a friend and i di this to 84 ram that he used to tow his street rod. it had a 400 bb auto. all we did was use small block coils and take 1 wrap out of them. doing this with the bb put the front down about 4". in the back just did a flip. the rear was a tad lower than the front so we used addaleaf form trail master and it added  about a 1" rake. the truck road good and handled great. one thing we used new front springs, the org 150000 springs when cut, bottomed out easily.

get this thread back up at the top...

so I've been eyeing the front cross member.  The sucker hangs lower than the frame rails and that's going to be a problem for me.  I haven't gotten under there in a while to really look at it but I was thinking of sectioning the cross member and moving it up.

Is the cross member welded to the frame rails?  Looking up from the bottom it kinda looks like there are a couple of big rivets attaching it to the bottom of the frame rails.  It looks like the bottom of the motor mounts are welded to the top of the cross member but I'm not sure if the top mounts are welded or riveted.

I'll have to take more measurements but I think that there is about 2" of clearance between the cross member and the oil pan so there's room to move it up.  Notching the cross member around the oil pan wouldn't be that big of a problem if it's required.

It's been a while since I've looked under there as well...but if you're going to do all that work on the front cross member (K-member is what I've heard it called) could you move the lower control arm mounts upward at the same time?  One of the handling problems with the 2wd trucks is that the roll center of the front suspension is excessively low relative to the vehicle's CG height.  By bringing the frame-side lower control arm mounts and upper control arm mounts closer together, you can raise the roll center.  I'm pretty sure this would require the drop LCAs, since they're shorter ball joint-to-bushing than stock, and would negate any suspension "lift" you'd get by moving the spring bucket upward too.  IF the drop LCA is equal length balljoint-to-bushing than the stock UCA is, and you position the new mount on the K-frame correctly, you'll move the roll center upward AND eliminate camber change with suspension drop.

the coils work just fine the reason the dont adversize them as 72-2001 is because of the different weights of the trucks and for that they cant sell them that way for liablity reasons

Just to confirm the 94+ Coils will work to drop an older ram but are not advertised as such to prevent legal issues. Ok if that is the case i know what i am addin to the parts list for project R/T. Just one question regarding the 60's Dodge Trucks i have a 63 D200 with a 313 V8 w/ 4 Speed Transmission are the 60's trucks lower then the newer trucks? i am wonderin because i have never had my 73 and my 63 side by side to be able to tell. The D200 looks like it is lower though just not sure. I plan on eventually restoring the D200 and maybe try to find some decent street tires for it with some steel 16' wheels (wagon wheel style or whatever i can find lol)

i just found out something sweet as hell today.    

come to find out the coils from the pre 93 s-10's will fit our trucks. this is the "low" down on the comparison this are random years but youll get the idea

85 dodge standard spring 10" free height,  load rate  1815
                                              inside dia. 3.994

88 s-10 standard spring 10.75" free height, load rate 1405
                                              inside dia. 4.85

the out side for both is roughly 5"
i picked up a set of 2" drop springs for an 88 s-10 for $20 and will try to fit them in the next few weeks. im waiting to get the other r/c from the shop so i can park my g/f's for repairs and drop session. ill be using a 2" drop shackle for the old body fords for the rear.

Just make sure you get  drop springs from an S10 with a V6. The way most of the good places will sell them is buy year, engine and amount of drop. I've got an '88 S10 with 3" springs and an I4 motor. The springs were different than an '88  S10 with 6. Remember that your R/C weighs a lot more than an S10 and a stock spring on an S10 will probably give you 2" of drop right off the bat.
JT

I put newer shocks on the front of my truck tonight.  HINT: DO NOT put oil shocks on a dropped truck.  Go with gas shocks.  While I was under there I decided to see what the air bags would look like.  I put a fullsize Chevy upper cup in and set the 2600# bag on top of the control arm.  I didn't use the lower cup because it would have been too tall.  This went real well.  All you'd have to do is weld a plate on the control arm for a lower bag mount.  This would lay the truck out on the bump stops and would tuck a few inches of a stock size tire.  There would be very little cutting involved.




At that height the stock size tires are almost hitting the wheel tubs.  To go lower you'd have to cut them out or run low profile tires.  Cutting the tubs out you'll run into other problems with relocating everything on the fenders.  The hood hinges also bolt to the inside fenders which bolt to the tubs.  It might get messy.

Sitting on the bump stops you're going to run into steering problems.  The pittman arm and idler are going to interfere with the radius rods.  I think that relocating the radius rods to the bottom of the control arm will remedy this to some extent.  The steering is at full lock left in the pic.



To correct the camber I think that you can move the upper control arm mounts up on the frame.  The mounts are riveted to the frame and welded to the tops of the upper spring cups.  There's a tech article in one of the new Street Trucks mags where Ekstensive did this on a 1 ton Chevy and it worked great.

