reverse procedure for installation of new shackles.

Note: you do not have to remove the trailer hitch. you do not have to loosen the bed mounting bolts. and you also do not need to take the U-bolts off.... which btw are technically one-time-use. You're supposed to replace the U-bolts everytime you remove them (I have reused them, but thats not the 'correct' method)

spikesputnik · June 26, 2009

This is a pic of my right shackle, and trailer hitch. The reason I post it is that there seems to be a few opinions on what is.

For this 09 Silverado 2wd Ext cab, with OEM trailering pkg, you can see that when the lower bolt would be loosened and moved inwards after the nut is off, it will hit the trailer hitch bracket. If the bolt is to be removed from the shackle, it will either have to pass thru the bracket, be cut, or the bracket will have to be taken off or cut. Period. Now with different hitches, models, etc things may be different.

As far as bed loosening or flange bending goes(versus those that say neither is needed at all), I couldn't get any good pics, but instead a couple of measurments.

From the top of the top shackle to the seam/ridge is 3 1/8". From the bottom of the top shackle bolts flange/head up to the top of the frame(over which the bolt will have to go to release the shackle) is 3 5/8". So, there will be a 1/2" interferance when going straight up (unless like one poster sugggested removing the axles u-bolts to swing springs outside of the seam). Again, this is one particular model truck. Maybe others have different dimensions in that section of frame/hitch. Maybe on some trucks there are spacers between some beds mounts and the frame allowing bolt passage? Maybe GMC and Chevy are more different in this area?

So for my truck there's only 8 bed bolts and 8 hitch bolts (I think) to be delt with, so it certianly is not that big a deal, I don't think. But nor is it four shackle bolts and yur done deal either.

Sorry about the pic size, but it makes it more black and white on whats what.

Of course if anyone wants to set me straight on this, flame on. And bring a pics and truck specs for comparison .