Anyone used Western Chassis lowering kits?

[Biggnate81]

So i was looking for a lowering kit for my 1976 c30, nothing too crazy and I found the western chassis kit 3/4 drop and comes with new leaf hangers and shackles and coil springs in the front. I ordered the kit from switch suspension because they offered the western chassis kit for $384 and free shipping which was the same price western chassis had on their website but western wanted $75 to ship. Anyways right out of the box I noticed I was 4 bolts short for the hangers, each hanger requires 6 bolts and they only sent 8 bolts. But not a big deal I'll just run to the hardware store and pick some up. But when I tried to bolt the hangers to the frame, the holes don't line up at all the new hanger is probably 1/4" narrower than the factory hanger. I've tried to contact both western chassis and switch suspension with no luck. Has anyone had any experiences with these products? I thought I may be able to get one side bolted and get a hole alignment tool in there and flex the hanger into place but that thing definitely is not flexing.

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[MikeB]

Please take another shot so we can see the entire hanger. Are you sure those hanger are made to fit a C30?

What did you use on your frame? Looks nice. And tough.

 

[Biggnate81]

Please take another shot so we can see the entire hanger. Are you sure those hanger are made to fit a C30?

What did you use on your frame? Looks nice. And tough.

I can get one side to line up but the other side is quite a bit off. I've been trying to think of a way to possibly spread it apart but it's pretty thick so I'm not sure how to go about that. I'm not sure if it's made for the c30, the hanger itself has no markings on it. I did double check to make sure I ordered the right kit and I did but no markings on the parts themselves so I guess I just have to trust they sent the right ones. Also its raptor liner bedliner I had from another project my plan was to coat under the hanger and then once it was on the truck put a coat over it so I havent done the back part of the frame done yet but I did do the front yesterday.

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[MikeB]

I've had good luck reaching Western Chassis in the past. They need to see how poorly the hanger fits. Have you tried using this form? https://westernchassisinc.com/help.php?section=contactus&mode=update

My hangers are from Belltech. The holes didn't line up perfectly, but not as bad as yours. What I did was slightly enlarge some of the holes on the frame and bracket. Eventually got all the bolts to go through, and used large grade 8 flat washers on both sides, with lock washers under the nuts.

https://www.boltdepot.com/Product-Details.aspx?product=3063

 

[Biggnate81]

I've had good luck reaching Western Chassis in the past. They need to see how poorly the hanger fits. Have you tried using this form? https://westernchassisinc.com/help.php?section=contactus&mode=update

My hangers are from Belltech. The holes didn't line up perfectly, but not as bad as yours. What I did was slightly enlarge some of the holes on the frame and bracket. Eventually got all the bolts to go through, and used large grade 8 flat washers on both sides, with lock washers under the nuts.

https://www.boltdepot.com/Product-Details.aspx?product=3063

Yes I filled out that form and submitted it a few days ago and still no response. I really just wanted to make sure I have the right stuff before I drill the holes to make it work.

 

[Biggnate81]

Well I finally decided that I was going to use the hangers anyways and just drill out the holes. Finally heard from switch suspension today and they were convinced it was the right hangers after I sent them some pictures. They offered to contact western chassis for me but I was already in the process of mounting the hangers, and after a few emails we concluded that it's probably likely that the hole locations on the frame changed from 1973-1991. At any rate the top holes on both sides of the hanger lined up so I installed the hanger with the top two holes and used the hanger as a guide to drill the new holes out and installed some bigger washers on the back side.

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[MikeB]

Good job!

 

[varmit86]

I always chose to use the drop spindle as the springs seamed like they would be sloppy when suspension opened up plus it is easier to align as everything stays the same just the location of the wheel moves up.

 

[Biggnate81]

I always chose to use the drop spindle as the springs seamed like they would be sloppy when suspension opened up plus it is easier to align as everything stays the same just the location of the wheel moves up.

I've never lowered anything before I come from the world of lifted trucks so I'm clueless when it comes to lowered stuff. But what else you going to do with a 2wd lol. I knew I had to replace the front springs anyways because they were broke and drop spindles are more pricey. The upper control arm is bottomed out on the bump stop right now but then there is no weight on the front end just a stripped cab. So I'm hoping once the motor and trans goes back in and all the body panels go on it will work itself out, if not I guess I'll look into drop spindles instead.