Our Guinea Pig: Here is...
Our Guinea Pig:
Here is the truck at stock ride height with the 18-inch Paradox rims. The front tires measure 25-1/4 inches tall, and the rears are 25. Yes, the rear tires are shorter than the fronts, but that's temporary. I wanted to lower it first. That way, I can order the perfect size.
Last month, we showed you a cheap way to draw your own rendering. The subject of that story was a first-generation standard cab S-10 that I acquired from my mom that will be receiving a low-budget buildup. Initially, I decided to go with a military theme for the paint because I thought it would've been the cheapest to replicate, but that was not the case, so I'm still on the fence about what theme to go with. There will be other elements of the truck that will fall into the custom area, such as the wheels and suspension. That is what this story will focus on lowering the truck on any budget.
While browsing the lmc catalogue, I noticed there were lowering options ranging in price and amount of drop. The funny thing is the lower the truck the higher the price tag for the parts. I wanted the truck to be as low as possible without installing a C-notch, so I ordered the 4/6 kit. This kit includes 2-inch coils and 2-inch spindles for the front, and a new set of leaf springs and 3-inch blocks for theRear. This kit came with a $550 price tag, which is still within my budget but might be high for someone else. With that in mind, I installed the parts separately and broke the prices out for each. I'm hoping this will help you decide how much lowering you can afford.
Instead of filling the pages with how to install the parts, I skipped those pictures and focused on the parts and the results. If you still want to see parts being installed, log on to our website, www.sporttruck.com, where there are numerous lowering articles that show how to install the parts. I wanted to focus on the results of the parts and how much they will set you back. However, I did throw in a few little tips that will help anyone doing this job.
All of these lowering components were installed to complement a certa in wheel and tire combo. I picked up a used set of 18-inch Colorado Customs Paradox rims with some old tires from a close friend. Instead of cash, I re-covered his seat and door panels on his S-10 project. The amount of work I was doing for him would have been around $1,000 bucks, so that is the value of the wheels for me. Since this story is about lowering and not so much about rim choice, you will have to pick wheels that fall in your budget. I'm not going to send you shopping without some knowledge, so there is a sidebar with all of the sizing and backspacing information you would need to order rolling stock.
Instead of throwing the truck up on the lift in my shop, I decided to take one for the team and do the job out front on jackstands. A standard set of mechanic tools like wrenches, sockets, pliers, jacks, jackstands, a prybar, and a hammer did the trick. There was only one tool that might be considered special that was used in this install. An air-powered cut-off wheel was needed to remedy a problematic leaf-spring bolt. Check out the rest of the story, and see how the truck came out when I was done. Happy wrenching.