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DKSS

Member
  • Posts

    6
  • Joined

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Previous Fields

  • Owns
    SS
  • Silverado SS/VHO/TrailBlazerSS Color
    Victory Red
  • SS/VHO/TrailBlazerSS Year
    2003
  • Drivetrain Config
    AWD

Profile Information

  • Name
    Derek
  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Centerville

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  1. Yesterday I finished up my Belltech 2/2 lowering kit (Keys and Hangers) I bought for my 03 SS. I've read on here that a lot of people go that route. In all the articles I read no one mentioned the pure night mare of changing out the rear hangers. I really anticipated the front keys being the headache. I was wrong. I had those changed in 30 mins or less. The rear hangers was 4 hours. The rear hanger bolts were seized into the leaf spring bushing and the factory hanger like I have never seen in my life. Being from the Midwest these trucks see everything. Humidity from all get out to crazy cold and salt and sand on the highways. I'm sure these contributed to a lot of my issues. If I ruined the rubber bushing in the hanger no big deal. But with my box still on the truck the last thing I wanted to do was change the rubber and sleeve in the leaf spring or change the leaf spring altogether. That being said I wanted to share what I learned (if anything) from this deal and maybe it could help someone else. I dropped the receiver hitch down to get the bottom hanger bolt out. I used a half inch impact and worked the bolt back and forth till it finally broke loose. I took the bottom bolt out and with the truck on a jack and then I let it down to let the leaf spring rest against the box. For the top bolt I had to drop the spare tire down. Then my impact would just fit between the box and the frame cross member. Once again I tried working the bolt back and forth with no luck this time. I got a long ratchet breaker bar and with my foot against the bumper started pulling and finally got it to move. Back with the impact I went until the bolt finally spun free. Then I got a BFH to knock them the rest of the way out. Going back together I used a significant amount of antiseeze when I put the bolts back in. The truck looks amazing but I'm really starting to wonder if dinner with my mother in law wouldn't have been more enjoyable..........,..
  2. So I just purchased 22" reps and the BellTech 2/2 rear hanger and drop keys for my 03 SS. They just showed up today so I hope to install them this weekend or early next week. I plan on dropping the front 1" and the back end 2". I want a lower stance but the truck to still be functionalble. http://www.belltech.com/products/belltech/complete-lowering-kits/lowering-kits-15379.html My question is once I drop the truck I assume I need to take it to the alignment shop. Is there an ideal setting for the front end of just back to factory specs? Dropping the truck should change camber negatively right? Also is there anything i need to look out for with pinion angle or other suspension geometry issues. I also got 305/45/22 with a 22x10 rep wheel. Should I foresee any clearance issues with the slight drop I'm doing?
  3. DKSS

    03 SS

    Excluding the front cover assembly and grille I believe the rest of my parts would be the same as a standard truck right?
  4. DKSS

    03 SS

    Yes I stopped at the GM garage today and priced everything as a worst case scenario. I can get parts with my father's body shop discount so surprisingly some stuff wasn't priced to bad but some stuff wad pretty scary. I'm going to find alot of smaller stuff at the salvage yards just leaving me with the bigger stuff (sheet metal and SS exclusive items). I will check out LMC. The brake duct stuff I knew nothing about. I got some research to do!
  5. DKSS

    03 SS

    I purchased a wrecked 03 SS today. I'm new to these trucks so will be learning alot. Light front end damage but am needing some direction on where to get a quality bumper cover and grille. My father owns a body shop so I'm able to get all the other common sheet metal and plastic parts parts thru him. Any suggestions?
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