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Stanley

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Posts posted by Stanley

  3. 2005 Ss For Sale

    in SSs & VHOs Only

    Posted

    I'm thinking about selling my 2005 Silverado SS due to some health issues. It's black with a 2" lowering kit and a Volant filter and scoop other than that it is bone stock. I has about 80,000 miles on it but since I,m old school I have all of the dealer maintenance records. What would be a good price to sale it for?

  4. Volant Air Scoop

    in Bolt On Performance

    Posted

    im having trouble fitting the scoop of my duct and cant seem to get it to fit right without forcing it and the tire rubbing when i turn anyone else have this problem or solutions thanks

     

     

    I have the same problem when I make a sharp left turn going forward or a sharp right turn in reverse. The problem can be greatly reduced by using a few large zip ties to keep the inner fender from the front right tire.

  6. 4l80e Nvg-149 32 Spline Input Gear Adapter

    in AWD, Differential, & Transmission Tech

    Posted

    I've been selling these for quite awhile, but I don't think anyone really knows about them. Chuck at FLT has been using them for a few years with excellent success. We have had them in several 800hp+ Silverados and Escalades that have swapped to a 4L80E with the NVG-149 Transfer case. Not a single one has failed yet unlike the turned down output shafts for the 4L80E.

     

    This swap is very easy to to do. You just need to take apart the stock transfer case, pull the input gear out, and put this new input gear in. Takes about 30 min to 60 min depending on your skill level.

     

    I sell these for $325 + $80 core for your stock input gear. I have several on the shelf ready to ship. I can also sell a complete Transfer Case with this installed, or you can send yours in and I can perform the install for you.

     

    inputgear1.jpg

    inputgear2.jpg

    inputgear3.jpg

    inputgear4.jpg

  9. Serious Vibrations After Drop.

    in Suspension & Brakes

    Posted

    i just have to pull out the old 2 degree shims and start from scratch because the driveshaft angle is way to extreme, and the awd trucks all have a 1 piece drive shaft not a 2 piece. see attached pic for what the driveline angle is now.

     

     

    That angle does look extreme; after I dropped my rear 2-inches I have a slight vibration from 68 to 75 mph. According to the forum at the beginning of the suspension section you need about a degree of correction for every inch dropped but, I could not find anyone to tell me what the range of allowable pinion angles are required for a smooth ride. That would indicate which shim is correct before you finished the correction. The nest time I’m at the dealer I’ll try and find out what is an acceptable range for the pinion angle. With that being said you angle looks extreme, maybe you do have the shims in backwards. :chevy:

  10. Stock Exhaust

    in Bolt On Performance

    Posted

    Ok, I finally got around to buying a new exhaust. I went with the same set up as 12'SROCK has on his. Magnaflow 2in/2out stainless exhaust muffler. I did not want to spend a ton of money on a whole new bolt on unit. My question is should I keep the stock exhaust intact and hold onto it for some reason or just cut it up and replace the stock muffler with the new Magnaflow? :confused: I am just going to do turn downs for right now until I decide how I want to run the exhaust. I just hate cutting up the truck like that. Any feedback would be appreciated.

     

     

    I’ve looked at several exhaust systems including the Corsa and none of the metal used on any of them appear to hold up as well as the metal on my three year old stock SS exhaust. Also the bends on most of the aftermarket exhaust appear more severe than on the stock exhaust. Therefore I can’t see where all of the horsepower gains come from. The only weakness I see on the exhaust is the piping between the exhaust manifolds and the muffler flange which is not changed in cat back system. I think that a replacement in that part of the system would yield more horsepower gains than a cat back system over the exhaust system used on the SS. I do agree that replacing the muffler might yield some gains if the connections between the muffler and adjoining pipes were done correctly. :confused:

  11. Collection of Lowering Notes and Best Practices

    in Suspension & Brakes

    Posted

    I dredged through all the lowering-related threads, and here are some technical high points from 2-3 years of talk on the subject:

     

    FRONT:

    * changing the front suspension more than 1-inch up or down will create HUGE changes in suspension camber, the truck will "walk like a bull dog" until it is aligned so remember to budget for a good alignment as part of the project;

    * Spindles are preferred over keys or nothing at all, nobody has ever posted that they wished they used torsion bar keys instead of spindles, nor has anyone said they regretted using spindles;

    * correctly installed/adjusted spindle kits have a small improvement in handling by significantly lowering the truck's center of gravity, the torsion key swaps retain near-stock body roll, and torsion bar jobs have shown significant increases in body roll (due to loss of suspension travel) with several saying they seriously feared driving their freshly lowered truck;

    * Early McGaughys (pronounced MA-goys) spindles caused an increase in turning radius - this design oversight was corrected in later spindles, and Belltech spindles never had this problem;

