Do a search, there have been several posts about bodydrops the past few months.

 

Talk to member "Kbudaz". He bodydropped his NBS sierra on 22's. He channeled it, though.

 

Didn't have time to post this when i first saw this post.

Okay this isn't a complete how to on doing a bodydrop just a brief over view. I didn't do my bodydrop so i can't rember everything that was done.


For starts your going to have to pretty much gut the interior. You have to cut out the floor, cut a section of the firewall under the wiper cowel, and cut a section from the back cab wallthan raise the floor how ever many inches you plan to lower the body, weld in metal to fill in the gap created in the floor, weld up the firewall and back wall. The bed is the "easy" part, basicly you'll cut out the bed floor and raise it the needed amount and reweld in place, and weld a filler pice to fill the gap left at the back end of the bed floor. Under the hood/front end of the truck, the frame horns will need to be trimmed and the core support lowerd(okay, that part I'm not 100% sure on exactly what was involved, i'm trying to rember stuff I was told over 4 years ago). If the inner fenders haven't been removed and things relocated they need to be now, custom fenders can be added to cleen things up, depending on wheel and tire size, also depending on wheel and tire size the battery may need to be relocated, because the fuse box my need to be moved to where the battery is.

Like I said, alot of detail work was left out. Like shortening the bedbraces, lengthening wires ect.

There is a possible alternitive to sectioning the firewall(I don't know much about this as mine wasn't done this way). You can lower the engine mounts, but you may still need to trim around the wiper cowel some. I've heard you do, I've heard you don't. Possibly it depends on how much you lower the mounts. Another problem I've heard going this rout is with oilpan clearence. I've heard of people having to section the oil pan and run a remote oil system, I haven't talked to anyone who's done this though, so take it for what it's worth.

Your best bet is to find a shop that does this, and see if they'll let you check out some inprogress work so you can see things first hand.

Someone want to "sticky" this so it doesn't have to keep being asked......
Here are a few pics from mine being done.

 

wow looks like allot of work!!!

 

:imo I would go stock floor. You will be alot happier in the end. I just finiched up a 3 incher on a mazda b series, and I practically have to be a contorsionest to get in the damn thign. I have to throw one leg over and around the steering wheel to get in it. If this is a daily driver I would not put the great wall of CHINA in there right inside the doors.



Cut the frame off right befor the cab at the firewall, and right after the cab back wall, and get some 2x3x.250 tubing and make a new frame section under the cab. Make a few crossmembers, and mount you body mounts back to the sides of the frame. You will however have to go the other route on the frame horns and rad. support brackets in the front and in the bed. You will also have to section your tranny tunnel upward the amount of body drop you are doing. This process would be alot more intricate, but the outcome will be alot clear and make you alot happier. Or you could build a whole new frame from the firewall back. Or a new frame all together. (my option for next time).



However, if you decide to go the great wall route, when you cut along the door sills, make a 2-3 inch gap inboard of the sill itself and weld you fillers in like this_/ instead of like this _l. It will make the carpet go in alot easier and cleaner looking.



Ok I am tired of typing, but this is my experience, and my opinion on the subject. I don't want to get blasted for the tings I just stated, I am just posting my opinion on "THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA" (channelling) (old school) (Conventional)(CUT FLOOR) of whatever you might want to call the old style body drop.

 

There's plenty of room in a fullsize for a traditional bodydrop. I'd go stockfloor aswell if I was to do it over again though.

 

:imo I would go stock floor. You will be alot happier in the end. I just finiched up a 3 incher on a mazda b series, and I practically have to be a contorsionest to get in the damn thign. I have to throw one leg over and around the steering wheel to get in it. If this is a daily driver I would not put the great wall of CHINA in there right inside the doors.



Cut the frame off right befor the cab at the firewall, and right after the cab back wall, and get some 2x3x.250 tubing and make a new frame section under the cab. Make a few crossmembers, and mount you body mounts back to the sides of the frame. You will however have to go the other route on the frame horns and rad. support brackets in the front and in the bed. You will also have to section your tranny tunnel upward the amount of body drop you are doing. This process would be alot more intricate, but the outcome will be alot clear and make you alot happier. Or you could build a whole new frame from the firewall back. Or a new frame all together. (my option for next time).



However, if you decide to go the great wall route, when you cut along the door sills, make a 2-3 inch gap inboard of the sill itself and weld you fillers in like this_/ instead of like this _l. It will make the carpet go in alot easier and cleaner looking.



