Truck Body Kits: How to Lower a Pickup Truck

Truck body kits add some extra flair to pickups. They can make it look unique and menacing. Lowering your truck will give it a sleek look. Lower ride height not only looks better but it will improve your truck's handling and aerodynamics. Having a lower height will reduce the amount you can haul. The lower your truck is, the less it can carry or tow. But, if that sleek look is what you want here are a few tools and instructions for the job. Follow the steps below to get it done.

Step 1: Preparations

Raise your truck using the hydraulic jack and place it on the concrete blocks. You can use other available means for holding it up. Always exercise safety first when raising your vehicle on blocks. Take measurements of the front and rear ride heights and write them down. Remove the wheels using your tire iron. Disassemble the front end using your wrench. Loosen the ball joints at the top and bottom.

Step 2: Replacing the Suspension

Remove the rotor from the brakes. Use your wrench to loosen and remove the coil spring. Remove the old suspension completely. Use the new suspension components from your truck body kit. The components are the springs, coil, and shocks. Install the new coil spring from the truck body kit. This is hard to do without a professional tool. Get someone to help you force it into place. Once done, install the new drop spindles. Reconnect the upper and lower ball joints to the suspension. Install the new shock absorbers on the suspension, using your wrench to secure it in place. You will need shorter bolts, depending on how low the ride height is compared to before. If you only reduced it slightly you can use the old bolts.

Step 3: Setting Ride Height

Remove the torsion bar using your wrench. Loosen the nut holding the coil in place to increase the ride height. Tighten it up to lower it. Use your previous measurements to lower the ride height to a desired percent. The lower the ride height, the bigger the impact on the suspension will be when hitting a pothole. Keep this in mind when doing it. A 30% reduction in ride height is generally a good number. Calculate the percentage based on your earlier measurements.

Step 4: Finishing Up

Once you are satisfied with the ride height of your pickup truck it’s time to finish things up. Place the brake rotors back in place. Secure them using your wrench to tighten the nut to a snug fit. Place the front end back in place. Put the wheels back on and secure them in place using your tire iron. Use you hydraulic jack to lift the truck off the concrete blocks. Remove the concrete blocks and slowly lower the truck back onto its wheel. Do a final check on all the nuts to make sure they’re properly secured. Take the truck for a drive to check its new ride height. Drive slowly to avoid accidents caused by a bad installation. Testing it in a large parking lot is a good idea.