I have an 03 and put on 2" shackles. The rear is now .5" higher than the front and I like the slight rake.

 

There are really two ways to go. Buy a set of '01 or '02 leafs and use a 2" drop. Or, do what I did. JLP lowering shackle. Took about 1/2 hour to install. I'm within about 3/8" of the front as far as level goes. Shackles only cost $109 from JLP
Before

old vs new shackle

After

Oh yeah, you'll also need to flip the factory shims around to eliminate the vibration.

 

I'm new to the lightning world, but lovin every second so far. It's stated that the 03's seem to be higher in the rear, which requires more drop to level out the beast. I just picked up an 01 and was wondering what the Eibach Pro-Kit Rear Shackle Kit, stating a 1.5" of drop in the back would do for me?

Found the kit here: http://www.rpmoutlet.com/lighteibprokita.htm

 

Soooo, what you're saying is, all I really need to lower my truck is this...



(the bigger shackles that is)

 

Thanks guys! This is exactly what I was looking for. I guess that I will have to go to Harry's Hot Rods and get me some 2" shackles. We did this same thing to my father-in-law's Supercrew, but I was not sure about the Lightning. Now I am.

 

Mart Man 03 L,

great pics! love the wheels too. you mentioned flipping the factory shims around to eliminate vibaration. i am not aware of what the shims are. can you explain them to me? is this totally necessary?

Thanks

 

I strongly recommend the JLP 3" adjustable drop shackle. I used it as described in the previous posts. Very easy to install. Know this your rear suspension will tighten considerably, so much so, in my opinion it will hinder launches (but that's just my opinion).

When I dropped my '03 I then adjusted the anti-sway bar frame arms (they are very obvious). I drilled new holes 2.5 inches up on the frame rails moved the arms to that new position and this relaxed the rear and I noticed a difference in ride and (call it my imagination) I felt it was easy to launch. This seems to be a necessity on the '03's and '04's.

Good Luck, if you want more details just email me, I am currently away from home in Phoenix, but I will return next Tuesday.

D-Day



and by the way the 3" drop with even your front and rear to a 5 1/4" clearance between the top of your tire and the fender well. Looks great for an inexpensive fix.

 

Dan_03Lightning,

Thank you for your sharing. Sounds like you are pretty creative. I haven't even had the opportunity to crawl up underneath my new ride! We are getting hammered with sleet and snow and don't want to back her out of the garage. Can't work within my garage either, too cramped. The pain of 'hurry up and wait'. I am sure I will have more questions once I am able to look up underneath. Thanks again!