Belltech Drop and Air Springs on a GMC Sierra - Big Looks on a Small Budget

Here’s the complete drop...        read full caption Here’s the complete drop kit from Belltech. The spindle on the right is stock, the left is Belltech’s 2-inch drop spindle. The kit comes with a full set of polyurethane stops, sway bar mounts, new ball joints, and a rear flip kit.

A bulk of the work in lowering...        read full caption A bulk of the work in lowering the newer GM fullsize happens up front. When we arrived at the Drop Shop, the staff had already gotten underway by blowing off the lower A-arm. To get the coils out and the arms off, support the frame independently; compress the lower A-arm using a floor jack and the weight of the truck. When the suspension compresses, loosen the lower ball joint nut and beat the heck out of it with a dead-blow hammer. After the ball joint has separated, removed the nut and lower the jack very slowly; the coil should literally fall out. Next remove the lower A-arm bushing bolts and get that puppy face-up in a bench vise.

The next step is to remove...        read full caption The next step is to remove the entire spindle and hub assembly. Disconnect the steering tie-rod by loosening the nut and taking that hammer to the spindle with a vengeance.

With the steering disconnected,...        read full caption With the steering disconnected, loosen the upper A-arm ball joint nut and get out that hammer. Before complete removal of the spindle, you’ll need to disconnect the clip connector of the antilock sensors. After a few hits or pokes with a pickle fork, the spindle should fall right off.

Either while on the bench...        read full caption Either while on the bench or hanging from the truck, the brake caliper will need to be pulled. There are two attachment bolts on the back of the spindle that, after being loosened, will allow removal of the caliper. By virtue of leaving the caliper attached to the brake line, the need for bleeding brakes upon assembly is avoided.

GM installs retaining clips...        read full caption GM installs retaining clips on the rotors at the factory. The purpose of these clips is to keep the rotor from falling off while the truck is rolling down the factory assembly line. As such, yank ’em off with a pair of pliers; they won’t be used again

Here’s the essential...        read full caption Here’s the essential parts of the spindle and hub assembly. For the switch, remove the three bolts that mount the hub to the spindle and carefully pull the two apart. Keep in mind that there’s sensitive antilock sensors inside the hub. Try not to be vindictive with that hammer.

Place the Belltech drop spindle...        read full caption Place the Belltech drop spindle on the hub and line up the three bolt holes. You’ll reuse two of the stock bolts and one Allen-head bolt supplied in the kit. The Allen-head bolt facilitates clearance of the caliper on the backside.

Place the Belltech drop spindle...        read full caption Place the Belltech drop spindle on the hub and line up the three bolt holes. You’ll reuse two of the stock bolts and one Allen-head bolt supplied in the kit. The Allen-head bolt facilitates clearance of the caliper on the backside.

Place the Belltech drop spindle...        read full caption Place the Belltech drop spindle on the hub and line up the three bolt holes. You’ll reuse two of the stock bolts and one Allen-head bolt supplied in the kit. The Allen-head bolt facilitates clearance of the caliper on the backside.

The upper A-arm in this conversion...        read full caption The upper A-arm in this conversion is simply unbolted and flipped over. Where the ball joint faces down from the factory, it will now face up. Removal of the A-arm comes easy: Just disconnect the clips of brake lines, remove the bolts and camber cams, flip it, and reinstall.

The lower A-arm is perhaps...        read full caption The lower A-arm is perhaps the most time-consuming process of Belltech’s lowering kit. With the arm secured, cut off the rivet heads with a grinder, drill ’em out, then drive them through with an impact hammer.

After the old ball joint is...        read full caption After the old ball joint is removed, pry apart the mounting plates ever so slightly. The receiving portion of the ball joint mount will need to be clearanced to accept the new part. The ball joint should be mounted in the reverse direction of the stock unit. If it fails to fall into place, a little tappy-tap should land that sucker right in the hole.

Using the supplied bolts,...        read full caption Using the supplied bolts, firmly torque the ball joint in place. Belltech supplies a modified steering stop that mounts to the ball joint on the topside of the arm. These stops should be used initially and trimmed or tweaked after the wheels are mounted and the rig has been driven a few miles. You can usually get a few more degrees of steering by the adjustment of the steering stop.

