Ground clearance is one of the important pieces of the puzzle when it comes to creating an off-highway-friendly four-wheel-drive vehicle, and BDS Suspension has addressed ground clearance with their new 7-inch "High Clearance" kit for the IFS 2001-'08 Chevy/GMC 2500 HD pickups.
Here's the BDS '01-'08 Chevy/GMC...
Here's the BDS '01-'08 Chevy/GMC 2500 HD 7-inch suspension as delivered. The kit we installed included new rear leaf springs. There's also another kit available that lifts the rear of the vehicle via lift blocks.
This kit not only addresses raising the vehicle's height to improve ground clearance, but it also includes crossmembers that are designed with higher clearance than most. The kit also includes unique brackets that eliminate the need to lower the torsion bars to compensate for the increased front suspension lift. BDS says that this prerunner-inspired system offers more ground clearance than anything on the market. They also note that the entire geometry of the system was created around the design that eliminates the need to drop the torsion bars. All told, it took two years of long-term testing before BDS started producing this kit.
We had the opportunity to travel to Attitude Performance in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and watch as technician Alex Clark installed the system under a customer's GMC. Here's how the kit we installed does what it does. Don't have a GM truck? Well, BDS also offers a High Clearance kit for the '09 Ford F-150. Kits for the 2004-'08 F-150 and 2006-'09 Dodge trucks are forthcoming.
1. The installation of the...
1. The installation of the BDS kit begins with the removal of a variety of stock frontend components. The kit does require the removal of the lower rear driver-side control arm pocket. This piece (shown) is removed to make room for the front differential in its new, lower position.
2. A provided support plate...
2. A provided support plate is then welded into the frame where the previous cut was made.
3. In order to provide adequate...
3. In order to provide adequate steering clearance, the front upper mount bushing is removed from the differential housing. If you look at the top of the housing in this photo, you can see where the bushing was removed and then the housing was ground smooth. A new differential bracket is then attached to the differential using existing housing bolts (shown).
4. There's also a new passenger-side...
4. There's also a new passenger-side diff bracket, which is attached on the existing studs on the passenger-side factory bracket.
5. After filing or grinding...
5. After filing or grinding the sharp lip from the original control arm/hardware, the new front crossmember is installed into the front lower control arm pockets.
6. The front differential...
6. The front differential is then installed into its new mounting points.
7. Before the new rear crossmember...
7. Before the new rear crossmember is installed, a pair of new bumpstops are bolted onto the crossmember as shown here. Why does the kit use an additional set of bumpstops? We'll answer that question shortly.
8. Here's the new rear crossmember...
8. Here's the new rear crossmember installed. It mounts in the factory rear lower control arm pockets.
9. The original bumpstop frame...
9. The original bumpstop frame mounts are used to mount the new bumpstop brackets/bumpstop assemblies. There is some drilling involved here to install the three bolts per side, but it's nothing major.
10. This kit reuses the factory...
10. This kit reuses the factory lower control arms and they're bolted to the new front and rear crossmembers.
11. A new differential skidplate...
11. A new differential skidplate (right) and a new crossmember support tube (left) are installed to the front and rear crossmembers.
12. The kit includes a new...
12. The kit includes a new front skidplate/splash guard, and it fits to the original splash guard mounting holes on the upper frame crossmember in front and the bottom of the front crossmember in the rear. This design "sandwiches" the support tube and the differential skidplate.