    * Front lowering spindles will only fit a 17-inch or larger rim, and as the spare is a 16-inch rim this means that you cannot use the spare on the front any more however you can put the OEM spare on the rear and move a good rear tire up to the front;

    * Torsion key swaps will require that you relieve spring pressure by using a special tool or 7-ton puller to uncompress/re-compress the torsion bars (rent from auto parts store), several have tried using hardware store c-clamps and the clamps failed (busted) in the process;

    * a few enthusiasts who bought the torsion key kits (not all) changed over to, or later added, dropped spindles and reported that doing so finally made their efforts worthwhile;

    * Lowering the suspension by cranking down on the torsion bars to excess has in cases caused loss of suspension travel, spongier ride, alignment issues, and darting under braking;

    * many that cranked down their torsion bars (rather than use keys or spindles) later either regreted it, changed it, or admited that they were living with a compromise in handling but appreciated its cheap cost;

    * Dropping the front of the AWD SS more than 2-inches (by any method) risks causing CV-joint binding and hence front-end vibration which is felt under acceleration at specific vehicle speeds in the steering column and firewall, and will momentarily disappear as you travel over a bump in the highway - it was discovered that this is corrected by cranking the torsion bars back up a quarter-turn at a time until the binding/vibration is relieved;

    * vibration can also come from the truck riding on the bumpstops, and Mike McGaughy recommends improving ride quality by cutting 1/3rd off the factory bumpstop (one 'nub') - there are also shorter aftermarket bumpstops on the market (stylinconcepts) but they are harder than the OEM rubber ones;

    * Spindle kits allow you to retain stock-length shocks, torsion key kits and adjusted torsion bar jobs will benefit from correspondingly shorter shocks as there is less suspension travel (the Ground Force and Belltech units come well recommended), but are not absolutely required as the suspension will bottom-out before the shock does;

    * There have been fit-up problems with the McGaughy's spindles on '05+ trucks, as the OEM ball joint design was changed with introduction of larger OEM rotors; this requires an advanced installation workaround.

     

    REAR:

    * Installing aftermarket leaf spring hangers (secures front of the leaf to the frame) is an absolute biatch of a task as the OEM hangers are riveted and must be ground/torched/drilled out - you'll cry tears of pain in the process and tears of joy when it's done;

    * If installing leaf spring front hangers you must remove the fuel tank for access, prepare beforehand by running the truck almost out of fuel as each gallon weighs 6.1 lbs;

    * the best way to get the spring hanger rivets out is with a cutting torch, a skilled hand will have both hangers off in 15-minutes flat - the second way is to grind the heads of the rivets off with a 4.5" grinder (or air chisel) and pound them out with a 5/16" drift punch and 3 or 5-lb sledge hammer, this will take several hours; IF AT ALL POSSIBLE get a torch!

    * I discovered it is easiest to remove the spring hangers if you cut/grind the outside head of the rivets, not the head on the inside of the frame rail (trust me on this, after grinding on the inside heads you will still not be able to hammer them out with a punch, grind/cut/torch the outside ones)

    * step-by-step: first cut/grind down all six outside rivets (and don't worry about digging into the bracket), second use a 5/16" drift punch to punch out the bottom two rivets, third use a 3 or 5-lb sledge and *bash* the hanger off from the inboard side (3 or 4 solid hits on the bottom-inside edge of the hanger will have it free); after removing the hanger, it is an easy job to pound the rivet stubs inward through the frame rail until they're flush and then a final few hits with the drift punch will clear the holes;

    * though not required a few have pulled the truck bed to make the job easier (8 bolts, a couple extra friends, 20-mins);

    * On heavily lowered trucks with the large aluminum driveshafts (SS) it is highly recommended that the mid-bed frame crossmember be cut-out the as it adds no support to the frame (it's not much thicker than exhaust tubing) and will strike/damage the driveshaft if the truck *totally* bottoms-out;

    * When using the recommended combination of front hangers and rear shackles it is still important that the installer uses the correct bracket configuration to maintain the critical pinion angle - this is a mistake a lot of McGaughys installers make and according to Mike McGaughy to set the correct pinion angle (assuming his 2"/3.5" drop kit) the leaf spring is to be attached to the front hanger using the 2-inch (lower) hole, and to the rear shackle using the 1-inch (lower) hole;

    * using only rear leaf-spring shackles (without front hangers) will certainly alter pinion angle and introduce vibration that can be felt in the seat and/or floorboard, several have reported that this is corrected with installation of either a 2, 3, or 4-degree shim - the thick part of the shim is oriented to the rear of the spring;

    * vibration can also come from the truck riding on the rear bumpstops, an improvement in ride quality can be gained by removing the mounting bracket from the rear bumpstops and remounting the bumpstops to the frame (an OEM mounting hole is already present for this), also Mike McGaughy has said that the rear bumpstop length can be cut down as short as 1/2-inch if desired;

