hey guys, i’m pretty new here. i’m the owner of this…whatever you wanna call it…thing. http://ivyleagueeast.com/2011/09/07/slow-and-slutty/
obviously wayyy too low for up here in the colder months (i’m originally from long island)
so i bought this on the side! it’s a 1990 d250 3/4 ton with a 318 auto tranny. i am in love with it. most of you up here (again my li mentality lol) are used to seeing trucks like this. i’m new to the truck game. i feel it would look good a few inches lower, with some mild fender flares on the bed (to cover the rusted quarters) and a set of dually wheels. i am a firm believer of static height and will not consider bags. anyone have past experience with similar trucks? i wouldn’t know where to start.
2wd. and yeah i was thinking maybe lowering shackles or even flipping the rear on the leafs in the rear, then maybe taking down a coil on the front springs. i’d rather not ghetto shit, but if it’s what i gotta do then so be it. the purpose of the dually wheels would be solely aesthetic. are you suggesting there is a step side type bed made for this truck? i’ve done a lot of custom fabbing with suspension on my cobalt, so there’s literally no limits for me. just looking for a maybe safer and pre-made aftermarket solution. also, anyone know about these bolt patterns? all i can tell is it’s 3/4 ton 8 lug are there many variations of this pattern or will any set fit?
Dodge and Chevy share the same 8 lug patterns, so you can get dually rims from either.
however if you are driving this in winter, DO NOT put duals on it. My dually is 4x4 and its hands down the worst vehicle i’ve ever driven in the snow. Literally all over the road.
hahaha ninety. gotcha now.
specialkid, to each his own mang i’m not doing any pulling or heavy loads any time soon. unless i decide to track the cobalt someday…which being pulled by a lowered ram pickup would be SOOOO badass.
not interested in the motor really. 318 sounds good, got a little torque. tranny shifts like a hauler and the truck rumbles. i’m all about the feel and appearance. the smell of the thing makes it worth owning. i’m a diesel tech major and i honestly wouldn’t care for the 12v upgrade.
Generally with static anything the lower it goes the harsher and farther geometry gets out of wack.
Rear: if the axle is under the leafs, remove it, put it OVER the leafs. That will get you 3.5" (what ever the axle tube dia is). Then you can get a block for another .5,1,2,etc" more. Shackles work the same way. Keep in mind shocks will be “riding” farther up the travel and thats not a good thing, without detail they wont last as long as normal. Lastly, you are closer to the bump stop. If you hit a bump and the suspension travels 5 inches stock, it will travel 5" dropped. If you are 4 inches from bump stop, dropped… you just bottomed out on that bump.
Front: Same concept as above spring wise. Struts/shocks wont last when operating out of their “sweet spot” valving wise. Take in consideration the geometry changes. Changing control arms can change camber, caster, etc. Thats why complete static drop kits have upper/lower control arms, springs and more importantly spindles to get the geometry back in check.
Come tell me that when my shops Duramax express van lays frame, pulling my car trailer with a show car on the back!!!
its a 6klb, 450+hp 800TQ+ pulling machine rolling coal on air ride. (soon)
that truck is SOOO sick. and yeah, all of that info is legit i’ve dealt with similar things in the past just not with leaf springs. ball joints, bushings, all that get more stressed. and the shock valve being closer to the bottom leaves less travel and a stiffer ride. i’m not worried about that. i drive a car that’s 2" from the ground tops i know the deal. just some duallys and exactly the drop mentioned. 2" front and 3.5" rear and i’ll be set. maybe some sort of spacers for the front wheels if i do get duallys for the rear
i’m not doing any pulling or heavy loads any time soon. unless i decide to track the cobalt someday…which being pulled by a lowered ram pickup would be SOOOO badass.