2000 Chevrolet S10 - New Control Arms & 20s With A/C - Houston, We Have a Problem

Part One:'Bag It!
1. For workspace when fitting the large wheels up front, all of the exterior pieces, such as the bumper, grille, hood, fenders, and wheelwells, were removed. At this time, the inner fender was cut along the wheel opening to allow the new wheels to slip by and enter the engine compartment.

2. The front suspension of our truck was previously set up to lay frame over a set of 17s. This meant that a pocket in the frame was already cut for 2,600-pound airbags with mounting cups. Also, 2-inch drop spindles were already in place, and the shocks were relocated to the side of the arms. Even though the previous setup worked for our old 17s, it needed a lot of new fabrication work with our new wheels. To start, the lower control arms were removed, after the tie rods, sway bar, and spindle were unbolted.

3. While the front suspension was torn apart, Eric replaced the factory brakes with new pads and rotors from Stillen. Our new directional-drilled rotors dissipate heat, and our new pads grip better than the stock stuff.

4. Another component to improve our braking is the addition of these Goodridge stainless steel brake lines we got from Stillen. The lines help braking performance by improving pedal feel, and they don't swell like the factory rubber hoses.

5. Back to the control arms, Billy marked the placement for the new ball joint cup. The area was then trimmed with a plasma cutter, cut off, and moved up 2 inches for suspension travel and to minimize negative camber. Though these mocked-up arms can be reinforced to work, we simply used them as a guide to make a new set.

6. Besides the parts listed in the beginning of this article, many components needed to be fabricated, and that meant plenty of new steel was used. In this photo, the tubular steel for the control arms was cut to size, and the surface was ground down. This will make welding the steel easier because it is now free of contaminants.

7. Once the tube was bent to the correct angles, it was welded together with the ball joint cup in place. Then, a piece of 1/4-inch plate was cut and bent to fit in the center of the arm and welded on.

8. When the arms cooled down from all of the welding, they were coated in black paint to prevent rust, and the ball joint was placed in with a hydraulic press. Then, they were bolted to the frame, and two holes were drilled where the airbag will mount flat against it.

9. With the new control arms bolted to the spindles and airbags, Eric raised the suspension as if the frame was laid out over the new wheels. While the arms were up, Eric could see that the frame needed to be notched for the tie rods. It was marked, cut, and a piece of round steel was welded in to complete the notch.

10. Airbagged trucks without shocks can bounce out of control when they hit a bump in the road. To prevent this, Eric made tabs on the new control arms to mount these Gabriel Guardian shocks, PN 81507.

11. Our truck already had a KP Components six-link out back, and all that was needed was to replace the airbags. The 'bags were swapped for a set of Slam Specialties RE-7s because they do not balloon out and fit perfectly while maximizing our lift. In case you were wondering about the string hanging there, the crew of Ekstensive stretches this bright string under the chassis to spot out anything that hangs too low and will prevent the frame from laying flat on level ground.