Please help me get low

[Hoffmann]

OK, finally got it all figured out!

Having a local suspension shop do the install for me. That way they can do the alignment and any custome work that may come up during the install.

The kit is a 4/6 drop from JDM. It has replacement upper and lower control arms, C-Notch, flip kit, all new shocks.

I believe I am going to be tucking my wheels by 1/2 - 1".

The price for everything (including install).....................$2350

I think it will be worth letting someone else deal with the headache. Plus, I don't even have the proper tools to do it myself.

If you're going that route, I would suggest:

Belltech spindles - about $320

Belltech hangers/shackles - about $210

Belltech C notch - about $250

Bilsteins shocks - about $160



Total in parts = about $940

Labor, depends where you live, if it's around Jersey, I know a cheaper place than you posted

[Cyclone]

2350 is a crazy price dude...

And I thought you didn't want to get a c-notch and go that low with it?



Sounds to me like before you set that appointment you need to spend a few more days doing research and trying to find out what type of ride you want to have with it.

Not to mention DJM is a good product, but that is a extremely expensive price...


I have a 2/4 drop all DJM with Toxic drop shocks, I paid about $300 (give or take) for everything and installed myself (with friends) . Look around, once you know what you want start searching for deals and you will save a ton. I have a friend buying a DJM 2/4 right now for a 04+ truck for $300 used...

[Harley#356]

OK, finally got it all figured out!

Having a local suspension shop do the install for me. That way they can do the alignment and any custome work that may come up during the install.

The kit is a 4/6 drop from JDM. It has replacement upper and lower control arms, C-Notch, flip kit, all new shocks.

I believe I am going to be tucking my wheels by 1/2 - 1".

The price for everything (including install).....................$2350

I think it will be worth letting someone else deal with the headache. Plus, I don't even have the proper tools to do it myself.

There's really no "custom" work with a drop KIT. Other than notching the frame which isn't that bad, or griding rivits off for hangers (which there's better ways of lowering IMO), there's not much custom about it, and the suspensions on these trucks are extremely easy to work on even for novices.

Upper and lower A-arms are the older way of dropping these trucks a lot in the front. It throws off the suspension geometery. And the flip kit is what $20 in parts? Its apparent you aren't worried about money if you're dropping $2350 on a drop kit, so why not spend LESS and get a BETTER suspension setup? I know you don't want a corner carver, but why not have a better handling truck with the same geometry as stock, for less money, then pay more money for an old technology kit that won't handle as well and will ride only so-so

For the front a set of belltech spindles and 2" coils will net you a 4" front drop rather than doing upper & lower A-arms. For the rear you're better off doing 3" belltech leafs and a 2 or 3" shackle for a 5 or 6" rear drop with a c-notch, than doing a flip kit on the stock setup. You can install 99% of everything yourself, and you should drive the truck 50-100 miles BEFORE getting an alignment anyway, so there's no reason to pay a shop to do all the work if you can spin a couple wrenches.

[flat--line]

I believe my inner fender wells on the rear will have to be notched to allow the stock 295/45/18's to clear.

I just bought a house 6 months ago and my tool collection is small, to put it mildly.

I can't afford to get my truck torn apart only to find I don't have the right tool to get it finished. I know I can't cut into the frame (scissors and a hacksaw would take years!)

I have actually decided to go with Western Chassis for the kit. I heard too many bad things about DJM on NLOC. That is going to save me a couple hundred bucks. The labor for the install is quoted at 11 hours!!! If a shop with lifts, air tools, torches, etc... will take 11 hours, it will take me 2 weeks!!!

I didn't want to go with a c-notch, but I was convinced otherwise. The time I would spend putting together different pieces from 100 different websites, and trying to install it myself is worth way more than the $1000 in labor I am going to be charged.

I'm all about doing work myself, don't get me wrong. But, I know when to throw in the towel. This is one of those times!

[mikesudds]

where do you live, thats about how much i have in my air suspension

[flat--line]

where do you live, thats about how much i have in my air suspension

I live about 30 minutes north of downtown Atlanta. Cumming, GA. Just north of Alpharetta, GA.

The shop I am using is top notch! THey mostly concentrate on jacking up 4x4's, and their work has been displayed in numerous off-road magazines. I guess anyone who is talented in lifting a truck up should be able to lower it down?

Also, they are the only shop around.

