Drop more than axle flip

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outlawten5

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As I was flipping my axle I noticed I had Bell Tech shackles already in place. With standard C-notch I will only have about 3" inches of travel. I have seen the extreme C-notch kits so that is my next option. I am more concerned about the distance from the differential to bed floor. I trimmed out the cross brace but it still looks pretty close. Has anyone else done this? Will I need to trim the bed floor? I might actually put the factory shackles back in for the least hassle. But it looks so good where its at. Pic in my profile. 255-55-18
 
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sewlow

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Flip kit with stock shackles = 6" of drop.
Depending on where the the spring is mounted on those B/T shackles, that is either going to give you a 7" or 8" total drop.
These trucks need a 3" diff fr<rr to ride level. 3/6, 4/7 etc.
So, you can use those shackles with them set at the 1" drop position for a 4/7.
An 8" drop is just about beyond the clearance that that bolt-in notch provides.
Yes, the box cross-member needs to be notched, even at 6".
The flip kit came with shock extenders, but your angles on the shocks will still be not all that great.
Use the BellTech upper shock mount relocation kit to get them back to an acceptable angle. B/T #6658. About $70.00.

Mine. Notice that the distribution block for the brake lines has been turned around to face the rear so as to eliminate any pinching probs between the cross-member & the diff's housing. The bracket off of the frame has had some tweaking done, too.

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sewlow

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Oh yea...
When using the drop shackles, make to sure to check your pinion angle.
More than likely, that will have to be corrected with a set of shims.
When installing the shims, the spring centering bolt will need to be extended to get through the shim & fit into the locating hole on the spring perch.
There are special bolts for this, but you can make your own. GM lists 4 different lengths for those centering bolts, depending on the vehicle's GVW & the spring pack. C1500's use the short ones. Buy the next longest. They're cheap from the dealer. Couple o'bucks each.
Crank a nut down to the head of the bolt with some red loctite & then round off the nut's shoulders to the head's diameter. Re-install.
The fat end of the shim will be at the front of the spring pack. This brings the pinion nose back up.
 

outlawten5

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My belltech shackles don't have a provision for 2 height adjustments. Maybe the older ones were different. That extra inch would help.
 

outlawten5

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Thanks. Thankfully I'm poor and could only order 2 tires. My plan was to run 255 55 18's all around but they didn't fit very well in the front. Waiting for 225 55 18's to arrive to see how it sits
 
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