Reassembly of the front is...        read full caption Reassembly of the front is straightforward. Be certain to lube the bushings with a graphite medium or antiseize compound. This lubrication should stop any squeaks long before they begin. After reassembly, the camber cams will be out of whack along with the front alignment. Any competent shop should be able to align this suspension just as they would the stock model.

A new development from Belltech...        read full caption A new development from Belltech was used in the Drop Shop’s rig. This particular notch was already welded in and set up when our team of technicians arrived. The Belltech weld-in Monster Notch provides the greatest clearance without cutting open your bed. Of course, for the non-welding, Belltech still offers its bolt-in C-notch that works just as well. In addition to the notch, the Drop Shop used Belltech’s flip kit and removed all but one leaf from the springs.

With the removal of all but...        read full caption With the removal of all but one leaf out back, the bed would have very little carrying capacity. The idea is that the leaf will support the weight of the pickup, and the airbags will compensate for any load placed in the bed — a leveling system of sorts. This ’bag kit is also new from Belltech and complements its existing line of helper airbags.

A necessity in changing tire...        read full caption A necessity in changing tire and wheel combos is re-programming the stock computer. Since the Speedo is computer-controlled it will have to be adjusted for any difference in overall wheel diameter. In addition to the necessary Speedo adjustment, Hypertech’s Power Programmer allows adjustments in shift points, thermostat, timing, and speed governor.

The Drop Shop saved some cash...        read full caption The Drop Shop saved some cash on lowering and threw it into the wheel and tire combo. With this kit, you can still use stock rims and tires with no problems as long as the sway bar endlink has been clearanced. These Weld EVO 20-inch rims give the best load rating in their class thanks to a special rotary forging technique.

The backside of the caliper...        read full caption The backside of the caliper must be shaved to accommodate the new spindle mounting bolts. There’s no need to get wild with the grinder, only about a 1/4-inch of material needs to be removed.

On lower A-arms, the receiving...        read full caption On lower A-arms, the receiving portion for the ball joint must also be trimmed with a grinder. When the ball joint is flipped, the backside will hit the A-arm flange if it isn’t zapped off. Again, remove as little metal as possible to retain the integrity of the A-arm. It’s always best to remove a little, test fit, and remove a little more if need be.

Belltech’s center support...        read full caption Belltech’s center support bearing relocator is a must to keep the driveshaft happy. Installation is fairly easy: Just remove the driveshaft, cut out the specified shape from the supplied template, weld in the Belltech mounting plate, and reinstall. The easy way to adjust the driveshaft is with a string attached to the transmission yoke and rear U-joint. Adjust the pinion and side swing until the string is straight and plumb to the driveshaft.

Building a custom truck on a budget can be limiting, especially when you’re starting from scratch. The options are to buy a jalopy and fix it up, start off with the work truck, or buy new and start from scratch. We at Sport Truck are among the tight-fisted with cash and are always looking for a way around extreme cost to get extreme looks. As such, we’ve been following along with a project truck being built by the Drop Shop in Rialto, California.

As you can see from the rendering, the Drop Shop is going for a low and fast custom that’s built on a minimal budget. The stripper truck is fresh from the factory and sports only minimal accoutrements. The Drop Shop started with a 2002 GMC Extended Cab shortbed pickup, the only option being air conditioning. The truck comes with a 4.8L V-8, four-speed auto transmission and lacks many features that are typically removed when building a custom. This base truck has no graphics or moldings to be removed, no expensive stock wheels, no leather interior, and grey exterior plastic that stands ready to be smoothed and painted to match. In this first stage of the buildup, we’ll show you how to lower the newest generation of GM trucks using Belltech components. In subsequent issues, the full-bore buildup will continue with body- and paintwork, interior additions, and the small what-ifs of building a sport truck.

The new generation of Belltech components feature forged spindles and polyurethane bumpers/bushings all around. For this build, the Drop Shop chose a 2-inch drop spindle, a 2-inch drop coil, a rear flip kit, and helper air springs. In no uncertain terms, combining these products with a wheel of around 27 to 28 overall inches will have most speed bumps shaking in fear. While staying within a budget saves money on the lowering end, it opens options of upgraded wheels and tires on the back end. The Drop Shop’s project truck brings maximum looks on a minimal budget. Here’s the skinny on componentry.