[mikesudds]

drive 5 hours away, and save at LEAST a thousand bucks!

1500 i'll lower that sum***** and buy the parts! and my work's gonna be in a mag soon too. lol

[flat--line]

drive 5 hours away, and save at LEAST a thousand bucks!

1500 i'll lower that sum***** and buy the parts! and my work's gonna be in a mag soon too. lol

Ok man, don't leave me hangin'.

Tell me more

[mikesudds]

check out Keef's Rod & Custom www.keefsrodncustom.com he's in durant ms. about 5 hrs from ya. he did the static drop on my daily driver in a half a day and that's while working on other projects.

if you pick up this months mini truckin mag, he did the paint/body on the isuzu on the cover.

[Harley#356]

notching your inner fender wells?! Where the heck did you get that info? lol I've got 295/45/20's with a 3/5 drop and I don't come anywhere NEAR rubbing ANYTHING in the rear. My tires are the exact same width and 2" taller than yours, so its equivalent of a 6" drop on the rear of yours regarding how far the tire goes up in the wheel well, and there's nothing needed to trim.

and you don't need a massive tool collection or air tools. The only thing I could definately see having a shop do is the C-notch and if you do hangers, everything else is simple bolt on swaps with simple hand tools. Do you own a $20 metric socket set and a ratchet? If the answers yes, you can do 90% of that suspension kit yourself and save $1000+ bucks to buy a heck of a lot of new cool tools! And there's how-to's for everything, so you won't have to worry about tearing into anything and not being able to do it.

And 11 hours for the install? You actually believe everything they tell you? lol You should call on that. They may want to bill you for 11 shop hours, but it would probably take you less than 11 hours yourself to do all that single handedly on jack stands. The front suspension should take no more than 1 hour per side tops, the rear flip kit should take no more than an hour, and the c-notch should take no more than 2 hours each side to be conservative. Thats 7 hours, on the amount of time it'd take the average weekend wrencher. An experienced shop should be able to do each side of the front suspension in 1/2 hour, the flip kit in 1/2 hour, and the c-notch in an hour per side. I've had more suspension setups on my truck than I can count, TRUST me when it comes to advice on suspension wrenching lol

And 100 different websites? If you take the advice given by many, you can order belltech 2" spindles, belltech 2" coils, belltech 3" leafs, and belltech 2" shackles, and belltech shock extenders all from ONE single website! Add in a set of bilstein shocks and a camber kit from ONE more website, and a you're set. Is that really worth $1000 bucks? If you want, I'd GLADLY order all the parts for you and take care of everything for $500!

[Cyclone]

Hmmm...

Let me think about this one...


I cannot do a C-Notch, but I can cut the hanger's and install every single other piece in your driveway!!!

Its a little over 8 hours for me and about 500 miles... For that $2350, lets cut the cost of the C-Notch, so say $2000 Or even $1500 I can drive up there, pay for gas there and back, pay for my 2 night hotel stay (drive up stay night, do truck stay night, drive back), bring all the tools in my truck including a air compressor, order the parts for you and bring them, and still walk away feeling like I robbed a blind man!!

[flat--line]

Did some searching and I think I found the best deal. sportruckdirect.com

Frontend is all Belltech (spindle/coil). Rearend is all Western Chassis (c-notch/flip kit/drop shackle)

Total kit = $579.00 + 4 drop shocks $180.00 = $759.00 TOTAL

I'm still leaning towards paying the shop for the work though. But all in all, overall price is getting better.

Josh

[Cyclone]

You can do the sindle/coil on jack stands in your driveway... You can also do the flip kit & shackles too...

Personally, I would have a shop do the C-notch and see how much more it would be for them to go ahead and do the flip/shackles If it is not very much then I might let them do that too...

[harly4d]

You can do the sindle/coil on jack stands in your driveway... You can also do the flip kit & shackles too...

Personally, I would have a shop do the C-notch and see how much more it would be for them to go ahead and do the flip/shackles If it is not very much then I might let them do that too...

+1 - I bought a nice coil compressor for $ 50 and did the drop on my '07 myself. It is very easy to do. Take your time, take some before and after pictures and be proud to have done the work yourself. At the same time save some $$ for future mods!!

[DallasGT01]

if you think your going to be tuckin the wheels 1/2" or 1" its going to look like this... and this is without a notch in the rear...