I took my cut down Chisholm springs out and compared them to fullsize Chevy drop springs.  Mine are about 5 or 6 inches shorter.  Of course my truck almost rides on the bump stops.

It seems like all the cross members and everything are riveted to the frame so if you wanted to take it out to modify it it shouldn't bee TOO difficult.  While I was under there I was thinking how nice rack and pinion steering would be.

I have a few more pics up at http://public.fotki.com/lofrontier/93_d150/dropped_front/

I'm looking to sell those Chevy coils if anyone is interested.  You can cut them down to any height you need.  

what were the bags meant for?

well i know this may not settle well with most of ya. when i finally get a chance to drop my g/f's r/c im getting a set of 17" mondera voleras. i want something different and found a set at super buy tires
heres a link to the wheel

http://superbuytires.com/wheels_by_brand.html?stage=2&brand=Mondera&model=SUV+Volare&id=8305&sugg_tire=275/60x17&orig_sugg=275/60x17

Hey i have an 89 RC 2wd and was wondering if using 3" drop coils for a 94+ ram and using a ford drop shackle kit would it be a nice level 2/4 or 3/5 drop? my leafs are basically flat, no more curve. i am running 235/55/15s on all fours. since i need new shocks already what should i use with this new combo? also i have a TBI prob. at low to mid range throttle, one side sprays too much fuel and the other is almost dry. i have replaced the fuel filter and added STP injecter cleaned with a half bottle/half tank. TEXT

ok so lemme do a recap for any newbies that dont wanna flip through.



we will cover not bagged methods as bags are an entire other topic in them selves.

to lower the front there are several choices.
LOWER CONTROL ARMS
many 3/4 and 1 ton 2wd trucks use a different lower control arm. the spring cup is recessed which allows the spring to set lower. you need 2 of these lower control arms, the bolts, and need to drill the mounts for the larger bolts. now is a good time to beef the lca with any poly bushings you may use and or "boxing" the lca by welding flat stock to the bottom side.

another similar option is to use the ready (or not so ready) to bolt in lower control arms from chisholm or AIM.

you can also build your own set by cutting out the spring seat, and welding in a piece of 5" or 6" diamter pipe. and welding the spring seat into this.

there is also talk of modifying the ball joint mounts for better angles.

COIL SPRINGS
this is a bit broader.

dodge use a spring that is roughly 5" in diamter and 10" in length.

most any coil spring that fits these dimensions will physically fit. take 10" minus length and that is approximate drop if springs are both about as stiff

it is then up to you to decide if the spring rate is right for you.

vehicles with smaller diamter coils (the actuall wire wrap) gnerally are softer.

the increased weight of a dodge may result in even more drop (sag)

one example: 3" drop spring for an s10. [these will fit] the drop is based on a 4 cylinder model. by installing them in a dodge with v8, drop may be closer to 5".

for a firmer ride, a stiffer spring rate is needed.

a variety of springs (5''x9.5") can be purchased through a stock car racing out fit. $40 a piece.

chisholm also carries springs

coils can also be cut to further tune to your needs. these change characteristics slightly.

note: do not heat springs and alllow them to sag. this gives a slammed look but the spring will eventually collapse.

Dropped Spindles
at one time they were available, but are no longer.
happens to be that 1980s dakotas use the same spindle.
these are available through several manufacturers.

this is a viable option to drop approx 2" w/o changing alignment or geometry.

this fits 81-93 dodge rams. in order to install these on an older ram, you must machine the spindle to accept the smaller wheel bearing or swap to a later 81-85 rotor

thats about it for the front

there are several options to get that rear down low too (unless you like a mega-rake 70s style )

Axle Flip
this is where the leaf spring is relocated. Instead of sitting on top of the axles, the leaf spring is moved under neath. To calculate drop you add leaf spring pack thickness + spring perch height + axle tube diameter + and blocks/axle shims

this is done by welding a new set of perches to the bottom of the axle. These perches can be found for about $3 through a place like northern that handles trailer supplies. Read the how to for more detailed info.

A commercially available axle flip can be installed as well. These are most any mid/full size truck with a 3” axle tube. Such as one off a  70s-87 chebby ½ ton.

Shackles/Hangers

this is simple. By moving the mounting points of the leaf springs, further up, the truck is lowered. There is commercially available sets for older dodges through AIM. Lowered sets for other trucks can be used. Most any hanger can be used off most any vehicle. You can simply drill new mounting holes higher up. Also you can purchase/build adjustable shackles. A longer one will result in more drop.

