When the decision is made to add an adjustable suspension system to your truck, it only seems logical to go the extra mile - by that, we mean a body drop. There are certainly a couple of ways of doing a body drop, but whichever you choose, you are making sure your truck lays frame. As you hit the switch to put your ride to the ground, it is satisfying to feel the rocker tap out on the pavement beneath your asphalt-pounding ride. Rich Stultz, Jr. of Fredericksburg, Virginia, is a rocker-laying truck owner. His '99 Chevy Silverado is definitely dragging bottom.
Rich started his custom truck endeavor with the purchase of a brand-new stock Silverado standard cab, fit with 4.3L V-6 under the hood - a blank canvas for a truck builder's palette. Kustomwerks of Union City, Tennessee, got the bid to be the fabrication central headquarters for Rich's Bow Tie. Starting with the front suspension, McGaughy's 2-inch drop spindles lead the way toward terra firma, and keeping pace are 2,600-pound airbags. Rolling stock for the front is a pair of 20x8.5-inch Boze Stixx Six stuffed inside Pirelli P255/35R20 performance tires. At the rear of the Silverado, Kustomwerks fit a two-link to the frame and axle, before mounting some 2,600-pound airbags for ride and drop action. This time, 22-inch Stixx Sixes are in place turning Pirelli P295/35R22 rubber bands.
Plumbing for this truck's suspension system starts with two Viair compressors huffing and puffing into one 7-gallon storage tank. From there, 3/8-inch air line feeds eight SMC 3/8-inch valves, which in turn make the 'bags do their dance. Now laying frame is nothing to sneeze at, but Kustomwerks knew it was all or nothing. With welders and cutters at the ready, the crew laid the rockers flat on the floor with a 2.75-inch stock floor body drop and didn't look back. With all the precision of a surgical team, the dust settled and it was done. The finishing touch for the chassis work is an 18-gallon fuel cell to replace the low-lying stock unit.
After Round One with Kustomwerks' chassis changes, it was off to Red Lion, Pennsylvania, for a meeting with Shawn Eimenheiser of Eimenheiser Auto Body. Shawn put a lock-down on the rear of the bed by removing the factory bumper and welding a smooth roll pan in its place. Not done there, Shawn also welded the tailgate closed and attached it to the roll pan for a finished look. The stake pockets are also enclosed, and topping the newly modified bed is a Gaylord's tonneau cover. Shawn worked a bit of flair in the mix and placed an '03 Cadillac De Ville third brake light into the rear roofline of the cab.