Anyone lower a 4x4

I know there are a lot of lowered 2 wheel drive trucks but has anyone lowered a 4x4?

I am thinking that with the full time of the 203 and a lowered 4x4 chassis it could be a fun ride on some of the twisty dirt back roads.

Lots of IFS 4x4s, but I've never seen a solid axle 4x4 lowered. Even the factory lowered some 4x4s (well, AWD, same but different), namely the Syclone and Typhoon.

I'm thinking the oil pan would need to be different so that the axle wouldn't hit it not sure about the front crossmember though.

Probably change the spring perches to spring under or something like that.

A couple of jack stands set under the frame at the level You want it to set at, a torch across the front springs an it`ll settle right down where You want it.

JUST KIDDING

I did straight axle a 73 Chevy Nova once though, it set too high and that is how I lowered it.

This thread is why I like this forum so much. Someone ask a question and he gets real answers. Just because its not what you would do to your ride, why put down people who want to try something different.

I was poking around at this myself on here a while back.

One of my "dream" trucks would be a lowered K5 with an AWD drivetrain and for it to be powered by an 800+ hp big block. I just think that would be a one-of-a-kind badass ride.

Gmule said:

I'm thinking the oil pan would need to be different so that the axle wouldn't hit it not sure about the front crossmember though.

Probably change the spring perches to spring under or something like that.

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I think, it was the 66 Nova SS that may have had a twin sump oil pan.
A stock pan like that might be good, the valley across the bottom of the pan just might line up just right for the differential clearance.

pmayojr said:

This thread is why I like this forum so much. Someone ask a question and he gets real answers. Just because its not what you would do to your ride, why put down people who want to try something different.

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You might see some put downs made in fun, but NO, nothing like other forums calling people stupid for their ideas. If you've ever went to many forums, you see flat ass trashing people or bullying or the ones where they're so damn tight their ass squeaks when they fart and you can't even say "Hummer" as in a H2 or "Jacking" as in jacking up a truck because it's to close to jacking off. I know of a truck forum you can't even say "Scrapping" because it's got crapping in the word. All those words come out as ********, so then every one thinks you're a cuss freak. We're not tight at all, but damn sure won't have any name calling or bullying type **** going on here.

And as Retro said, I've seen many lowered IFS 4x4's but not Straight Axle 4x4's.

4-link the front with coilovers or air bags and fab a new oil pan to give the pumpkin more room to travel then 3 (or 4) link the rear and you'll be set.
Easy-Peasy

Jake

Hell, in California people put HUGE lift kits on their 2wd pickups, why not lower a 4x4? I think that's cooler than jacking up a 2wd. It would kinda be a sleeper then. slap a c10 emblem on the side too lol

Well, here at GMSB we don't think inside the box, we don't think outside the box, we redesign and build a NEW box.

Beatdown Z said:

One of my "dream" trucks would be a lowered K5 with an AWD drivetrain and for it to be powered by an 800+ hp big block. I just think that would be a one-of-a-kind badass ride.

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He'll yeah, same vision (mine might have been a couple hundy less on the HP but I can adapt).

HotRodPC said:

And as Retro said, I've seen many lowered IFS 4x4's but not Straight Axle 4x4's.

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IMO...a 70's - 80's 4x4 with late model or custom long travel IFS with an aggressively lowered stance (kinda like a trophy truck) would be sweeter than bad a$$. Actually it's all the rage in extreme off road racing currently. Maybe 8 years ago Walker Evans did something many believed, at the time, to be crazy and built a competition rock crawler that was IFS. It was different and many didn't get it because, until then, most crawlers that were worth a damn were straight axle (even converts from IFS).





The setup was extremely successful however Walker ditched it and went back to a solid axle setup a year or so later because the setup and tuning time necessary to dial it in for the variety of courses was excessive. Some years later in what's think was the second year of King of the Hammers, another guys named Shannon Cambell rolled out his new IFS pimped rig and, to the amazement of just about everyone, he killed it.





IMO both of these rigs qualify as lowered given their stance. Obviously the pictures show some serious fab skills and, no question, to pull it off it, you'd need to put on your thinking hat. Even the more likely conversion of a SOA rig to late model IFS would come with its share of challenges (like frame considerations, donor vehicles, and the need for some fab skills). Regardless of the path taken, if executed, the project would be legendary x2. A lowered solid axle could be neat however clearance issues might not allow it to become a reality (unless lowered means slightly lower than stock) unless you're willing to bias the motor more to the opposite side of the front diff housing, notch the frame, and figure out what to do with the steering (rack and pinion on a solid axle?). If you're any of these kinds of crazy, I'll subscribe.

RetroC10Sport said:

Well, here at GMSB we don't think inside the box, we don't think outside the box, we redesign and build a NEW box.

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There is certainly some truth to that.

A dry sump oil system would give the pumpkin more travel room.

Jake