Leaf Spings

once again. The sky is the limit. Most any full size spring can be used if proper hanger/shackle mods are done. There are flatter springs available for many trucks. Not dodges. You can remove a leaf or 2. this will decrease load capacity and make for a softer ride but will also lower you a bit.

When I posted this topic I never thought that it would get this much attention.

well i have the 2" drop coils from a v-6 s-10 and will be using 205/65/15's on the front for now. on the rear im going to put a set of drop shackles for the older fords with 225/75/15's.  sadly i only have the stock 15x6 rims and gonna paint them till next year when i can get a set of wheels.  

the only down side to all this is i have to wait till i get my other r/c back(4x4 clone  )

hmm i wonder what we will talk about now?

air bags? body drop? some other technique? mabe front cross member mods or steering or 4 links?

we can talk about the wheels that will go on our lowered rides.

think ill get some 15x7 or 8 stars for now till i can get a set of 17's

I can speak to bags and body drops as I own 3 bagged and body dropped trucks (not the Ram though).  

I'll tackle body drops first.  I'd say that sectioning it probably the #1 mos difficult overall body mod, Chop tops and body drops are fighting for #2 and 3.  

Body drops, or channeling as the old skoolers call it, is basically cutting the cab and bed floor free from the rest of the body, lowering the body down over the floor so the rockers are even with the bottom of the frame (or lower), and welding it all back up.  Sounds simple enough but doing it right takes a lot of skill, time and planning.  You have to fabricate a lot of new stuff, relocate all kinds of stuff, deal with interfering parts...  The end result is totally worth it though.

Stock floor body drops are a fairly new thing to the truck world.  It's essentially lowering the body mounts on the frame, cutting off the interfering top part of the frame and boxing it in.  This way your rockers lay on the ground but there is minimal modification to the factory floor and you keep all the headroom.

getting your Ram to lay frame on 18's is going to be difficult mainly because of the front suspension.  I think some crossmember mods will be in order as well as a swap to rack and pinion steering.  Definately not impossible but just not a walk in the park.

If you're doing all the work to get the truck to lay down and to install a 4 link moving the gas tank up a hair is small beans.  If it's an RC I don't think they're even close to the ground.

Doing a standard b/d on a RC is going to be a bit more work than doing a pickup.  On a PU most of the work is with the cab floor.  An RC is essentially a huge cab floor.  The amount of extra cutting could be minimal.  Then again if you install a big notch in the frame, want to go real low on some tall tires things will get tricky with the rear floor.  You'll have to rebuild the floor around the wheel tubs and above the axle.

Like I said, take the time to plan out as much as you can.  Spend a few days under there with a tape measurer seeing where everything is going to be with the axle 10" or so higher and the body 3" or more lower over the floor.

every b/d is different.  To get over the front crossmember issue you can drop the body a couple more inches so the cross member will lay and the body will be a couple inches lower than the frame rails.  If you like welding on your frame you can Z the front frame rails up a couple inches just forward of the firewall.  

just some food for thought.

If you're wondering how much mayhem is involved I have a bunch of pics of the Mazda pickup that I body dropped and bagged here  http://public.fotki.com/LoFrontier/the_maz/

what kinda body kit are you talkin about?

I will NEVER endorse the use of a body kit on any vehicle!  yuk!

Standard - you have a RC, right.  If so the gas tank might hang down below the rear frame rails but it's much higher than the frame rails between the wheels.  That's where it counts.

I met a guy a while back on another forum that was bagging and body dropping his dad's old 70's step side Ram on 20's.  Last I heard from him it was going well.  I'll try to look him up and see how he made out.

thanks for the help, i will prolly lay it out on 17s and 18s. if i have it flat on the ground, could i body drop it so the rockers lay on the groung and weld the inside up? i dont know if i would body drop it though. and yes its a RC, click the link below for my site, under "slam charger" thanks

well i figured the easiest way to get the body even with the frame bould be having the frame on the ground

wish i could find a set of wheels like these

I'm pretty sure that the RC's are built a lot like the Rams.  On the Rams the front suspension cross member is about 1.5 - 2 inches lower than the frame rails.

The thought of building a new frame has crossed my mind more than once.  I just can't justify putting that much money into my Ram that is slowly rusting away.  I wouldn't put a Mustang II IFS in it though.  It's a CAR suspension and I wouldn't feel safe with it under my truck especially if I was towing.  There's a company out there, I might have mentioned it somewhere in this long thread, that makes front cross members based on Dakota suspension!  And we all know how much easier it is to get Dak drop suspension parts.

It's my feelings that boxing in your frame is going to be overkill.  It'll look wicked nice but isn't really needed.

I can't really see the wheels in that pic.  Kinda look like Niche Flys though.

hey i dont see the pic. wow 5 pages of lowering! where did you get paintshop pro? thanks