I'm wondering what the best 3" drop option is. I've done some research and from what I've come up with is:

Front:
2" Drop spindles
1" Ball joint flip

Rear:
Belltech 3" lowered leafs


That is about as low as I want to go on these NM roads. My budget is about $350-$400. Any comments or suggestions are welcome.

White Trash, any comments or suggestions before I buy anything this time?

 

Guess I'm getting called out eh?

Spindles are nice enough but I'm not sure I like the change in steering Ackerman angle. Since you're o lyrics wanting to drop it 3" just go to low profile bumps all around and drop the torsions and slap some blocks on the back. You can do a ball joint flip if you like it really doesn't matter either way there should be no problem getting it aligned back to spec. No need to spend a pile of money on the same result. Take the cash you saved and grab a set of kyb monomax shocks for $135 off of Amazon.com.


One thing I've never see brought up about spindles is they change what wheels you can fit since the steering arms stay in the same relative location while the spindle moves up. I've ground the crap out of the flanges on both sides of my upper arms, and the backside of the lowers to clear my 15x8's with 4" backspace. I finally went to 8 mm spacers and et style lug it's up front to get everything clear.

 

Haha, yeah I'm callin'. But mainly because I wanted your advice. I may not always agree on everything, but I do admit you know your stuff.

This is what I'm talking about. Things people haven't mentioned. That is something I hadn't thought of. Although I think my rims would be fine I should double check the subject.

I'm looking for a quality ride. On my old Nissan I did torsions and blocks, but the ride suffered considerably.

If I remember correctly you currently have blocks. How is the ride with them?

 

Blocks make zero difference with the ride unless the axle hits the bumpstops. It's the torsion drop that makes the ride hell since the bumpstops end up getting beat on. Hence my recommendation to go low pro bumps and good shocks.

I like my monomax shocks but I'm going to be swapping the fronts out for a set from a first gen camaro to get stiffer valving. They're perfect for most people though, I just require a stiffer shock along with my 1 ton torsions and sway bar.

With your wheels you should have zero issues with the drop spindles. Something to look at is rather than going to a drop leaf pack is to use the same year 4x4 truck leaves like I did with shortened shackles. They have a slightly higher spring rate than stock 2x and a nice drop of about an inch.

 

Monomax you say. I'll look into those.

I like the 4x4 leafs idea. The thing about my current leafs is that I think one side is just a tad weak. It seems to be about 1/4-1/2" soft on the passenger side. That was one of the main reasons I was thinking to just get drop leafs. Now I got some ideas to look into. Where did you get your shackles from if I may ask?

 

I cut the factory shackles down. Not sure what the measurement was on the bolts but now they are 2 3/4" if I remember right. They are dog legged since the frame side is an inch or so wider than the spring end. I simply cut them in the middle of the dog leg and slipped the spring end inside the frame side. Made a nice 1/2" lap joint to weld around.

 

I don't mean to thread jack here but to my understanding is that stock 14" rims will NOT work with drop spindles?

 

I haven't tried it but I'm betting that you're right. Next time I have a wheel off I'll try it.

 

They do, look at my build thread. I still have the 14" stock wheels with 2" drop spindles.

 

It does fit. I too, have a set of BT 2in. drop spindles riding on Toxics (to be swapped out for KYB's Monomax) on my 93XCab - stock 14's do fit.

Soon to be picking up DJM 3" LCA's and new ball-joints for that 6" static appeal - will see the effect on the driveability in case, I want to adjust TBars for the love of lowriding.

Stay Low, My Friends.

 

Awww hell yeah! Made my day. If your going to do it, do it right. I'll be on the lookout for some. Keeping suspension geometry is crucial. And drop spindles keep it in check. Just wasn't sure if they would clear with 14's. Thanks guys.

 

Yea, I second the stock wheels with drop spindles. I'm still running the stock 14's on my 85 and have zero issues with the spindles, or the LCAs or the BJ flip. But I have measured and if I keep the same front spacing (opposite of backspacing) and move up to a 15x7 I will start to rub on the arms. Would need at least a 16 to clear.

 

Yup. I rub on my 15x7 American racings. First truck I owned that ever rubbed, and it rubs it hard.

 

The steering arm portion of the spindles is moved closer to the center of the vehicle (for wheel clearance I assume) and that makes for an over ackerman condition where the inside tire turns sharper than needed. Its not very noticeable until you're almost to the steering stops then it's obvious.

I don't run steering stops at all on my 89 so it's VERY obvious on that truck when you go passed where the stops should be.

 

I had to turn the the rod adjusters almost all the way in to bring the toe adjustment back in spec so that puts it at nearly an inch narrower over all. Not sure what brand mine are but I bought them from a member here a couple years ago.

 

Installed 2" drop spindles on my 90 today. They work fine with my 14" stockers, although my stockers won't be staying long


Edit: I haven't done any extensive driving yet, but like White Trash said I also had to run my tie rod adjustments WAY in to get my toe-in back right after the spindle install.

 

What set up did you end up going with?