I have an '01 Silverado ECSB 2WD that I would like to drop. The rear already has 2" Ground Force drop shackles, but I would like to drop it another 2" and the front 2", for a 2/4 drop total.

Question 1: What's the best way to drop the rear another 2"? I would like to avoid cutting into the frame or doing any notching.

Question 2: What's the best way to drop the front 2"? Spindles? Springs? Combination of the two? I will probably replace all of the shocks while I'm at it.

Thanks!

 

I would do spindles up front for sure. Fairly easy install. Plus if you need to replace upper and lower ball joints its the perfect time.

As for the rear I did the same you did. 2" shackles at first then wanted more. I ended up going with the McG's 4" lowering kit in the rear. Which includes a 2" lowering hanger and 2" lowering shackles. So I ended up with an extra set of 2" shackles.....oh well. As far as you NOT wanting to cut the frame its possible with a 4" in the rear......HOWEVER you will be riding either on or 1/2" from the bump stops which can lead to a little bit of a bouncy ride on rough surfaces. I have decided that I am going to c-notch my frame at some point but not right now.

 

I'm in the same boat with my 2001 rcsb. It's got a 2" Belltech drop on the rear that got rid of one of the leafs on the back that the previous owner installed. I'm looking and I think I have to buy a full kit to lower it to a 2/4 drop. It's 0/2 right now. What's a good (affordable) drop kit for my 2001 Silverado? I looked on eBay and they're all for 07-11. THANKS!

 

You can cut the front coils if you're on a tight budget. You'll only be cutting off about one single coil so it won't affect the ride too bad.

The rear you can do shackles and hangers, as I did my first go around. If I could do it over again, I would just go with a flip kt from the start. Then if the 6" drop from the flip kit is too low, just get the rear shackle flip hangers to raise it however much you want.

 

spindles in the front....hangers in the rear...simple....not too painful....

 

I like lower control arms in the front drop springs ride to rough and spindles usually require a 17 or larger wheel to clear them which means your spare will not fit up front

 

That was going to be my next question. I have 16" wheels and had no plans to get larger ones. I did some searching and there is mixed information on whether or not certain spindles will work with 16" wheels, and whether or not it will hurt my turning radius. What's the word on this?

 

do you still have your stock hangers? I need some for my truck, and I was wondering if you would want to sell them.

 

Are there downsides to using LCA's instead of spindles?
Is the install more difficult?
Are upper control arms needed too?

Thanks!

 

In my openion no there is no down side to running a LCA. I had a DJM 2/4 pro kit with edelbrock shocks on my last truck it rode great. The install is not that hard at all you can rent a spring compressor from the auto parts store thats the only special tool needed. Upper arms are not needed for only a 2 inch drop.