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Suspension gurus (lowered/dropped) Educate me please


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All, (big time those that are into and know, live and breathe lowered rigs/setups)

   Ive always wanted a dropped rig for a toy. Before you go all ape shit on me, i agree, bags would be dope, but, not right now, ... that will come later. Also, .. reliable.., the rig, must be all but bulletproof. Able to drive states away for "stuff".  

ATM, im looking at several static dropped rigs in my area. Tahoes, MINI's, Trucks both single and extended cabs, hell, even 3 sedans. Anywho, I have a few lined up to look at soon. (A lowered 03 silverado in fact, in about 7 hours from now) What I would love to know, is, what makes a well done drop. Been told, that a C-notch in the rear, is the cats meow. And it begins. 

 

Now, with that, the rig im looking at tomorrow, is said to have a Cnotch done.And, done "the right way". 

If someone would please educate me, in what makes a proper notch, or, one done fast, cheap and easy...., also in what i should be looking for, good and bad when im able to put my eyeballs on it. Just got off one of a few DMs with some cats, where, i was told, that having a Cnotch done, is a very correct way to get down.  But, like Chinese food, when its done right, its fantastic, BUT, when done wrong,... there is about nothing worse.  Also, how does one "figure" the added cost, of work done,labor,and such, when dealing with these typse of mods ?? What kinds of questions should i ask the owner/builder? 

 

 Id love to hear, what my eyeballs should be locked on, what to look for. Anything, ANYTHING anyone can give me, i would greatly appreciate.  

 

 

First rig in question, that im scoping out tomorrow (well, in like 7 hours)., and, in my world of rad, is my favorite visually of all the ones on the list. Just simple, and clean. Very nice starting point.

23659470_1967342433505498_3526904690515057343_n.jpg.a40eed0809128cc41b507680c11a9793.jpg

 

23622234_1967342413505500_429333209703940392_n.jpg.b396c372ab1f9c2b130bd55dac0539f4.jpg

 

Man i wish it was a quad cab, so i had more volume to play with, but, it is what it is. Hope it doesn't disappoint when i get there, and get my eyes on it. 

Again, much thanks for any and all help. 

KB

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I would look over the C-notch very closely, look at the welds make sure they look legit and look for extra bracing, I always look at the rear drop to see if it was done cheep , flipping the diff on top of the springs is a very cheep way to do the rear without buying parts, Front I’m sure will have lowering knuckles. Very important to look at the tires u want very even wear all around , if tires are new ask to see any alignment records. Just know it’s gonna ride like shit but that’s the fun of it. A good notch is a great start for later down the road with bags u can slam the frame witch looks awesome. See how they cut the bed and look for rust under the bed where they cut , brand new bed liner spray under there would scare me that there hiding something. On test drive listen for Klunks and odd noises . A lowered truck going over bumps will have noise but should feel solid. I couldn’t get your picks to work . Just remember don’t fall in love at first site it’s gonna be tuff not to but be smart and safe.

2022 Ford Maverick on 22’s                                                                                                                                          Skar SK1500.1 on 4 Skar VD-8’s                                                                                                                       Mids Sundown Super tweeters, Skar TX 6.5 components on Skar SKM400.4                                                 LC2 for audio control  , XS Power D680 XS Series Extra Battery 

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my lowered ride was a 1990 chevy extended cab.  have a pic but cant post it at the moment.  can email it to you.  ands I miss the truck sold it almost 20 years ago.  

I had a bolt on c-notch (Belltech) where you cut part of the frame and then bolt the notch on and then ad the bump stop.  Doesn't give you the travel of a full notch but also doesn't require the bed to be hacked up.  My set-up was a 2" drop spindle in front along with a 3" drop spring, and then the rear was a simple flip kit.  (moves the axle from under the leaf springs to on the top.)  Also depending on the vehicle you may need a carrier bearing angle kit.  I had a smooth ride and was still able to run 17x8.5 in front and 17x11 in rear with a 325 35 17. and had no issues.  oh add some basic air shocks to the rear just in case you need to tow or haul a load run the air filler tube to the gas tank filler area.  

 

PPI dbl din
DC Level 3
1.77cubes net tuned to 33htz.
DC audio 2.0k
CT Pro Audio 8" in front, 6.5 in rear






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i dunno kyle, IMO you're better off buying a stock rig and starting with a fresh slate. some grandpa stock rig with 100k miles, doesn't even have the front windows tinted type of rig. you could have a fairly basic bag setup for not a lot more than a quality drop kit.

