Lowered full-size trucks are a big hit on the custom street truck scene. C10 Chevy trucks are an older body style, but are large, square-built trucks that are inexpensive to buy. Aftermarket companies are beginning to make more parts and accessories for these trucks as they become more popular. Lowering a C10 Chevy truck is simple compared to some other trucks, because the wheel wells are very large, so the truck body can sit down without modifications to the sheet metal inside the wheel wells.
Step on the parking brake inside the truck to engage it. Use a jack to lift the front of the truck and place a jack stand on each side of the truck, behind the front tires, directly underneath the frame of the truck. Lower the truck down onto the jack stands and pull the jack out from under the truck. Remove both front tires using a tire iron to remove the lugs and take the tires off.
Lift the control arm by placing the jack underneath it and jacking it up just slightly. Use pliers to pull the cotter pin out of the lower ball joint. Unbolt the lower ball joint from the lower control arm using a 10 mm wrench. Remove the spindle. If the spindle won't move, tap it with a hammer until it breaks loose.
Lower the jack so that the coil spring can be taken out of the coil pocket. It can be pried out with a pry bar. Place the new lowered coil spring into the coil pocket.
Raise the control arm up again so that the new coil spring fits into the old coil spring's place. Replace the spindle using a new cotter pin. Throw the old one out. Replace the front tires and lower the truck to the ground with the jack, after removing the jack stands.
Lift the rear of the truck and place jack stands under each side, near the rear tires and directly underneath the frame. Leave the jack underneath the rear axle of the C10 so that the axle is slightly held up and the rear springs are completely extended.
Use a wrench to unbolt the large U-bolts from the truck. Remove the nut from the top of the shock absorber and then remove the lower U-bolt. Do the same for both sides of the truck.
Raise the axle with the jack so that the axle is separated from the leaf spring. Slide a lowering block on top of the leaf spring.
Lower the axle so that the springs are again fully extended. Replace the U-bolts and install the new shock absorbers. Do this for both sides of the truck. Lower the truck down to the ground and test out the new lowered suspension.
