Drop

BeastMaster02

New member
I own a 1991 SGT I want to do a drop on the truck what is the best way to do that springs,spindles, blocks, new leaf springs any ideas?
 

gstacky

Member
Re: Drop

Spindles and blocks will give you an easy 2/3 drop and keep your ride the same, any more than that and you need to start changing springs and shocks, which will start to get rougher. How low do you want to go?
 

CavScout

Member
Re: Drop

Plenty of options w/ a two wheel drive. Basic 1st gen S10 junk available everywhere. Depends on how far you want to go. Loads of 2" drop spidles and blocks available, if lower you'll have to change out front springs, but rear blocks come in all sizes. 2, 3, and 4".
Jegs, Summit, any other online mail order shop has them.

btw, if you get the chance to snap a few pics of your engine, I'd like to see them. Your VIN came up with a "Z" block 4.3, most of the rest of the SGT's came with the "W" block. Location of the thermostat is one thing I was looking for.
 

BeastMaster02

New member
Re: Drop

Spindles and blocks will give you an easy 2/3 drop and keep your ride the same, any more than that and you need to start changing springs and shocks, which will start to get rougher. How low do you want to go?

What I am looking to do is get the truck to sit level and then ride nice as possible as much as I can I want to use all new parts and I see that they make leaf springs so I thought that would be best for the rear. I also see that they make a rear sway bar for these trucks does it work?
 

gstacky

Member
Re: Drop

Yes sway bar will help big time. Leafs are ok but like I said it will slightly hurt the ride, where blocks just move the axle up and keep the stock ride. Check out some of the s10 boards and see what stance you are looking for, 2/3 is the most common, still drivable all year long and levels the truck out. I have had great luck with ground force suspension. A lot of people use bell tech too, and yes you can buy this stuff anywhere. Spindles are the most expensive part but are well worth it.
 

gstacky

Member
Re: Drop

They will work fine, they just will ride a bit harsher that the factory stuff, depending on the kind of leafs they are. Are they mono leafs or a pack like the factory ones?
 

warmpancakes

New member
Re: Drop

get some zq8 springs from a later s10, and a set of spindles thats about as low as you wanna go with the lovely michigan roads. The zq8 springs for the rear figure 50 for used
 

BoostedSUV

Active member
Re: Drop

I hated when I dropped my truck with blocks... I went with beltech leafs and it improved the ride quality imo. I would suggest doing it the "right" way with a pair of beltech drop leafs and a set of beltech spindles. The spindles are nice since they won't change the front end geometry. On top of that put a set of shocks like billstien's or nitro drop shocks that are intended for dropped vehicles. You will sacrifice a little bit in ride quality but it will stiffen things up a little therefore it will handle better and look better... Just my :2cents:
 

gstacky

Member
Re: Drop

packed like factory

I lowered my S10 years ago 5/7 with spindles, springs, leafs, blocks, and shocks. It looked great but rode like crap, the lowering leafs were really stiff, they were monoleafs, and were really strong, but just a harsh ride. Drive the truck the way it is, and if you are happy with the ride, just go spindles and blocks. It won't affect your ride at all going this way, and will give it a nice stance. If you want to go lower, they you will need to go with leaf springs, and shocks all the way around. I went with bags and that fixed the ride problem all together:)
 

BeastMaster02

New member
Re: Drop

I lowered my S10 years ago 5/7 with spindles, springs, leafs, blocks, and shocks. It looked great but rode like crap, the lowering leafs were really stiff, they were monoleafs, and were really strong, but just a harsh ride. Drive the truck the way it is, and if you are happy with the ride, just go spindles and blocks. It won't affect your ride at all going this way, and will give it a nice stance. If you want to go lower, they you will need to go with leaf springs, and shocks all the way around. I went with bags and that fixed the ride problem all together:)

Who made the bag system you went with?
 

warmpancakes

New member
Re: Drop

air ride in lansing makes a bolt in bag kit, but if you are gonna daily drive it dont do it makes are trouble
 

Sy777

Member
Re: Drop

I put the ZQ8 suspension on my 95 s10 and I loved the stance, ride and handling. It consists of leafs, shocks, and a sway bar in the rear. Coil springs, shocks and a larger swaybar for the front. It also had thw quick ratio steering box. This was the best mod that I did to mw 2wd s10.

I have the belltech leafs on my sy and it does ride a little rough.
All of the zq8 stuff is available on ebay or at your local junk yard.
The zq8 springs ride very well for a dd
 

Maxtor

New member
Re: Drop

I have 3" blocks in the rear, and I assume then that I have either 2" or 3" drop coils in the front (spindles are original, coils aren't). In either case, it is too low for midwest driving in my opinion. Potholes, railroad tracks, etc, etc are going to rip the front bumper off this thing sooner than later.

I think 2" blocks in the rear, and 1" drop coils in the front sound like a better option for a DD. Thoughts?

Here is what my SoGT looks like next to the Syclone. The Sy has the stock front ride height and the rear lowered to match the front.....

http://s441.photobucket.com/albums/qq137/sy1462/?action=view&current=M4V07196.flv
DSC07858.jpg


My vote is that it is too low........
 

gstacky

Member
Re: Drop

I would say it has 3" coils and 3" blocks by the looks of it, and yeah the front is a bit too low for every day driving on rough roads. That's why I suggest a 2" spindle drop up front, and 3" blocks in the rear to level it out and still be drivable.
 
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