 

there's too many dudes out there that "have their buddy" drop their rig in the driveway. C notch is a simple mod, tons of respected shops make kits to do it. but it's easy to fuck up. when checking out a rig that's already done, measure the top gap between the bed and cab relative to the bottom gap, measure the gap between the bottom of the rear window and the top edge of the bed on both sides. check the welds out on the notch and frame. you've spent enough time around batshit crazy builds, you know what to look for when it comes to quality welds. look at the snout of the diff and check for leaking of fluid. thats a solid sign of the pinion angle being all fucked off. if it's still a 2 piece driveshaft, check for play in the carrier bearing. excess play is too a sign of pinion angle being all fucked off. look at the bottom of the bed and see where they've let the pumpkin bash against the bed floor. with the flip kit on the axle, pay attention to any shims they have in place to possible correct pinion angle issues. Shock extender brackets, i'm not a fan of. personally, if it has extender brackets I'd walk away. But if it has solid extender brackets and quality shocks on it, or a factory replacement air shock, you'd be okay.

front kits, well there's 100+ different ways to drop the front end of an IFS truck. I'd look mainly at tire wear and see if you can get it up on an alignment rack to check it out. tire wear would be the first indicator there, but the whole "new tires" could be covering up issues that were done half ass.

On 1/4/2013 at 9:31 PM, HatersGonnaHate said:

Wow. 184 posts and I think you're a fucking asshole.

 

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i have a lowered e39 wagon on coilovers, had an 03 cooper s on coilovers, have a '10 cooper s on coilovers, and have an 88 volvo wagon getting prepped for a full custom bag setup.  If you have any questions about the cars, ask away.  i fell like i'd know a fair deal about the sedans/minis.  not so much the trucks tho, except drop spindles and c notches.  drop spindles raise the wheel mounting point to lower the body while keeping the steering geometry relatively stock (which is good), c notches i've only really seen on bagged setups, not statics.  but hey if that's what people are doing, there must be a reason.  you want to keep a keen eye out for extra gusseting, make sure the frame is fully boxed, not just c tube.  extra gusseting will provide extra strength for the new stress points.  if you don't see any gusseting thats not a bad thing.  as long as the actual notch has been done properly and appropriate suspension components have been relocated (ie moving the sway bar mounting points up).  im not a fan of bolt in notches, but with the silverado you mentioned i got a lot of results of bolt in kits.  im a weld man myself, so go with your gut.

 

but yeah, cars?  ask away :)

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Yep. I passed on it. For a few reasons. I like the idea of starting out with a stock fresh rig, that I do, or have the mods done to my liking. Here us a shot of the rig I looked at, if any one cares. It was a pretty clean ride. But clean doesnt equal built proper for sure. Think I will just find me a bone stock turd, and make my own. 

 

20171121_094849.thumb.jpg.f4a703ea8571f7401c52a1b0c4b7ca05.jpg

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17 minutes ago, Kyblack76 said:

Yep. I passed on it. For a few reasons. I like the idea of starting out with a stock fresh rig, that I do, or have the mods done to my liking. Here us a shot of the rig I looked at, if any one cares. It was a pretty clean ride. But clean doesnt equal built proper for sure. Think I will just find me a bone stock turd, and make my own. 

 

20171121_094849.thumb.jpg.f4a703ea8571f7401c52a1b0c4b7ca05.jpg

yeah... good looking welds but nowhere near enough frame rail left to be safe.  good call on passing

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well if the frame was boxed in on the back side then it would have been good. 

https://goo.gl/images/ENNmZG

but most bolt on kits look like this.  and are good I never had a problem with mine.  

PPI dbl din
DC Level 3
1.77cubes net tuned to 33htz.
DC audio 2.0k
CT Pro Audio 8" in front, 6.5 in rear






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I would have liked to seen more bracing around that notch and I like your idea it’s always more fulfilling to do it yourself .

2022 Ford Maverick on 22’s                                                                                                                                          Skar SK1500.1 on 4 Skar VD-8’s                                                                                                                       Mids Sundown Super tweeters, Skar TX 6.5 components on Skar SKM400.4                                                 LC2 for audio control  , XS Power D680 XS Series Extra Battery 

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