Setting the Stance

INSTALLING A BELLTECH LOWERING KIT IN A ’96 GMC SIERRA C1500

Installing Belltech Lowering Kit in a ’96 GMC Sierra C1500

WHEN IT COMES TO LOWERED TRUCKS, THE STANCE IS EVERYTHING! Without the proper stance, the truck will not look good or handle correctly. One company has been getting it right since 1983—Belltech. Belltech was at the forefront of the sport truck craze in the early ’90s building parts for none other than the GMT400 trucks. The launch of the drop spindle allowed people to lower their trucks while maintaining front-end geometry. They also addressed the rest of the suspension with shackle kits, flip kits and lowering coil springs. All of these components resulted in a ride quality that hadn’t been realized before now.

We recently picked up a 1996 GMC Sierra C1500 as a project truck. It was a bit rough around the edges but had great bones and potential. A little elbow grease and replacing a few things such as the carpet and body side moldings had the truck looking much better than when we bought it. The next step was to address the suspension, brakes and wheels.

To get the stance and look we wanted, we reached out to our friends at Belltech and Ridler wheels. We knew we wanted it to be low, but didn’t want to lay frame.

The folks at Belltech recommended a 4/6 lowering kit with their

Street Performance shocks part #688SP. We chose the new Ridler 606 gray with milled spoke wheels wrapped in Toyo rubber to round out the look we were after.

While we were tearing into the suspension, we also decided to upgrade the brakes and steering components. We chose drilled and slotted front rotors and a rear disc conversion from Little Shop Manufacturing. To ensure the truck steered straight and true, new steering components and balljoints were in order from Proforged.

All of these parts combined are going to create a truck that handles as well as it looks. Lets dive into what it takes to istall a 4/6 lowering kit from Belltech.

01 As you can see from the before picture, it needs an altitude change!

03 The first order is to get the bed removed. We also chose to take a pressure washer to the frame to get rid of years of caked-on dirt and grime.

05 Take out the two bottom bolts and upper nut from the shock and discard the shock.

02 We laid all of the parts out and took inventory to ensure we had everything we needed to get the job done.

04 After we got the truck on the lift, we removed all of the wheels and tires. We decided to start on the front first. Unbolt the caliper and secure it out of the way to prevent damaging the brake hose. Remove the dust cap from the rotor, remove the spindle nut and the rotor assembly. Next detatch the backing plate from the spindle by unfastening the three bolts.

08 Slowly lower the control arm to release the tension on the coil spring. Make sure to stay clear in case the spring bounces out. Lift the spindle off of the lower ball joint. Now is the time to replace those worn-out ball joints as we did.

07 Support the lower control arm with a jack. Using a deadblow hammer, gently strike the spindle at the lower ball joint to release it. Repeat for the top ball joint. Once loose, you can now remove the nuts from the ball joints.

06 Pull out the cotter pins and unfasten the nuts from the tie rod end, upper and lower ball joints. Leave both nuts on the ball joints at this time to prevent the coil spring from unloading.

09 A comparison of the spindles and springs shows the difference and how it results in a drop.