Topic: Newbie Needs Help with new Lowered 04 Avy

[dbhn]

I've got a new to me 04 Avy z71 that has been lowered.  The ride seems unusually bad over bumps at higher speeds.  The rear end really bangs.  It also hops pretty bad when taking bumpy corners.  I am completely in the dark about what was done to the suspension.  I suspect it may need new shocks but not sure how long these Nitro Drop 2s have been on.  But I am not that knowledgeable here and this is just a guess. The truck as 68k on it.   I've searched and searched for other shocks but am not finding any that fit my truck other than the Drop 2s. 

I was hoping the members here could help ID my lowering kit/components and possibly give some input on how I can get a smoother/better ride.   Below are pics of the truck including shots of the wheel wells (to get a visual of where it sits) as well as the rear and front suspensions.   Let me know if I missed a shot of something.

Any input you guys could give me as to what was done to this vehicle, how much it is lowered, what shocks are best for this setup, etc. would be greatly appreciated.   

Thanks in advance.  I have learned a lot on this site already and hope to learn more...

Truck


Front Wheel Well


Rear Wheel Well


Rear Spring


Rear DS


Rear PS


Front Susp.


Inside Front Wheel

[bluedevil]

That looks like a 2/3 drop.  Do you have contact with the previous owner?


Are the front spindles 2" drop?  or the keys where replaced with 2"?


Here's the basics....

Replacing the keys is a no-no.  It will give one helluva ride feel.   Spindles are much much better.

Crawl under it ( safely) and see if the spindles have any marking like brand and such.


The dog bones seem about right.   It could be that is time to replace shocks but hard to tell.

[dbhn]

Thanks Blue.  I suspected a 2/3 drop.  I have no contact with last owner. 

Any suggestions on shocks for this setup?   

I don't really know what to look for/at to tell if the spindles or keys were done.  Is there a better pic I could take?  What should I look for/at? 

[bluedevil]

If the spindles have some sort of brand stamped, then they where replaced with a 2" drop.   If none are found, then they're the factory ones and the keys got replaced to give the 2" drop.   Its either ,or.

Keys really suck when it comes to driveability and feel.   Spindles are better.

I would take it to a tire shop and for sure and can tell whats original and whats not. 

[dbhn]

Just took a look and the spindles do look stock.  I compared some pics and both Belltech and Mc's spindles have prominent indents on the visible side - mine have no space there nor any indents.  There is no markings, etc. that I can see. 

I took a look at the torsion keys (just found out what they were and where) and I can't quite tell if they are replaced or not the bolt certainly looks like it has been played with.  The pass. side is backed out about 1.25" while the driver side is only backed out a little and is about 1" further in.  I thought that was a bit odd. 

Could the front have been lowered with just the stock keys by adjusting them? 

[bluedevil]

Just took a look and the spindles do look stock.  I compared some pics and both Belltech and Mc's spindles have prominent indents on the visible side - mine have no space there nor any indents.  There is no markings, etc. that I can see. 

I took a look at the torsion keys (just found out what they were and where) and I can't quite tell if they are replaced or not the bolt certainly looks like it has been played with.  The pass. side is backed out about 1.25" while the driver side is only backed out a little and is about 1" further in.  I thought that was a bit odd. 

Could the front have been lowered with just the stock keys by adjusting them?

Ok.   Thge keys definetly have been replaced.   Even the stock keys to lower the truck is not going to give the 2" drop.   Those obviously are aftermarket.

See,.... i once had 2" drop keys and theyre the worst thing you can add to lower anything.  The ride is horrible and nothing you can do.  Keys are used for show cars that dont move and such.

I see the red "bump stops" in the front.  I had them too but now i use originals.

I'd say find the factory keys on eBay or salvage yard, replace them and add spindles.


For what is worth, i use McGaugheys 2" spindles with stock shocks.  In the back i use stock shocks with extenders with 3" drop coils.

[MyBigToy]

Those rear sway bar dogbones are DJM Suspension pieces for a 3" drop. I've got the same ones on my Av. 

One thing I see that's probably hurting your ride is that the rear bump stops appear to be pretty much sitting on the stops already. You should have some clearance between the bump and the stop. Essentially what you are getting is that your suspension is already bottomed out and you are getting a "bounce" from the bump hitting the stop every time the suspension compresses. About the only thing you can do is either add a spacer to the coil spring or cut some off the bottom of the bump stop to allow the suspension to move without constantly bottoming out. I've got the stock rear bump stops on my truck and I only had to cut one of the three "bumps" off so something is different between your setup and mine. I've got Eibach 2.8" rear drop springs; yours are definitely not Eibachs.

[bluedevil]

Those rear sway bar dogbones are DJM Suspension pieces for a 3" drop. I've got the same ones on my Av.

I should get those.  I still use the factory dogbones.


The extenders came with a diagram on how to bend the factory dogbones to a degree but i never did.

[MyBigToy]

I should get those.  I still use the factory dogbones.


The extenders came with a diagram on how to bend the factory dogbones to a degree but i never did.

You're right, you need to get them. The truck will handle quite a bit better once you bring the sway bar ends back to a more stock attitude. I noticed a big improvement in ride/handling when I installed the shock drop brackets and rear trailing arm drop brackets. They're pretty cheap, too (at least compared to some of the other mods you and I have done!).

[dbhn]

Thanks guys.  A big help. 

I had figured out the DJM hardware kit when I noticed the replaced brackets too.  They are the stipled gray too and come in package with the dogbones. 

Is there nothing else I can do the get the back end off the bump stops?  I do suspect that is my main issue.  Could my springs be shot?  I have 68K on the truck and don't know when these were installed.  It is not resting on the stop very heavily (I can still wiggle the stop) and the stop is rather soft.  Because of the softness, I suspect when I hit a big bump it is completely compressing this stop and banging metal on metal.  I also fear cutting this as the "seam" is very close to the metal (only about 1/2") and would leave a lot of rubber to hold it back.  I fear metal on metal would get worse. 

Also, on the key issue.  Could I crank them back to only drop the front 1"?  Would it improve my ride?  I realize I'd have to align it again.    I think the keys are also DJM that are likely 1" to 2" drop. 

[MyBigToy]

I would guess you could crank the keys to raise the truck back up 1" but, as Blue indicated, lowering keys aren't the ideal way to go due to a sh!tty ride. Looking at the space between the front bump stop and the control arm shows plenty of space so you aren't bottoming out there.

If you did that, you could also buy a 3/4" Daystar coil spring spacer for the back. I really doubt your springs are shot; 64k miles isn't a lot of miles. That is, unless they are some off-brand, non-tempered crap springs. I think they might be Hotchkis springs; I just put a set of their 1.5" lowering springs on my Cadillac CTS and they were gray.

One thing you might take a look at is to pull the shocks out, especially in the rear, and see if they are shot. I know I've seen some complaints before about Nitro shocks not lasting a long time.

When I originally did the 3" drop on the rear I only did the coil springs and kept the original Z71 Bilstein shocks. It rode like crap, partly because of the lack of shorter dogbones for the antisway bar but also partly because of compressing the shock more than it was designed for. All of those problems were solved when I added the shock drop brackets, shorter antisway bar dogbones, and rear trailing arm drop brackets (although I also replaced the Bilsteins all the way around at the same time because they were totally shot). I decided it was better to go with a shock drop bracket and maintain stock-length shocks rather than lose suspension travel by going with a shorter shock.