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Lifting and Lowering a Chevy S10 - Suspension Kits - Highs and Lows
Do It Yourself For Less Than $1,700
From the December, 2004 issue of Sport Truck
By Calin Head
Photography by Calin Head
If you've noticed, this issue of Sport Truck, for the most part, has to do with suspension. Up, down, where to get it, it's all in here somewhere. We thought it would be a good idea to show you a lift install and lowering job in the same issue. Then we got to thinking, Why not do it in one story to one truck and show it side by side? But how do you make it all fair so that we weren't installing a million-dollar lift and just heating the stock springs with a torch to get it down? We set a budget cap of $1,700 and came in just under the wire. There are a few things we left out, such as install labor and alignment cost. These will vary from shop to shop, so you're on your own with that stuff, or you can just do it yourself. For the lowered end of it, we contacted McGaughy's and had the company ship us out one of its mild lowering kits. The kit contains a 2-inch drop spindle and lowering blocks. This will lower the truck but leave the factory spring rates intact. In fact, you can use your factory shocks. In our test truck, they were leaking and pretty much dead, so we forked out some extra bucks and had McGaughy's add them to the order. So now the only thing that will change the factory ride characteristics will be the revalved shocks and the new wheel and tire combo. Speaking of the rollers, we hooked up with Discount Tire Direct and Bridgestone to outfit the truck street-style. We picked out a 17-inch Vintage rim and a 245/40R17 Potenza tire. Coupled together, these make a cool-looking setup that will give the truck added handling and braking capabilities. The lifted side was more of a one-stop shop, thanks to Pro Comp. The company sent us a lift kit featuring a spindle, add-a-leaf, and new set of shocks. This will lift the truck but again leave the factory spring rates intact. As with the lowering, the only thing that will affect the ride will be the revalved shocks and the new wheel and tire combo. The rollers are from Pro Comp Tire, consisting of a 15-inch chrome-plated steel wheel and a 30-inch all-terrain tire. The steel wheel will be way-strong to take the abuse the truck might be put through, and the chrome finish will be easy to maintain. The tires will provide plenty of traction on all surfaces the truck will come in contact with, such as center medians or curbs. We needed a little help installing this stuff, so we contacted Diller Racing and suckered the owner Craig "King of the Sawzall" Diller into doing all the grunt work. We - or we should say, he - had all this work done in one day with us snapping pics. That's right: one day. It's all pretty straightforward, and you will only need a few special tools, such as a big C-clamp and a pickle fork; everything else you better already have in your toolbox.  1. OK, so here is the meat...  1. OK, so here is the meat of the front suspension alteration. Both the lift (left) and the lowering (right) spindles are cast iron, with the spindle spud relocated. It has been moved down to add lift and moved up to provide a drop. This will not affect the ride or spring rate of the suspension, but it will push out the track width just a hair, but that will be corrected with the rim offset.  2. Here is where the ride...  2. Here is where the ride will take on new characteristics. The Pro Comp ES 3000 shocks (left) feature a thicker mainshaft and are valved more progressively to make good use of the travel the truck has with all the lift components in place. McGaughy's lowering shocks (right) are gas-charged units and feature heavy compression valving to provide more control in the short distance they have to work in before the truck smacks the asphalt.   3. Since the S-series trucks...  3. Since the S-series trucks have an axle-over-spring setup, there are some major differences in the rear parts. Pro Comp provides an add-a-leaf that, once installed, will re-arc the spring pack, effectively lifting the truck. It also comes with extra-long through bolts to make the installation easier. Lowering the truck is less techy with the blocks. Once installed, they increase the space between the axle tube and the spring pack, which puts the tires closer to the body and the truck closer to the ground.   4. Other differences between...  4. Other differences between the lift and low are seen here. The lift necessitates the use of longer brake lines because the spindle moves the caliper farther away from the mounting point on the frame. On the low side, the rims have a deep hole that might prove too small with some big-lug wrenches, so a set of thin wheel lock lugs is used. This is the key and replacement information that comes with the lug set.   5. Rollers for this buildup...  5. Rollers for this buildup cover both ends of the spectrum. Pro Comp's Monster Mod 15x8-inch rims are constructed of steel and are available in white, black, or chrome finishes. We went with the chrome finish because it's easy to maintain and still gives us some flash. MB Motoring wheels, a Discount Tire exclusive product line, features the latest in styling but at an affordable price. These 17x8-inch Vintage cast-aluminum wheels have a five-spoke design and tough coating inside and out, so we won't turn our fingers black polishing these suckers.   6. The Pro Comp Radial All...  6. The Pro Comp Radial All Terrain features dual-compound rubber and computer-designed tread pattern to prolong tire life. The company's dual-guard sidewall construction resists sidewall punctures, cuts, and scrapes. The alternating open-lug shoulder aids in increased traction and self-cleaning to keep you from getting stuck in the mud.Bridgestone's Potenza RE750 features a unidirectional tread pattern that has been engineered to reduce road noise, deliver rapid response, and provide great traction. The tires also have a raised rubber ridge that acts like a bumper to protect wheels from curb damage.   7. On closer inspection, you...  7. On closer inspection, you can see both of these rims have something to offer in their respected markets. The lift rims have center holes that look like the dimple dyeing found in most off-road fabrications to cater to the dirt enthusiast; whereas the lowering rims have that two-tone finish and openness that is big with the street crowd.  8. The lugs also take on a...  8. The lugs also take on a different look depending on the application, but both sets are strong enough for either job. The lift side gets a big, beefy set from Pro Comp, and the lows get a set of Gorilla wheel locks.  9. On to the install. Up front,...  9. On to the install. Up front, both spindles bolt up to the stock ball joints. All the necessary provisions, such as the holes for the ABS sensor, are in each one. Make sure to tighten the castle nuts and install the cotter pins before you take out the jack supporting the lower arm. (See sidebar for the prequel).  10. The backing plate reinstalls...  10. The backing plate reinstalls just like stock, but for the lift spindle side of it, you have to route the ABS wire on the other side of the tie-rod ear. Before you put the rotor on, make sure to clean the spindle spud; we wouldn't want any dirt to contaminate the wheel bearing.  11. The shocks are shipped...  11. The shocks are shipped without their respective inserts installed, so a trip to the vise and some persuasion with a few hammers got them right in. We recommend chucking the insert in the vise and hitting the shock with a soft hammer, then flipping it over and pounding it the rest of the way in. There are a few ways to do this, but we found this to be the quickest.  12. The shocks fit in the...  12. The shocks fit in the stock area. The lifted ones have a larger body, so you might have to tap the nutserts out of the way until it's all the way in.  13. Install the rotor, bearing,...  13. Install the rotor, bearing, and washer. Then tighten the nut until the rotor drags a little as you spin it with your hand. Now back the nut off until the first available notch in the castle nut lines up with the hole in the spindle. The lift necessitates a longer brake line that Pro Comp provides with the kit. The steel-braided line has all the proper ends and tie wraps needed for the install.
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