    * The McGaughy's deluxe kit (comes with both hangers and shackles) maintains stock-length shocks;

    * Hard-core tech - according to Ground Force engineers, the OEM Silverado SS pinion angle is 3.8, driveline angle is 2.8, and trans angle is 5.7;

    * If the truck is fitted with a rear sway bar, the links ("dog bones") will need to be shortened/modified so that the bar is level again in its resting/neutral position;

    * towing with a lowered truck can get bumpy (as you are bottomed-out on the bumpstops) but does not present any problems, several have installed either an overload/helper spring (low-tech) or the Firestone rear airbag kit (high-tech) with great success - owners of the Firestone kits rave about them;

    * it may still be necessary to have the driveline (U-joint) angles double-checked and corrected by an experienced driveline, 4x4 off-road, or chassis fab shop to eliminate driveline vibration, this could require shimming or shaving of engine mounts, transmission mount, or axle mounts to restore correct drivetrain geometry.

     

    COSTS (GIVE OR TAKE):

    * Several have reported real aerodynamic gains after lowering - both increased fuel economy (1-2 mpg) and top speeds;

    * Complete drop kits featuring front spindles cost between $400 and $450, and require a moderate-to-professional degree of automotive skill (or talent) to install - these are not newbie friendly kits and will take 6-12 hours to completely install; professional shops typically charge $300-400 to install a complete lowering package, not including price of the kit, so if you elect to do this the final expense could be anywhere from $750 to $950;

    * For those contemplating a front spindle kit DIY, rice750sxi was nice enough to document his McGaughy's front spindle install here;

    * Complete torsion key kits cost anywhere between $265 and $385 (depending on whether they come with new shocks or not); the torsion key kits can be installed in a half-to-full day by most automotive novices right in the driveway with the help of jackstands, a rented key compressor, and a couple favorite beverages - since these kits cost less plus do not require professional labor they can be a decent bang-for-the-buck option;

    * The low-budget lowering option is to crank on the torsion bar adjustment bolts 6 to 8 turns, install rear spring shackles and shims, hacksaw-off all four suspension bumpstops, and take the truck in for an alignment - total project is between $100 and $150, excluding shorter shocks; don't go more than 1-1/2 inch if you choose to do this.

     

    FINDING PROFESSIONAL HELP:

    * lowering a vehicle is an exact science, there just aren't very many qualified, experienced 'scientists'!

    * If you are searching for a shop or installer first try major/well-established 4x4 off-road shops - these facilities mainly raise trucks all day everyday for a living so they are *very* comfortable working with aftermarket suspension and very intimate with the details of proper suspension and drivetrain alignment. Do not take the truck to just any local front-end alignment place, you want a shop that customizes suspension all day every day and the 4x4 crowd has already conquered many of the mentioned issues in their own projects;

    * If you are having trouble finding a competent off-road or suspension shop, get opinions from several driveline balancing shops as they will be able to steer you to those that do have their 'black-belt' in both suspension installation and drivetrain alignment/phasing.

     

    TESTING:

    * I cannot stress enough, test on known good (balanced) tires. The wheels/tires have got to be as perfect as possible for later testing or else you will have a shake but not be able to decide if it is a tire (or multiple tires), or rim, or driveline, or CV joint, or bumpstops, or something else unrelated. Use wheels/tires that you KNOW are in balance so that any shaking discovered can confidently be traced to suspension modifications, not new (out of balance) tires or rims.

    * I've found the easiest way to reveal vibration is to slowly gain speed at WOT, so imagine pulling the steepest grade you can think of while trying to put a lot of power through the drivelines; because the truck is speeding up slowly you will not blast right past a shaky-spot on the speedometer, plus you will be putting so much power through the drivetrain that any mis-alignment in the drivelines will be made obvious;

    * Rear vibration - felt primarily in the kidneys, seat bottom, or the floorboard. There should be none! Evidence to this point on these trucks suggests that rear pinion angle mis-alignment will reveal itself as a strong 'humming' vibration at 67-73 mph (depending on tire size); you will know it is the rear driveline as the vibration will always be present but intensity increases with engine load - the more power you are putting through the driveline to the ground the stronger the shaking is - coasting, you can't feel it; pulling a grade at 70mph full throttle, it's pretty violent.

    Mr. P. :)

     

    Can you tell me what the pinion angle is on a stock All Wheel Drive 05 SS?

  12. Anyone W/ Yokohama Prada Spec-x Tires?

    in General SS

    Posted

    Its that time and i cant seem to make up mind on tires and i know there have been alot of post about them but just want to know if anyone is running these or had them and what they think.

    thanks

     

     

    I bought a set from American Tire abut a month ago. I replaced the original tires with almost 56,000 miles on them. The X's are very quite at this point, ride much smoother and may handle a little better. The one small down side that the side walls may be a little stiffer therefore the ride is a little harsher.

