How to lower the body/Cage of your K10 or F100

[Rich Trujillo]

I wanted to share my little hack job i did to lower the K10/F100 Rear cage. This allowed me to lower the cage about 8-9mm. The modification to the lower part of the cage does require little grinding on the posts. You will also need to remove the shock brace tube and use a lock nut to hold the shock mount screw to the shock towers. The shock towers will flex a little but this is required to get the cage support around and below the inner shock mounting nut (once you remove the support tube).
This is a pretty simplified way of lowering the cage and as i mention you will need to take a grinding wheel to some parts of the cage for clearance (cross tube over gear cover, aluminum top plate near shocks, etc) but I've been very happy with the results.

Let me know if you have any questions and i'll do my best to respond as soon as i can.

Thanks,
Rich

Final Result

 

[Ascenderbender]

If I new this earlier I wouldn’t of removed the cage! Great trick!


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[skybolt]

Excellent!!
Thanks for sharing!


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[OldNTired]

Well, I know what I'm doing when I get home! Thanks for sharing Rich.

 

[Shinchu]

GREAT POST! no pun intended?

thanks Rich! i don't have a cage but this is good stuff for everyone who does.

 

[Natedog]

I was looking at my K10 and realized that the left/right crossbrace can be left in (just cut the two short little dog-leg pieces out) and either shave down the top of the body mount holes in the crossmember or shorten the two vertical pieces where they attach with two screws at bed top level. Leaving in the crossbrace should give it a little more strength for anybody hard on their trucks. Also if you want more of the original bed tube looks, heat the rear cross bar and bend it up to rest on top of rear frame rails again.

 

[Rich Trujillo]

Leaving in the crossbrace should give it a little more strength for anybody hard on their trucks. )

Technically true but you need to see how i drive outside of the vids lol...I'm pretty brutal on my rigs :twisted: so far no issues with out the bracing between the towers.

 

[Natedog]

Sorry I should’ve been clearer, I meant leaving the plastic molded in brace between the lower cage posts that goes into rear cross member bed/body mount. Cool, I noticed the rock rash all over your truck.

 

[Natedog]

This should be sticky, great free cheap mod! 8)

 

[CrashRecovery]

It's been almost a year since someone has posted here but I'm trying to figure out why my cage does not do what the OP's cage did. There is a step in the plastic down tube that prevents the tube from going any lower. I trimmed the side braces off but before I lost all rigidity I decided to check the fitment. Do I need to remove that whole lower section where the OP shows where to cut or am I just doing something wrong.

 

[Natedog]

There is a step in the plastic down tube that prevents the tube from going any lower. I trimmed the side braces off but before I lost all rigidity I decided to check the fitment. Do I need to remove that whole lower section where the OP shows where to cut or am I just doing something wrong.

Looking at Rich's pictures, you can trim the mount holes down lower allowing the post to sit lower while still leaving the cross piece between the bed posts hanging down. Then drill new holes for the pins to retain it. I like this way better, but it's your truck.

Or you could do like is drawing and cut out the cross piece on the bed posts, spread them slightly and insert farther into the bed mount holes on the rear crossmember, then drill new holes for the retaining pins.

 

[Browneye]

I like it, might have one this would work on.

As an aside, I was able to RAISE mine for the bigger Proline body by using bumper spacers to that same rear support member, and an add-on L-bracket at the rear of the frame rails for the posts.

The front members of the cage as also cut back about a half inch to shorten it overall. This is on a WB4 chassis, the bodies for longer wheelbases are much longer and taller than the stock K10.

The Vaterra plastic is great to work with, forgiving and very strong. We used to call this 'kit bashing'.

 

[CrashRecovery]

Looking at Rich's pictures, you can trim the mount holes down lower allowing the post to sit lower while still leaving the cross piece between the bed posts hanging down. Then drill new holes for the pins to retain it. I like this way better, but it's your truck.



Or you could do like is drawing and cut out the cross piece on the bed posts, spread them slightly and insert farther into the bed mount holes on the rear crossmember, then drill new holes for the retaining pins.

The problem is there is a pretty drastic step or shift from center for the section of the down post below the cross brace. That section where Rich shows to cut away is where that shift is. Cutting the post above this would lower the body way too much. I'll post a picture later when I get to work.

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[CrashRecovery]

Here is the vertical bars I was talking about. Even with the shock tower strut removed there is no way to go any lower without removing the lower section.

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[CrashRecovery]

Its been a few days.... anyone have any thoughts on why the OP was able to do this? My next option is to trim the upper portion of the supports and redrill them so I can screw them back together. Only thing is the body is going to need some reworking as the tires are going to seriously rub. Besides the blazer only needing minor trimming does the C10 need serious body trimming with the stock wheels when this is done?

 

[soze]

He may have taken a bit off the top instead. The bottom seems the same as yours as far as I can tell, but he possibly could have taken a bit off the top of that piece.

 

[Yeti.stealth]

Have a close look at the OP's last picture and you can see that he must have cut down the post holes in the rear chassis.
You can still see the post holes sticking out below the classic on the underside, but you cannot see them on the top side.

 

[touch racing]

Flip the rear cross member / cage mount upside down.

 

[Natedog]

Have a close look at the OP's last picture and you can see that he must have cut down the post holes in the rear chassis.
You can still see the post holes sticking out below the classic on the underside, but you cannot see them on the top side.

Yes. "thumbsup"

Flip the rear cross member / cage mount upside down.

It's same either way, trim it as Rich appears to have done in his pics. "thumbsup"

 

[CrashRecovery]

Yes. "thumbsup"







It's same either way, trim it as Rich appears to have done in his pics. "thumbsup"

I did trim it as Rich did. Still wont go..... I took off the rear most bar so you can see that it wont fit. Did they change how this part mounts to the rest of the cage?