Ok I am tired of typing, but this is my experience, and my opinion on the subject. I don't want to get blasted for the tings I just stated, I am just posting my opinion on "THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA" (channelling) (old school) (Conventional)(CUT FLOOR) of whatever you might want to call the old style body drop.

word to everything he said except you need to use 2x4 on a fullsize. Ive got a pretty good "how to" over on fsc in the tech articles of my sfbd.

 

well I know on a nissan I done I used 2x2x.250 and on a fullsize I think 2x3 would be enough, but for the extra beef, go ahead with 2x4 or 3x4 if you can find any. Shit is getting expensive though.

 

well I know on a nissan I done I used 2x2x.250 and on a fullsize I think 2x3 would be enough, but for the extra beef, go ahead with 2x4 or 3x4 if you can find any. Shit is getting expensive though.

i would never build any frame from 2x2
and for a fullsize why not use the 2x4?? Its like $20 more and I KNOW its strong enough. And yes metal is getting rediculus...and to think people are complaing about gas prices

 

Hey suthrn98, channelling isn't a traditional bodydrop. It's when you cut channels in the floor for the frame to come up through, then modify the cab mounts to drop the body down. I did it on my nbs, with no problems.

 

yeah i just baught some 2x3 for my body drop. that and some plate to box part of the frame and some scrap shit they had layin around to make some steel saw horses to put the truck on came to like 2 bills, and i buy alot of shit there and its a friends place, dunno what it'd cost walkin in off the street. I'll post some pics if i ever stop workin on my lifted ride, almost beach season.

 

hey is anyone gonna be showin a truck in oklahoma anytime soon i would kinda like to get an insight as to what im into. i want to bag my 89 gmc sierra. just want to see how hard some things are. hit me back jrw16@msn.com thanks, JOSH.

 

the only thing i dont like about stockfloor body drops are the concerns in the event of a major accident. i mean gm put some serouis engineering time into desgning the frame etc. cutting the top of the frame for a stockfloor (what alot of shops do) is significaltey reduceing the strenght (i imagine it would not crumple very well in a collsion.) more like collapse

second point is people that make there on frame out of 2x3 box tubing usally dont have any type of enginnering experiance or crash test experiance for that matter. i know old cars had frames built like that but hell those people died in car accidents too

if i decided to body drop my truck it will be a tradtional one like grounded has with the frame pretty much left untoched (except for the obvoius) and the truck will not be driven very much and would be trailored to shows etc

yea im ready for arguements and flames but if you have ever been in a decent vehicle accident you would know how important a strong frame is

 

I have a traditional one on my NBS and there is plenty of room and I have a regular cab. I agree with Downfall, I dont want to do anything to the frame but the tubing would probably be stronger than the regular c channel frame. I personally like the look of a traditional if it is done correctly ans neatly.

 

I've got a mechanical engineering degree under my belt. I understand your concerns with chopping up a frame the way u do on a stock floor. belive me i'm at the point where i'm setting up the tubing for the new frame. The 2x3 is much stronger than the thin ass frame our trucks are made from. as long as its done right, u wont have problems. accident wise i dont see problems, as long as u plate where the old frame meets the 2x3 correctly it should be stronger, the only thing that is weak on our trucks is the c notch in most cases. The typical weld in notches are strong, but wouldn't do great in an accident when u push some numbers around with a 8" or bigger notch. my notch is made out of 3x6 square tubing, so i bet my trucks prob twice as resistant to an accident in those areas as a stock vehicle would be. in all tho, if someone who doesn't know what there doing messes with stuff, it can turn real shitty real quick.

 

cool thanks for all the notes i am goin to start cutting tomorrow so it should be interesting if you all come to midwest dragfest you should see it. it should be done by then

 

i though our frames were hdryoformed for extra strenght(which i been told if you cut or weld on makes it loose its strenght) and the parts of it that were "C" channel were incase of the event of an major accident it would allow some crumple area to relieave some of the initial impact. just what ive been told not sure if the info is 100% accurate but it sounds somewhat educated info to me.

 

the front ends of our trucks are boxed. people say that, but when they engineer these things, they pretty much figure out how strong it needs with certain loads, figure the least amount of material for cost reduction, then figure accidents last, and beef it up if need be. everything added to my truck is plated on atleast one of the sides so the welds aren't an issue with weakening.