Gettin’ Down
with Your Bad Self
(Sorry
Guys, This One’s for the Minitrucker
In All of Us.)
By
Justin Wynn
The
scrape of metal against fresh blacktop. The
looks of wonderment amongst the bystanders
as sparks spray all over the road. The
feeling of being able to lean out
your window and touch the pavement
with ease. These feelings
are indescribable.
Within
this sport, we truck owners have
two options: going high or getting’ low. For
me, nothing beats the sensation of
rolling down the street draggin’ frame
or body, preferably body. Although
this isn’t for everyone, for
a minitrucker, this is life.
But
how does one go about achieving this
lower stance?
The
easiest and simplest way to lower
your ride is the static drop. This
consists of replacing your factory
suspension parts, such as coils,
springs, control arms, etc., with
aftermarket parts that alter the
stance of your ride. Depending
on the combination of these parts,
one could easily lower there ride
anywhere from one to seven inches. Although
one could go further, this could
make for a bumpy ride.
If
this isn’t low enough, the
adjustable suspension is your answer. The
possibilities of air or hydraulic
suspension are endless with the aftermarket
community booming with direct bolt
or weld on applications for nearly
any ride. But depending on
your rim and tire combo and how crazy
you want to get with your setup,
this modification may be too much
for the average enthusiast and seeking
the help of a professional may be
a wise decision.
Now,
for those who wish to achieve the
ultimate low, the bodydrop is your
friend. To body drop your ride
entails lowering the body over the
frame rails till it lays on the ground
along with the frame. This
can be achieved in several fashions
but the two most popular are the
traditional and the stock floor methods. Traditional
body dropping involves cutting out
your floor and welding it back up
once the body has been dropped to
the desired amount. To stock
floor your truck involves building
or modifying the actual frame rails
under the cab to lower the body without
losing headroom. Both of these
methods are definitely not for the
average enthusiast and unless you
feel capable of performing these
tasks alone, seeking the help of
a qualified shop is essential.
Although
I’ve said that a lot of these
suspension modifications are not
for beginners, but by no means am
I discouraging those who are willing
to take measures into their own hands
and cut into their rides because
I’m one of those people as
well. Just be careful and take
your time because hack jobs not only
cause accidents, they bring a bad
name to the sport and yourself.
Until
next month, keep your head high and
your ride low.
Justin
|
