Lowering Kit - Exhaust - Grille - Chevy Silverado

Chevy Silverado Belltech Stage 3 Lowering Kit Side View Before

Math sucks. We’re just keeping it real with that factoid, however, finding out the proper equation for a cool daily driver is way easier than you may think. Almost an oxymoron for many custom trucks, functionality shouldn’t suffer because you’ve modified your ride. There is absolutely no reason a good-looking truck cannot be used for what it was intended. Although many people prefer the ride height of their truck to be the same as their driving surface, rolling in a body-dropped truck just isn’t for everyone. Some people want a truck that handles well and looks good, but is still functional without having to worry about bending fenders or busted air lines. The answer for them is a basic cruiser that has minimal mods, but a great deal of impact. Making wise decisions before handing over your credit card is the best way to be happy every time you jump behind the wheel.

Take for example the owner of this truck. No stranger to custom vehicles, her husband owns a future Truckin’ feature vehicle that’s laid out with the roof cut off, but when it came time for her to add some personal touches to her truck, she decided instead to keep it simple. She didn’t want a complicated stereo or adjustable suspension, rather she wanted a cool truck that got her from A to B and is 100 percent reliable.

To do that, she hooked up with Innovated Creations and Designs, where she got the full treatment by way of a Belltech Stage III 4/6 lowering kit, MagnaFlow exhaust, and a T-Rex X-Metal grille. The husband and wife combo had a set of 22-inch DUB wheels and tires from a previous build, so to keep the cost down, they were bolted on. The resulting truck is clean, simple, and easy to drive—just like she wanted. Follow along as we take this truck from stock to show-ready in just about a day’s worth of time.

1. Belltech’s Stage III lowering kit is the kit for anyone looking for a nice ride and better performance. This kit isn’t one of those cheap drop kits that will have you bouncing around and hitting bumpstops with every dip—this is a complete suspension overhaul. Included in the Stage III kit were new spindles, drop coils, oversized front struts with adjustable billet collars for varying drop heights, front A-arm bushings for easier alignments, and a rear flip kit with oversized rear shocks.
1. Belltech’s Stage III lowering kit is the kit for anyone looking for a nice ride and bet
2. Once the caliper was unbolted from the steering knuckle and then supported on the frame by a hook, the tie rod end was unbolted. A few hits with a five-pound sledgehammer freed the ball joints from the steering knuckle. Off came the knuckle with the brake rotor still attached. With the three strut retaining bolts removed, the strut came out and was placed next to the steering knuckle. An air ratchet took care of the upper control arm bolts, as the upper control arm bushings were getting replaced as well. To get the strut out of the coil spring, we used a spring compressor mounted to the wall. By adding or removing the spacers, you set the ride height of your front suspension. We had to play around with the spacers before we found a good height. With the spacers installed, the new strut and spring was assembled on the spring compressor with the help of an impact wrench.
2. Once the caliper was unbolted from the steering knuckle and then supported on the frame
3. The bushings on the upper control arms have little tabs popped out from the factory. To take them out, the tabs have to be removed, so we did that with an air chisel. By placing the steering knuckle face down on the brakes, we could remove the hub bolts easily, and take off the knuckle in the process. The new steering knuckle was dropped into place, with some red Loctite installed on the threads for insurance. Getting the new bushings in the upper control arms required a hydraulic press, and this part was a bit tricky, and took some time to get just right. The new strut and spring were installed back in the front suspension, with the upper control arm in there with the new bushings as well. In just a few hours, the front suspension was complete and ready to go.
3. The bushings on the upper control arms have little tabs popped out from the factory. To

4. The back was next, and good thing too, because the rear shocks needed replacement. The stock bumpstop mount is pretty mammoth, so out came the plasma cutter to take it off. An angle grinder would have worked just as well. With the axle on a set of jack stands, the U-bolts were unbolted from the leaf springs with an impact wrench. A pair of locking pliers was clamped onto the sides of the leaf springs, and then the center bolt was removed so it could be flipped. The rear leaf spring shackle was next, which was unbolted from the hanger, then replaced with a new one from the kit.
4. The back was next, and good thing too, because the rear shocks needed replacement. The
5. The axle was pushed from side to side to flip it over the leaf springs, and then the flip kit was installed. The new flip kit comes with new alignment pieces to make sure everything stays lined up perfectly. An impact wrench zipped up the factory U-bolts. The leaky stock shocks were replaced with new ones from Belltech, then the rear end was done.
5. The axle was pushed from side to side to flip it over the leaf springs, and then the fl
6. The Magnaflow exhaust runs from just after the tranny crossmember to the rear of the truck. We unbolted the factory exhaust from its mounts with a ratchet. The stock rubber bushings were lubed up with some WD-40, then a pry bar released the hangers from the exhaust.
6. The Magnaflow exhaust runs from just after the tranny crossmember to the rear of the tr

