Yeah, not a CL fan right now. I'm half tempted to buy a quick release linkage, hang the 4.3 over the Fireturd's hatch, and film it being dropped, then upload it to youtube to see how many views I can get.
For a little catching up, here's the front passenger suspension, after the drop spindle and the new upper control arm:
Camber and toe is now seriously messed up, but it seems like it'd be wise to wait until the engine is in to do any alignment work. It is bad enough, though, that the truck doesn't want to roll on its own. I put it on a set of rollers to move it around the garage. I'll also probably go back and do some brake work before the challenge.
Here's a look at the mounts temporarily bolted in. We spent a considerable amount of time trying to get them lined up, so it should pay off when we drop the engine in.
Next, it was time to tackle the rear suspension. Ride height is fine for a truck, but way too high for autocrossing (and more important to me, it needs to be lower to look good).
The tape measure slipped a bit, so the measurement is a bit off, but it should give you an idea of the fender gap.
Pulling the rear springs was fairly straightforward, although tiring, even with an impact wrench. A lot of PB Blaster was used. I started on the driver side, and did alright until I hit the front spring bolt.
There is nowhere near enough room to pull the bolt out, due to the gas tank. The only option is to drop the gas tank, or cut the bolt. I chose to cut the bolt, and burned through multiple sawzall blades. At least that means GM used some pretty good hardware. The best reason I can figure for them doing it this way was to have the bolt head on the gas tank side, to reduce the chance of the tank getting punctured in an accident. I'm taking a chance, and putting the bolt back on the "wrong" way.
Comparison of the original spring vs. the lowering spring:
Passenger side spring installed:
Other than being a lot of physical effort (a lift would have made this a ton easier), it wasn't the most difficult job. There are three suggestions I have for anyone doing this job in their garage. First, if you do it one spring at a time like I did, loosen the u-bolts on the opposing spring a tad, just to make it easier to adjust the axle, and get the pad lined up correctly on the spring. Second, use a small floor jack underneath the shock to lift and position the mounting plate. It's a lot easier than trying to compress the shock by hand. Third, wait until you have both springs in to torque everything to spec.
I am a little concerned about the amount of room the shackle has to move, but there is some weight in the bed right now, so it should be alright once the bed is empty.
In the end, got a few inches dropped, and it looks a ton better sitting that low.
Now, I just need to get that blasted 4.3 sold, so there's room to pull the fireturd's engine and stash it until it's ready to go in the truck.