[Mike Bradbury]

One of my parameters for Nate was that it NOT lay frame. I do not want it on the ground. This will be a working truck AND a show truck. It is going to be a driver not a trailer queen. Laying frame is great for shows to make a statement but so catastrophically dangerous on the road, especially the freeway at 70 MPH. I have seen enough rods meet their end when a bag or a line ruptures and the frame contacts the pavement and the vehicle is completely out of control.

Completely aired out, I want it to be 1" off the ground. This is a 1 ton frame so it is big and beefy at 7.5" .187" wall thickness. I really wanted to build my own or modify original but I also hate the camber lean when aired out and dropping that low there will be some lean to it with the OEM member. My plan this weekend is to remove the coil springs and drop it as low as it can go and measure geometries to get a better idea if the drop member is the way to go. Additionally a drop member will allow me to drop as low as a want without pinching the ball joints or taxing articulation geometries. I will weld in a bump stop to make sure it stops above the ground and my plan is that the control arms will not be maxed out in either direction.

I appreciate fore thought and carefully planning with all the mechanics of custom vehicles. Having a impatient approach or "good enough" attitude looses the shine with me. Some guys are okay with that approach and that is fine because it is their ride. Typically the trucks that have a crowd gathered around at the shows are the ones that have that well thought out, well planned, well designed, well executed build characteristics that has people attracted to it.
My drive toward excellence is not for personal accolades but rather to build a really cool truck that is a challenge for me and also an inspiration for others.