Lowering my 96 ECSB 2/4. What parts?

[Matt327]

Delta_p, do you have any pics of those wheels on your truck? i found some d window steelies with those exact specs. the thing i hate most about my current wheels is that they stick out too far. no clue what their specs are, other than 15x8.

 

[delta_p]

Here it is before drop.
F 15x7 -6mm BS
R 15x8 -19mm BS

https://www.gmt400.com/media/albums/96-c1500-rcsb.1311/

 

[sewlow]

I just 2/4 dropped my '96 reg. cab. Getting the hanger rivets off with the bed on and an 90 angle drill and air hammer wore me out. But now that it's done and I am back to good health : ) and can move again, I am happy with the result.

Not sure about your wheels but my fronts are 15x7 with -6mm backspace and they just barely contacted the LCA on a wheel stop turn. I ground about 1/16 to an 1/8 inch off but i have already scrapped one after the suspension settled cutting hard backing out of the driveway. More grinding to do I guess.

Turn the wheels to the stops, check where the wheels are the closest to the LCA & then grind 1.5 - 2" back in from there.
Do both sides.

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[Junior_357]

I am about to do this to my '92 RCSB. I went with DJM 2" LCA's, stock height springs and shocks in the front. I went with their shackle/hanger kit in the back. Belltech shocks as recommended by Sewlow. All new springs front and rear...Moog in the front, ATS stock replacement in the rear.

Just out of curiosity, why were pinion wedges needed? Guess I will have to read back and see what issues Sewlow had...

 

[sewlow]

I had just some 2" drop shackles on my '98 for the first couple of years that I had it.
They didn't create any probs. No weird vibrations.
I've had the rear diff under my '97 (with the 2/4) separated from the leafs probably 6 or 7 times since the drop was installed. Messing with the pinion angle. Trying various wedges in different degrees.
First time, didn't seem right when I put it together, so I asked a few questions here. I hadn't used longer extended head centering bolts.
Had to take it apart again. Found out that one side can't be done at a time. Nope. No shortcut there. Both sets of U-bolts have to be taken apart.
Set the angle that the degree finder said it had to be set at. Had a fair bit of vibration.
Had the driveshaft balanced with new U-joints.
Balanced the wheels.
Still had a vibration.
Tried slimmer wedges. Fatter wedges. Vibration city. Some wedges worse than others, but it still shook. I was just about ready to rip it all apart & either put it back to stock or just say f*ck it, & slam it. The truck would look killer @ 5/8 on my 20's! That may still happen. One day.
So...Finally found a set of wedges at a heavy truck suspesnion shop with an odd-ball degree. Kind of an in-between thickness of the medium & the slim ones I had. (Which, along with the other sets that were wrong, now fill a drawer!)
These ones actually put the nose of the pinion just the slightest amount down from where the angle finder said was right. Weird. But the vibration is now about 90% gone.
One thing for sure. I'm r-e-a-l-l-y good at swapping out pinion wedges now.
...and after all that, now when I walk away from the truck & do the look-back, my first thought is, every time, "Damn! Shoulda gone at least 4/6!"
The install of a 4/6 on my '98 was a whole lot less hassle. Looks 'right', too.
The 2/4 just looks 'almost kinda-sorta right'. No cigar.

 

[rodbarajas]

I had just some 2" drop shackles on my '98 for the first couple of years that I had it.
They didn't create any probs. No weird vibrations.
I've had the rear diff under my '97 (with the 2/4) separated from the leafs probably 6 or 7 times since the drop was installed. Messing with the pinion angle. Trying various wedges in different degrees.
First time, didn't seem right when I put it together, so I asked a few questions here. I hadn't used longer extended head centering bolts.
Had to take it apart again. Found out that one side can't be done at a time. Nope. No shortcut there. Both sets of U-bolts have to be taken apart.
Set the angle that the degree finder said it had to be set at. Had a fair bit of vibration.
Had the driveshaft balanced with new U-joints.
Balanced the wheels.
Still had a vibration.
Tried slimmer wedges. Fatter wedges. Vibration city. Some wedges worse than others, but it still shook. I was just about ready to rip it all apart & either put it back to stock or just say f*ck it, & slam it. The truck would look killer @ 5/8 on my 20's! That may still happen. One day.
So...Finally found a set of wedges at a heavy truck suspesnion shop with an odd-ball degree. Kind of an in-between thickness of the medium & the slim ones I had. (Which, along with the other sets that were wrong, now fill a drawer!)
These ones actually put the nose of the pinion just the slightest amount down from where the angle finder said was right. Weird. But the vibration is now about 90% gone.
One thing for sure. I'm r-e-a-l-l-y good at swapping out pinion wedges now.
...and after all that, now when I walk away from the truck & do the look-back, my first thought is, every time, "Damn! Shoulda gone at least 4/6!"
The install of a 4/6 on my '98 was a whole lot less hassle. Looks 'right', too.
The 2/4 just looks 'almost kinda-sorta right'. No cigar.

I just lowered my truck yesterday with bell tech hangers and shackles and I’m having the same vibration problem. Do you happen to remember what degree the wedges you used had?

 

[sewlow]

No I don't. The truck was lowered almost 8 years ago. #oldfartdisease
What I can do, though, is get under there later today & get a measurement & a pic of how thick the wide end of the wedges are.
Did you use the longer centering bolts with an extended head in the leaf springs?

 

[rodbarajas]

No I don't. The truck was lowered almost 8 years ago. #oldfartdisease
What I can do, though, is get under there later today & get a measurement & a pic of how thick the wide end of the wedges are.
Did you use the longer centering bolts with an extended head in the leaf springs?

That would be great thank you in advance. And no I did not mess with anything on the leaf springs was I supposed to? This was my first time doing hangers I usually just to flip kits. I pretty much pieced my kit together I had some 2” drop springs from my other truck and I bought the hangers and shackles as a kit from belltech. I noticed that only the ext cabs kits came with the shims for the pinion.

 

[sewlow]

When you add wedges between the leafs & the axle tubes, the centering bolt's head will not be long enough to reach through the wedge & into the hole on the leaf spring pads.
GM lists 4 different lengths of centering bolts. 1/2T 2 wheel drives use the shortest. Get the next longer ones. Cheap from the dealership. $5.00?
Get a nut & crank it down to the head of the bolt. Bit of red Loc-Tite.
Round off the shoulders of the nut on a grinder to the size of the head.
Remove the factory ones & replace with the new, modded ones.
2nd pic from the top is what you're aiming for, as that's good as it gets for these trucks.

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[rodbarajas]

When you add wedges between the leafs & the axle tubes, the centering bolt's head will not be long enough to reach through the wedge & into the hole on the leaf spring pads.
GM lists 4 different lengths of centering bolts. 1/2T 2 wheel drives use the shortest. Get the next longer ones. Cheap from the dealership. $5.00?
Get a nut & crank it down to the head of the bolt. Bit of red Loc-Tite.
Round off the shoulders of the nut on a grinder to the size of the head.
Remove the factory ones & replace with the new, modded ones.
2nd pic from the top is what you're aiming for, as that's good as it gets for these trucks.

You must be registered for see images attach

Gotcha! this is my first time learning about this I really appreciate it. If you could get the info on those wedges you have it would help me a ton. Thanks!