The GMT400 thread (88-98 GM full-size trucks)

I put my "grandpa" wheels and tires on it for a while. Sure does drive better with skinnier tires and wheels. 
 

 Those look so damned good, too. I really want something appropriate for narrow whitewalls again.

In reply to Powar :

Thank you. It felt like a real leap when I was sandblasting wheels and ordering white wall tires. Several of my car guy buddies were raised eyebrows. But in the end it worked out better than I even hoped. 
 

In reply to Cousin_Eddie (Forum Supporter) :

Looks awesome.

I'm sure it's in this thread some where but what drop is that and is it still able to do moderate 1/2 ton truck stuff?

In reply to Cousin_Eddie (Forum Supporter) :

dude that is so hot.  the drop is perfect.  for me, the white wheels with poverty caps and whitewalls really works well on that truck.  It's so rare to see a RCLB these days that isn't a fleet truck.

Run_Away said:

Anyone put a 4L80 where a 4L60 was?

Found a 4L80 that appears to have been rebuilt at the junkyard. Truck is a '98, so is my K1500.

 

I'm thinking my transfer case probably has a smaller input? Driveshafts different length? I know there's a tune and minor wiring repinning needed.

Tcase input is different.

rattfink81 said:

In reply to Cousin_Eddie (Forum Supporter) :

Looks awesome.

I'm sure it's in this thread some where but what drop is that and is it still able to do moderate 1/2 ton truck stuff?

I'm at a 3/5 drop with all Belltech parts and shocks. It does full truck duty for me. My main racket is hauling car parts frequently and carrying all my swap meet stuff 5-10 times per year. 

In reply to Cousin_Eddie (Forum Supporter) :

thanks for replying. I've been eyeing the belltech kits but was worried about ruining its use of actually hauling stuff. 

In reply to rattfink81 :

I have a 2" drop front coil spring to which I then cut an additional half coil off of. My truck is a V6 truck and they don't drop as low as a V8 truck with the same spring. Also Belltech front shocks.

In the back I have Belltech 4" drop leaf springs with an added drop shackle to net a total of 5 inches drop. Also Belltech shock extenders and Belltech shocks.

Also note I have some rubber rake going on too. Front tires are 215/75-15 and rear are 235/75-15. I also staggered the wheel size with 6 inch wide front and 7 inch wide rear. 

The front wheels are OEM GM wheels off of a 73-87 base model truck. GM calls them 6 inches wide. In the back I ordered Wheel Vintiques replica wheels so I could get the 7 inch width. The hubcaps are a set of 20 dollar swap meet caps that I found digging through a box under a dude's table. 

rattfink81 said:

In reply to Cousin_Eddie (Forum Supporter) :

thanks for replying. I've been eyeing the belltech kits but was worried about ruining its use of actually hauling stuff. 

You could do the 2"/4" with spindles and shackles/hangers and not change capabilities at all.

solfly said:

rattfink81 said:

In reply to Cousin_Eddie (Forum Supporter) :

thanks for replying. I've been eyeing the belltech kits but was worried about ruining its use of actually hauling stuff. 

You could do the 2"/4" with spindles and shackles/hangers and not change capabilities at all.

This is what i did on my black 95 extended cab short bed. And i use it for a lot of truck stuff. No worries at all.

A little lowering discussion aimed at those who aren't familiar with all the details of these trucks...

Different methods have their plusses and minuses. Over the years I have done them all. I used to install lowering stuff in a shop where I worked and we did a ton of 4/6 drops and quite a few 2/4 drops. The issue nowadays is that whether you use a shackle/hanger or even a flip in the back, you're relying on 30 year old leaf springs. They will have some measure of sag by now and they never sag equally. You often wind up with a truck that sits unlevel if you're picky enough to measure it. That's why I have begun to lean towards these Belltech leafs that I used here and on one of my previous trucks. They simply bolt straight on so install is easy. You get a 4 inch drop for an hours worth of work and no removing rivets or cutting required. In this case, I added a drop shackle to put it down to five inches. No notch needed at five inches. If I ever go lower (the shackle has a 2 inch hole I could use) then I will notch the frame.

In the front I went with springs because spindles have some issue that you have to work around. They widen the track in the front and you have to do some cutting on the lower arms for wheel clearance. I've done it a lot of times but this truck has a beautiful set of lower arms that I rebushed and ball jointed with top of the line stuff. I just didn't feel like cutting on them so I used a drop spring instead. 

agree with the above, I went with the shackles and hangers on mine because it is low mileage and had done minimal truck stuff so I wasn't as concerned about the leaf springs.

The spindles widening the track is definitely a legitimate concern/issue as is the lower control arm clearance, although the latter is not a concern with 16"+ wheels or 15"s witht he correct offset.

Definitely multiple ways to skin this cat.

One other option I have seen but not been able to find much info on is a replacement dropped spindle that converts to a unit bearing and better brakes. I believe it was a company called CBP or something like that, might be others now too. I'm considering looking into those since i need some front brake work.

In reply to Cousin_Eddie (Forum Supporter) :

Just got the parts together to hit mine with the low stick, waiting on an EGR valve gasket so I can get my son's Rodeo out of my driveway spot. I think i'm going to get new tie rods and a center link so everything up front is fresh when I take it to the alignment shop.  Did you get the kit to do a pinion angle adjustment?  I'm just using stock shackles with the belltech leaf spings so i'll only have a 4" drop in the rear. 

In reply to 06HHR (Forum Supporter) :

I haven't felt the need to address the pinion issue but I did also replace my transmission mount at the same time. They all sag and let the drivetrain droop down on the back. A new mount is like 10 bucks and will raise your trans about an inch. Seems to be real happy without any vibrations or noises. 

I think I used the 1" spacer for my center bearing but I can't remember for sure.

Good to know, thanks!  I'm also going to catch up on a bit of deferred maintenance, my rear end has a small leak so I got a new pinion seal, cover and gasket. A new mount will be 10 bucks well spent. 

Planned on keeping my OE wheels on my GMT400, but I discovered what I consider to be the best looking OEM GMT400 wheels. Apparently it was a 1 or 2 year only option on 99 or 2000 tahoe Z71s.

Found a set locally and guy had sold them, i dont think they will be easy to find, but I'll get me a set eventually

Opti said:

Planned on keeping my OE wheels on my GMT400, but I discovered what I consider to be the best looking OEM GMT400 wheels. Apparently it was a 1 or 2 year only option on 99 or 2000 tahoe Z71s.

Found a set locally and guy had sold them, i dont think they will be easy to find, but I'll get me a set eventually

That guy isn't me is it ?  I sold a set of those on Facebook awhile back. Sold them to a guy in Alvord.

In reply to Cousin_Eddie (Forum Supporter) :

Did I send you a Facebook message yesterday?

In reply to Opti :

No. Not me. 

In reply to Cousin_Eddie (Forum Supporter) :

Well if you find another set shoot me a message

Not sure where you are at but those are reasonably plentiful and inexpensive on car-part.com 

Instead of starting a new threat I figured I'd ask here. The shift cable no longer stays attached to my transmission. It seems like the bushing in the end has gone bad. Will randomly fall off after it's put in park and the truck shut off. Can't seem to find a listing for just the bushing. Anybody got any ideas? It's getting to be a royal pain in the ass. It's a 95 4l80 if that makes any difference

In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :

Is this what your looking for

This might actually be what your looking for

https://www.bushingfix.com/chevrolet-c1500-shift-cable-bushing-repair-kit/