In the world of custom trucks, our watercooler talk typically involves a beer and a napkin with drawings all over it. Bouncing ideas back and forth with words like "I wonder if" and "what if we tried this", more trucks have been built in garages and atop shop lifts because someone thought an idea could be cool. When the crew at HOT Motorsports was talking with truck builder Mike Ungles and truck owner Nica Tirla about his new '08 Chevy Silverado, the idea of 'bagging it the easy way came up and then stuck. What is the easy way to 'bag a truck anyway? Contacting KP Components, front Slam Specialties airbags were ordered with the appropriate mounting buckets, as was the popular rear KP cantilever six-link with Watts link setup. Also on the order list was a weld-in step notch, rear Slam Specialties airbags, and Chris Alston Varishocks. Wanting to ensure the frontend did lay low, a pair of Ground Force 2-inch drop spindles were also to be installed.
With the parts in hand and the truck up on the lift, HOT Motorsports' Brian Doyen and Joe Conduff got crackin' on the suspension and in two days had the Chevy layin' low. This truck was to be driven often, and you may be surprised with the choice for an airbag setup, but with the engineering and reliability in the KP Components parts, the decision to cut it up was a no-brainer. Each part installed on this suspension is available off-the-shelf and besides some required welding, it was mostly a bolt-on affair. Capping off the airbag install, a set of Fesler Built three-piece wheels were added, but not before they were mounted inside Yokohama Parada SpecX tires. Combining stunning good-looks and better traction, the wheel and tire combo was a great addition to the truck. Take a look at just how easy the install was and if you're in need of an airbag system, give KP Components a call.
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Starting things off, the guys at HOT Motorsports, in Santa Ana, California, began by remov
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Fresh out of the KP Components box, the Slam Specialties airbag received the upper and low
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A pretty cool setup, the bottom mount for the airbag actually uses the factory shock mount
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Brian Doyen then welded in the KP upper tab. This tab was used to secure the upper `bag cu
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With the tab ready to lock in the upper `bag cup, Brian installed the airbag fitting and t
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The air line was then ran through the upper shock mount and the airbag assembly was secure
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After drilling out the lower control arm coilover mounting bolts, Brian secured the two lo
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With the front air line ran and the Ground Force 2-inch lowering spindle in place, it was
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One press of the switch and the truck was sitting nice and low. It was now time for the re
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Out of the box, the KP Components six-link and Watts link was powdercoated black. Everythi
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First off, the electrical harnesses and fuel filler was disconnected, then the bed was lif
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After the axle was supported by a jack, the rear shocks and factory leaf springs were remo
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Using his Hyperthem plasma cutter, Joe Conduff blasted off the factory leaf spring perches
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With the flat frame exposed, Brian was able to set the KP rear mounting bracket in positio
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Brian then used the included hardware to bolt the bracket in place. As you can see, the KP
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The lower `bag bar was then installed onto the bracket. Up next, the Slam Specialties airb
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Mounted around the axle using two large U-bolts, the KP axle mounting bracket was secured
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Brian then installed the new Varishock to the new lower shock mount on the KP airbag bar a
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Moving to the Watts link, the factory 10-bolt diff cover bolts were removed.
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Using the supplied hardware, the KP Watts link cover was secured to the factory differenti
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The KP Watts link then received the supplied heim joints and support bars.
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Using the front leaf spring perch location, the front four-link bracket was welded into pl
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Needing to make room for the serious axle travel, Brian began welding in the eight-piece s
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Here you can see just how serious the step notch is.
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With Sawzall in hand, the factory frame section was cut out and set in the scrap bin.
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The inner step notch pieces were then welded together and the Chevy had a solid step notch
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After cutting out the factory bed floor for axle and step notch travel, simple tubing was
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A bridge cover was then welded into place and the bed received a protective bed coating.
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It was now time to run all the air line, double-check fittings, ensure the electrical was
From The Driver Seat
The KP kit that was ordered for this '08 Chevy was actually for the '99-'06 Chevys and it wasn't a direct bolt-on kit due to the difference in the frame of the '07+ Silverados. Some of the tabs had to be maneuvered and welded in place, as did some of the endlinks for the four-link bars. These minor setbacks weren't a huge issue as the guys at HOT Motorsports simply busted out the welders. Up front, the Chevy lays low, but out back, the 24-inch wheels tuck hard thanks to the six-link and wheeltubs. For an install that didn't take two weeks to finish, we were pleased with the laying-frame stance and nice ride of the Silverado. The Varishocks are topnotch and it's hard to ignore a kit that can be ordered off-the-shelf. As far as wheels and tires go, the Fesler Built wheels and Yokohama tires were a great choice for style and function.
Your Questions Answered
Time Spent Working: 21 hours
Degree of Difficulty: Intermediate (some welding was required)
Tools Needed:
Basic hand tools, welder, plasma cutter, Sawzall, drill and bits
Parts Used:
Ground Force 2-inch lowering spindle 6010 $299.00 (price from gcustoms.com)
KP Components cantilever setup $729.00
KP Components Watts link $459.00
KP Components Slam Specialties RE7 airbags (4) $320.00
KP Components front cup mounts $189.00
KP Components step notch kit $189.00
KP Components Viair 480C Compressors (2) $507.26
KP Components Varishock (4) $736.00
Assorted air line fittings and air line $119.00
Suspension total: $3,248.26 (prices from kplinks.com and do not include tax, shipping, or installation)
Fesler-Built 902 three-piece black wheels 22x9-inch (2) $2,238
Fesler-Built 902 three-piece black wheels 24x10-inch (2) $2,686
Yokohama Parada SpecX tires 285/35R22 (2) $578
Yokohama Parada SpecX tires 295/35R24 (2) $970
Wheel and tire total: $6,472.00 (prices from Superbuytires.com)
Total: $9,720.26 (price does not include installation)