  13. Lowering Kit

    in Suspension & Brakes

    Posted

    Here is a pic with the factory rim on the front and aftermarket on the back. Which looks better? I like the factory better in my opinion, and I can't afford to keep both sets, and I would hate to get rid of the factory.

     

     

    Factory :chevy:

  14. Belltech Rear Leafs?

    in Suspension & Brakes

    Posted

    hey guys i just got off the phone with belltech and they said that the rear leafs part # 5952 wont work on the SS truck???? they said use part # 6400 2" lowering shackels. i know a lot of people on here have used bell tech leafs, any problems? and what about shackels vs. leafs whats the real differance? they also said for rear shocks to use #8504 not #8510 is that right? im only asking because i was about to buy this stuff online from performancecenter.com and i figured i would check my #'s with belltech and ran in to this.

     

    thanks for any help

    I installed spindels and hangers then replaced the hangers for shackles. Both gave me a 2-inch drop in the rear which leaves the front about 2-inches lower than teh front. A 2/4 drop sounds about right to me, I'd go with the leafs if I did it again.

  15. Axle Angles After Lowering

    in Suspension & Brakes

    Posted

    The front is fine, in fact you actually improved the CV joint angle; however you will have worsened the tie-rod angle and the truck will wander a lot on uneven road, the fix for this is the DJM tie rod flip kit if you have an extreme case of this (I do as I also have lowering keys as well). Also remember that in your front drop you did not change the angles on the front driveline, so it's still stock.

     

    The vibration is from the rear pinion - when you change the location of the front spring eye you seriously alter the rear pinon angle in the AWD SS trucks, especially if you use the McGaughy's piece. If all you want is a 2" drop in the rear then reinstall the factory front hangers and use longer drop shackles. If you choose to fix the rear vibration issue your only course of action will be to shim the rear axle, mine was so far off that no shims could fix it and we needed to cut the axle free of the vehicle and re-weld the spring perches to rotate the tube downward 9+ degrees; I would not recommend this, I never got all the shakes out, there's still a hint of vibration at exactly 72-mph. Also in an AWD truck raising the front spring eye makes the rear squat on accell and long story short the truck is slower in ET.

     

    I investigated the situation with my truck with chassis software & I'm pretty sure that not only did I have to correct the pinion angle (which we did) but I also need to lower the engine & transmission about 1" to correct the front yoke angle on the rear driveline.

     

    Mr. P.

     

     

    I'll switch to a rear schakle and see if the vibration goes away. I guess my vibration is closer to 70 to 75 mph. If iI could find out what the acceptable range of angles were I could shim the pinion accordingly.

  17. Axle Angles After Lowering

    in Suspension & Brakes

    Posted

    how low did you go and what components were used to achieve your drop?

    I used Beltech spindles up front and spring hangers in the rear which gave me a 2 inch drop in the front and a 1 1/2 inch drop in the rear. Also, I never noticed before the drop but the front differential now is lower than the center of the front wheels. :confused:

  19. Volant Cai, Should It Be Airtight?

    in Bolt On Performance

    Posted

    i installed my volant this afternoon with scoop, got cai on clearence from performancecenter.com for good price. install was pretty straight foward ,but one question... the way the air box sits againstthe wall is not airtght. even the stock air box was fitted with foam gaskets and fit snuggly against the wall where it sucks. would it benefit the volant to silicon or foam this area for a better seal? doesnt sucking air from the engine compartment completely defeat the purpose of the system, or am i being overly analytical about the thing??

     

     

    I used a little HVAC foam that I bought from Home Depot for less than five dollars.

  22. Need help picking an aftermarket grille

    in Appearance, Cleaning, & Detailing

    Posted

    Hey guys, I had a billet grille on my 2000 and now I'm looking at one for my SSS. I came across the speed grilles but not sure how they would look on an SSS. I also am a big fan of the regular billet grille and wanted to see what they would look like. If you guys have aftermarket grilles on your SSS, please post a pic to help me make my decision. Thanks

    Race Mesh has finally started making a grille for SS, you should check out their web site.

  24. beltech 2/2 drop kit

    in Suspension & Brakes

    Posted

    It's a good kit but I don't think you can use that on a AWD truck. According to Beltech they only support installing those spindles on a 2WD truck, but they do look like they would work for a AWD truck. :dunno: The safe bet would be to purchase a set of McGaughy's 2" drop spindles & a separate set of 2" drop drop shackles - just don't use the McGaughy's leaf spring front hangers & you'll be ok.

     

    Mr. P. :)

     

    That kit will go oanan AWD truck! :crackup:

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