7. The head pipe of the exhaust bolted onto the factory forward section.
8. Once the muffler was hung from the hangers, the rear section was installed and clamped together using the clamps in the kit. The finished welded tip dumps out just behind the passenger side wheel.
8. Once the muffler was hung from the hangers, the rear section was installed and clamped
9. The stock grille was a bit boring, so we decided to take it off.

10. We used a special trim clip removal tool to take off the plastic cover above the grille, but you can use a flathead screwdriver if necessary.
10. We used a special trim clip removal tool to take off the plastic cover above the grill
11. The top of the grille was unbolted from the core support in just a few minutes. There are these little clips on the bottom of the grille, so we were careful when taking off the grille that we didn’t break any in the process.
11. The top of the grille was unbolted from the core support in just a few minutes. There
12. The T-Rex grille just clipped into place using the factory clips on the bottom. Then it was bolted in place up top, securing it to the truck. The completed grille cleans up the look of the front end and matches up nicely with the bumper.
12. The T-Rex grille just clipped into place using the factory clips on the bottom. Then i

Chevy Silverado Belltech Stage 3 Lowering Kit Side View

13. For those of you who have bigger wheels on your truck but you haven’t modified the suspension yet, this is probably what your truck looks like. We put the new 22-inch DUB wheels on the truck before just to see how bad it would look. We didn’t want the look of a 4x4, and hopefully you don’t either. After reading how we transfomed this Chevy, you have the resources to make it right.

13. For those of you who have bigger wheels on your truck but you haven’t modified the sus

Highs:

One-day makeover
Rides and looks great
Used wheels and tires kept cost down

Lows

Installing the new A-arm bushings were tough
The wheels and tires were used
Slight rubbing in the front when at full lock

From The Driver Seat
The truck handles well and looks great, but the installation was a bit trickier than usual. Although the spindles, struts and coils went in just fine, the alignment kit was a bear to install, and took more time than expected. If you’re a do-it-yourself person, consider taking the alignment kit to a shop to make things easier. Some tasteful pinstriping was laid down the side as well, just for a little extra style.

The setup is amazing on the road. The exhaust is throaty but not racer-boy loud, with that nice V-8 sound. The adjustable struts up front make adding more drop to the front a fairly straightforward process, and out back the flip kit went on pretty quickly. We think a 24-inch wheel would work out nicely on the truck, but the 22s are a bit more streetable—perfect for the owner’s needs. The resulting truck is a useable daily driver, with no worries at all.

Your Questions Answered
Time Spent Working:	15 hours
Degree of Difficulty	Advanced
Tools Needed: Assorted metric and standard sockets, assorted metric and standard wrenches, ratchet, pry bar, spring compressor, hydraulic press, impact wrench, air chisel, hydraulic jack, jackstands, red Loctite, plasma cutter, locking pliers, WD-40, flathead screwdrivers
Parts Used:
(Prices from manufacturers and do not include tax, shipping or labor)
Belltech 4/6 Stage III lowering kit	$1,190
T-Rex X-Metal chrome mesh grille	$1,390
Used 22-inch Dub Big Homie 6 chrome wheels with Nexen 305/40R22	Scavenged from previous build
Magnaflow Exhaust	$684
Total:	$3,264.00

SOURCE
T-Rex Truck Products 800-287-5900 http://trexbillet.com/	Custom Truck Accessories 1620 North 19th Avenue Phoenix AZ 85009 602-258-3663 www.azcustomtruck.com
Belltech 1075 North Avenue Sanger CA 93657 800-445-3767 www.belltech.com	Innovated Creations and Design http://www.creativerydes.com/
MHT Luxury Wheels 12300 Industry Street Garden Grove CA 92841 800-493-7891 www.mhtwheels.com