1995 SCSB fixer upper....

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Andy L

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The tear down was pretty straight forward. No real surprises. When removing the springs, I put a length of chain around it to make sure it behaved when removing pressure. No drama..Here putting in the new parts. One thing to note if you ever do this, the upper control arm mounting points have knock outs which will allow the camber to be adjusted. I didn't do that. Ugh! More work later on. Do it before installing the uppers and life will be easier.
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Ok, spindle is installed. I made sure to remount the abs line correctly and the brake lines (not in yet, but used braided lines front and rear). Note, I hope I didn't screw up. When installing the spring, I literally spent hours putting this one in. I could not get it to sear properly with its full length. I ended up cutting 1/2 coil AND used a spring compressor to install it. It was still a ***** to put in. I hate springs!
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Here is the complete steering system. Also, no magazine or internet article I have seen tells you how much of the installers blood was spent working on the vehicle. Their clothes are usually clean etc. Not me, when this is done, I will have to toss my clothes and buy more band-aids! I removed the original parts from end to end and assembled the new to match up as much as possible. While in position under the front end and tired, I looked away for about 4 seconds...2 seconds too long. The whole assembly fell out and the center link got me on the forehead then chin. Luckily it did not knock out any teeth, and only had a goose egg on my forehead and a bloody lip. Could have been worse. Does that stuff happen to you guys too?
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Torq specs called for Pitman arm to be 175 ft lbs...and I don't have a 34mm socket. Sorry, my harbor freight torq wrench does not go that high. So, I put it on as tight as possible with this....
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More ingenuity needed. The end links supplied with the sway bar were way to long. The ones supplied with the control arms were about 1/2" to short. So, a trip to Fastenal scored me a grade 8 bolt that was just right. I did have similar issues with the rear bar as well. Great that manufacturers provide parts to install, but cannot anticipate all the other parts you might have...
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Andy L

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Finally getting it all together. The driver side spring took about an hour after I figured out what I needed to do to get them in. Installing new brakes were pretty simple. Another cost I had not planned on, but should have. I thought I would reused my wheel bearings...dumb idea. The inner wheel bearing on passenger side was going bad. No harm to the spindle, but, another trip to the parts store. They all know me by name by now. So, new inner/outer bearings and rear seals. Also, made sure all greasable parts had same size grease fittings. Do yourself a favor, go to harbor freight and buy a box of assorted grease fittings for $5. Came in really handy. I never realized the fittings came in different sizes. To make it easier, I wanted to be sure all fittings were the same and that ALL control arm bushings and moving parts can be greased.

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My inner fender splash shields were in bad shape, cracking and about to fall apart. I found new ones, made in the USA! Not exactly cheap and not in my budget, but I felt it was needed. Comes with new attaching hardware and fits perfectly....I don't mind spending the money when something actually fits right and is made well.
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It's all together now and torqed to spec. Just needs an alignment and finish the brakes. Here is the old master cylinder...
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Installing the NBS unit was actually pretty easy. Got the adapter from Autozone for about $3. Forget buying their MC bench bleeding system, total crap! Spend a couple bucks more and get a good setup, makes life a bit easier and worth it. Didn't really have to rebend any lines, but you will need to attach the lines to the MC first, then position the unit to the booster. The lines will need to push back a bit, just be slow and careful.
I took it out and bedded the pads. Works nice.
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Andy L

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Got the front end aligned and washed it for the first time in a couple months....The front is a bit lower than I wanted, I like the rake, but would prefer it an inch higher. Have not bottomed out yet. Soon, I'll post up an evaluation of all the mods both pro and con. For now, here is a couple pics. When time permits, I'll start working on cleaning up the 5.3 and installing all the new gaskets. Since this may take awhile, I decided to go ahead and replace the 4.3 water pump and intake/valve cover gaskets so I can drive it a bit longer. Not quite ready for the swap and I want to enjoy driving it before taking her off the road again...I'll be back, thanks for checking it out.
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Andy L

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I've been driving the truck now for about a month. I've decided the front just has too much of a rake to it. From the ground to top of the wheel well, its 29" in front and 31" in the rear. It already has a bit of a rake with the different size tires. I think cutting that 1/2 coil took it lower than I wanted. At least 1.5". I found a set of good stock springs from a '90 Silverado for under $50. Now, just need to find time to install them.

Not real happy with my alignment either. I mean, the shop I went to did a good job, but I think it is aligned per stock specs and not taking into account the lowering. It doesn't pull left or right, it's more of the truck wanting to go left or right as I'm driving straight, twitchy....I have a buddy with a hotrod shop that I think can do it right. Should have used him first! I'm also thinking ahead with the 5.3 swap. A stock oil pan and a 3 1/2" drop may cause issues with ground clearance. I don't want to swap everything in and find I need to pull it out to swap pans (and spend even more $$). I think I'll be happier with it after I replace the springs. I'll post up a more thorough evaluation of the truck after the spring swap/alignment changes.
 

Oldblue98

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Wanted to ask you a question, I like that wheel and tire combo, how do you think that would work out on my 4/6 drop and considering I have drum brake rear instead of disc.
And You may have put it in there but what was the rear wheel part number after you swapped them out for the 5 in BS wheels . Thanks and the truck is looking great !
 

Andy L

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Wanted to ask you a question, I like that wheel and tire combo, how do you think that would work out on my 4/6 drop and considering I have drum brake rear instead of disc.
And You may have put it in there but what was the rear wheel part number after you swapped them out for the 5 in BS wheels . Thanks and the truck is looking great !


Thank you for the kind words,
The rears are:

Classic Torq Thrust II 17x8 5x5 5.05" Backspace
Item ID:VN2157874
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Sale Price:$130.00
Retail Price:$144.00
Your Savings:$14.00(10%)

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Free Chrome Lugs w/ Purchase!
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Size:
17x8
Bolt Pattern:
5x127 (5x5)
Offset:
+14mm
Backspace:
5.05"
Hub Bore:
83.06mm

I copied this directly from the https://www.wheelsforless.com/ site. Great guys to deal with, it's a father/son business, very personable. When I decided to swap the 4" bs for the 5", I made a day trip to their shop. I was impressed, they are there to please. (this is not a paid endorsement!).

As for your question of the 6" drop, it would be close, probably would need to roll the lip a bit. If I did it, might go with a slightly lower profile tire like a 55 or even 50 series. The 265/60-17 is about 28.75 tall and 10" wide at the bulge, that's where it would be close. With 6" maybe a 245 or 255/55 would tuck in just enough to minimize any body mods.

I don't believe the drums would make a difference. The thickness of the rotor would be offset by the thickness of the brake drum.
 
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