2wd 1977 Blazer LS swap, mild drop….escalating

[Willowrun]

Keith knows drops for sure!

[oldman3]

Doug, coming along nicely...Jim

[youngrodder]

That chassis is looking great Doug. Making short work of it.

Marc

[Advanced Design]

Originally Posted by oldman3

Doug, coming along nicely...Jim

Thanks Jim, we’re hitting it pretty steady. Hope you guys are well! Have missed you all.

Originally Posted by youngrodder

That chassis is looking great Doug. Making short work of it.

Marc

Thanks Marc, we are trying. Really enjoying our time in the shop this winter!

[lolife99]

Interesting that the outer tie rod bolts in from the bottom side.
Can the bolt on spindle arms be swapped to the other side and then the tie rods could bolt on from the top like stock spindles?

[mongocanfly]

("Interesting that the outer tie rod bolts in from the bottom side")
i was wondering the same thing Keith..
so i went google searching...all the pics i saw of dse installed spindles are "upsidedown" like Dougs are

[Advanced Design]

The spindle arms could probably be swapped left for right. I would guess the spindle arm mounting surface, going against the aluminum, was machined smooth for a more consistent and stable mating surface. And the exposed surface on the opposite side isn’t. Just theorizing on my part.

The interesting question is why did DSE develop and produce them this way, with the tie rod ends pointing up? Maybe something to do with keeping the tie rod in the same plane of the center link at typical vehicle weight and dropped ride height? Or more likely it has to do with their Speed Max system that is complete from their own designed suspension crossmember, through a steering rack and out to the brake rotors.

[lolife99]

Definitely makes more sense after seeing the spindle arm location in relation to the hub centerline.
Thanks for the pics.
Looks like top quality parts there.

[Advanced Design]

I ended up going this route for rear shock mounting.

[Advanced Design]

It was almost funny how I struggled loading the pads into the clips on the calipers.

[Advanced Design]

An hour later I was still struggling though not as frustrated.

[Advanced Design]

Changing to the retention clips that came with the pads solved the interference issue I was fighting.

Detroit speed provided the GM part numbers for the calipers and the brake hoses for use with their spindle and brake rotor. Also helpful are the suggestions for tire and wheel size.

[lower50's]

Very nice so far!! Wow the chassis looks like it is brand new. I might just have to use ridetec in my next build.

[Advanced Design]

Originally Posted by lower50's

Very nice so far!! Wow the chassis looks like it is brand new. I might just have to use ridetec in my next build.

Thanks Bob! The RideTech parts are nice.

Originally Posted by oldman3

Doug, just now catching up, looks super...Jim

Thanks Jim!

Wow, we lost a couple weeks or so on the build as we took a vacation to Dallas to visit friends and family. It was good to see Wayne and Dee, who I met through this forum.

Just one more item on the DSE spindles and big Silverado brakes. The DSE suggested factory hose part numbers work perfectly and attach to the original brake line location. Not shown here are the DSE hose brackets which secures the hose to the top of the spindle.

[oldman3]

Doug, just now catching up, looks super...Jim

[Advanced Design]

To better match up with the new cam specifications, we picked up a 3,600 stall converter from Circle D. It looks really nice.

[Advanced Design]

With the transmission on the stand, it was a good time to drain fluid and replace the filter. Went back together and of course I forgot the washer magnet.

[Advanced Design]

The table for the transmission and the gantry crane chain hoist hooked to the Mac tie downs engine sling simplified connecting engine and transmission together.
Mrs A.D. was holding her own in getting it done.

[Advanced Design]

The Holley engine and transmission mounts are nice pieces too. I remember their development engineer use to post his progress on this forum periodically.

While the pieces are nice, the supplied transmission mount spacer and fasteners were not right for this application. The fasteners were too short for the transmission mount spacer and the spacer provided is not thick enough for this transmission.

[Advanced Design]

While we were getting ready for the install, a young car buddy stopped by and helped out. Much appreciated!

[lower50's]

Looking good as a roller once again Doug.

[Advanced Design]

Originally Posted by lower50's

Looking good as a roller once again Doug.

Thanks Bob, it is nice to get back to this point. Once a few parts come in in a couple days, I’ll be able to assemble the accessory drive and power steering lines.

[Advanced Design]

I’ve been looking for dry ice blasting alternative for the bottom and am thinking I am going to have to buckle down and clean this the old fashioned way with tons of elbow grease….not looking forward to that.

[Advanced Design]

Ordering another part tomorrow from a local business……

[Advanced Design]

Made some stud mounts to weld to the firewall for HVAC mounting and drilled the holes large enough for decent surface area for plug welding.