rear end suspention

[thomas]

i have an 87 longbed, and im trying to drop the rear for cheap. im thinking about cutting 4-5 inches from a crossmember on the bed. i think there is about 10 crossmembers total? and then either custom 3 in shackle or just buying a 2 inch. does anyone have any insight on this? is it ok to cut the crossmember?

[Captkaos]

Crossmember?  a  crossmember goes across connecting each framerail and has nothing to do with the height of the truck.  Are you talking about the springs?  You can't cut those.

How low are you wanting to go?  Going the cheap route on suspensions isn't a smart way to go.  And cutting anything on the rear isn't going to lower anything.

You can make a flip kit or by one fairly inexpensive that will drop it 5-6".
Or you can move the front hanger up 2" and make the rear shackle longer, or you can buy a shackle hanger fairly inexpensive.

[thomas]

the bed has these "crossmembers" going from the left side of the bed to the right side. some are 1/4 inch tall, while the 4 in the back are 3-inch tall. these sit flush on top of the frame. i want to cut one of the 3 inch tall crossmembers and use the new clearence for custom shackles. or just buy some. im looking for a 2-3 inch drop. i just dont want to spend $150-200 on something i can make in my garage...

[77c15]

Here are some options from Summit. They say that they are their brand, but I ordered some a few years ago and they came in Ground Force packaging and say Ground Force on the front coils. The shackles are easy to install, the hangers are a little more intense. You have to ground off all the rivets that hold the old hanger in place, and then drill the rivets out and finally knock it off. I have some pretty nice pix of the install at my cardomain site:

www.cardomain.com/ride/788720/2



  SUM-G752    Summit Rear Hanger and Shackle Kits
Shackles and Hangers, 4 in. Drop, 2.5 in. Wide Spring, Chevy/ GMC, C10/ R10/ C15/ C1500/ R1500 Pickup, Kit
       $149.95    



        SUM-G756    Summit Rear Shackle Kits
Shackles, 2 in. Drop, 2.5 in. Wide Spring, Chevy/ GMC, C10/ R10/ C15/ C1500/ R1500 Pickup, Pair
      $41.95    

[Captkaos]

i want to cut one of the 3 inch tall crossmembers and use the new clearence for custom shackles. or just buy some. im looking for a 2-3 inch drop. i just dont want to spend $150-200 on something i can make in my garage...

If you buy some or make them you will have to clearance the rear crossmember to clear the shackle.  Just notch it the width of the new shackle.  Shackles should give you a max of 2" drop.

[thomas]

is it possible to fabricate a 3 inch drop shackle? if it will clear that 3 inch space going to the bed, shouldnt it work?

[Captkaos]

You won't be able to ge that much from the limited amount of space you have.  If you want it lower, you can either buy hangers for the front, or move your current ones up.  Keep in mind you REALLY need to check you pinion angle when you change this...

[thomas]

will the pinion angle change much if i only do a 2 inch shackle?  what if i do buy the hangar and shackle. will the pinion angle still be a problem?

[Captkaos]

The shackle may/may not change it, but if you have a vibration after installing it, then you need to shim it.  Same goes with a hanger, but a hanger generally requires shimming.

[thomas]

is these such a thing as a 3-inch drop? im not sure i want to go 4, but 2 doesnt seem enough. i dont PLAN on lowering the front. i just want it to look right when i get my rims on this winter.

[Captkaos]

If your truck is at stock height, generally 2" is enough to level one, 3" is too much.
Some shackles are adjustable from 1 or 2" drops,  Coupled with the 2" drop of a hanger you have 3".