Re: 85 GMC Sierra "Scarlett"
 

The anticipation is finally over. Well, sort of. Chase at RideTech shipped me a total of nine boxes. The first batch was signature required, which makes sense considering the value of the shipment. Unfortunately FedEx made it beyond difficult to be present to sign, or pick the packages up at the terminal. The good news is I got most of my shipment. The bad news is I still have a box undelivered.

With a bed full of Ridetech boxes, I knew exactly how I was going to spend my Friday night. Chris was coming over and my good buddy Keith Stephens was coming to stay for the weekend. Not only was @n2billet bring a vast amount of knowledge with him, he was bring a bucket full of tools to make the job easier. He has a bad @ss Snap On air chisel that we were about to abuse.

Friday night was spent unpacking boxes and sorting parts. We did a full inventory of everything that Chase had shipped and discovered we had one box missing and had gained a box in the process. It turns out the box missing contained the upper control arms and coil over mounts along with all the related bolts and nuts.

Re: 85 GMC Sierra "Scarlett"
 

Looks like Christmas came early!!

Re: 85 GMC Sierra "Scarlett"
 

I have all the confidence in you, Chris and Keith that you will get this job done in plenty of time! Nice work so far.

Re: 85 GMC Sierra "Scarlett"
 

Looks awesome! I can't wait to get my stack of boxes too!

Bubba

Re: 85 GMC Sierra "Scarlett"
 

Are you going to mount the 4 link inboard of the frame or out side, inside allows for massive tires but outside is more stable. Do you have to cut out the factory coil pockets or cut a large hole to accommodate the coil over , and Lastly how much uptravel are you going to have on the coil over when sitting at ride height? Is the coil over going to limit the up travel or will the truck bottom out via cross member ,exhaust , ext ext.

Re: 85 GMC Sierra "Scarlett"
 

It must be nice to have friends... And not live in the middle of nowhere so you can get help when you need it.
Can't wait to see the work in progress in case I want to try it.

Re: 85 GMC Sierra "Scarlett"
 

No doubt the excitement is huge. Especially when you have known about this for 2 months, but couldnt say anything.
Fortunately my nephew Chris lives nearby. He has bailed me out several times and is a fantastic assistant.

The RideTech 4-Link is a 100% bolt-on design with minimal cutting and no welding required. C-Notch brackets tie in directly with the upper crossmember, while link bar mounts use factory bolt holes in front along with factory axle pad mounting points.
This kit mounts outside the frame in the factory leaf spring position. There is plenty of room for clearance of 12" wide rims and tires.
Thank you sir. I couldnt ask for a more patient assistant than Chris is. Keith drove 4 hours to bring serious tools and a wealth of experience and knowledge.
Assuming I make it, the task would have been close to impossible without their help.

Re: 85 GMC Sierra "Scarlett"
 

Saturday was a huge day on the "Scarlett gets a spring in her step" project. Keith and I got going early while Chris chased supplies. We unbolted the bed and removed the bumper and tailgate. We lifted the bed off to expose the stock suspension and went straight to work.

I'm sure a lessor quality air chisel might remove the rivets that hold the spring mounting brackets on, but it would be so much slower. Keith fired up his Snap-On and went in to beast mode. He popped the heads of quickly and the springs were on the floor on a short time.

With the springs and brackets out of the way we could focus on the C-notch. Templates are provided with a hole in the frame for a reference point. We used magnets to hold the template in place and punched or corner points. These were drilled out and the notch was marked. We used a Sawz-All with fresh blades to cut the notch out. All went well till I failed to double check for clearance behind the cut.

Chris and Keith had moved the brake line to clear for my cutting, but I failed to double check and didnt see that it had fallen back in place. When smoke rolled up while I was cutting, I know something was amiss. Be sure to double check before you make your cuts.

Re: 85 GMC Sierra "Scarlett"
 

Now that the stock leaf springs and hangers are gone, Keith cleaned up a couple of other rivets still intact from exhaust and E brake brackets. As mentioned, we hung the templates for the C-notch and made the cuts. I dressed the cuts with a flapper disc to ensure no potential for fatigue cracks to get started.

We drilled bolted each end of the C-notch to cinch it in place, then used the 7/16" bit as a starter point for a 1/4" pilot hole. With all the holes frilled we filled them with the supplied 7/16" bolts, washers, and lock nuts. A bump stop was added and all bolts were double checked for torque.

While I cut the second side, Keith hung the front 4 link mount. We switched sides and I bolted it down while he hung the other one. With Chris drilling holes, chasing tools, and tightening down bolts, we had a pretty efficient tag team working.

Re: 85 GMC Sierra "Scarlett"
 

Looking good!

Re: 85 GMC Sierra "Scarlett"
 

Very nice. Glad to see you three working on it. That's how hot rodding should be!

Re: 85 GMC Sierra "Scarlett"
 

Thanks John.
I usually work alone, but Chris has been a blessing on these recent builds. Keith is a freaking machine and jumps right in with both hands.

Re: 85 GMC Sierra "Scarlett"
 

I noticed you had the floor jack positioned near the front spring hangars while doing the c-notch. Was the frame flexing? Putting the blade in a bind while cutting? Or were you just being cautious?

Thanks,

Bubba

Re: 85 GMC Sierra "Scarlett"
 

Awesome progress! Keep up the good work Ken!

Re: 85 GMC Sierra "Scarlett"
 

I have had a buddy of mine and his kid helping me out in the shop lately. it is amazing how much gets done with a few more hands.

Re: 85 GMC Sierra "Scarlett"
 

When your cutting a C-notch the frame is very vulnerable to bending until the notch is bolted in place. This is just a precautionary measure to prevent stress while installing the kit.
Thanks Michael It really makes a difference when they get in tune with your work style and know where tools are at. Its so much more effective when you work as a team.

Re: 85 GMC Sierra "Scarlett"
 

I also live in cypress and would like to check out the system on the rear one day if thats a possibility?

Re: 85 GMC Sierra "Scarlett"
 

Well hello neighbor! I would love for you to come take a look. If your not going to Goodguys, give me a shout next week.:metal:

Re: 85 GMC Sierra "Scarlett"
 

With the C-notch and bar mounts in place we bolted in the bridge. This ties the C-notch and frame together to give strength to the upper coil over mounting points.

Keith measured each bar to verify they were all equal in length. We will start with equal lengths and determine if any change to pinion angle is needed after its on the ground and has been cycled a few times.

With the hardware all in place we assembled the coil overs and adjusted the a neutral setting. The preload on the coils is set to -0- and the shock settings are dropped to their lowest point. This will change later, but for install everything is set to minimum. resistance

Re: 85 GMC Sierra "Scarlett"
 

Strange there's no bolts in the top/front of the notch. Is this meant to be able to bolt in without removing the bed?

Lookin' good!

Re: 85 GMC Sierra "Scarlett"
 

coming along nicely, I should be right behind you

Re: 85 GMC Sierra "Scarlett"
 

Looks great! Enjoy watching the progress!

Re: 85 GMC Sierra "Scarlett"
 

Tick tock..... You guys are cutting it close 🤤

Re: 85 GMC Sierra "Scarlett"
 

Looks fantastic! Are the rear shocks upside down?

Re: 85 GMC Sierra "Scarlett"
 

There are bolts on the bottom on the front end. The bed has to be removed to cut the channel cross brace.