Heavychevy4x4
New member
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2025
- Messages
- 9
Que pasa everyone!
I've got a 1996 Chevy C1500 Extended Cab that's been through quite the transformation - what started as a bone stock 2WD truck is now running a solid axle swap (SAS) with a full 4x4 conversion.
The Beginning: I picked this truck up a few years back for about a grand. It was going to be my daily driver since I didn't have anything else to get around in. When I bought it, the thing was completely stock - still had the original push-in cigarette lighter and was in pretty decent shape overall.
The Itch Begins: Once I started making a little extra money, I got the itch for an OBS prerunner build. Keep in mind, this was still a 2WD truck at the time. I knew I wanted to hit the dirt, but I had no idea how far this build was going to go. I started hitting up junkyards looking for lift components and spending way too much time on Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp hunting for parts. Slowly but surely, I found some fenders, lights, upper control arms, lifted springs, and just started slapping parts together. It was starting to look like something, but it was still far from flying through whoops and jumping sand dunes.
The King of the Hammers Moment: I drove it like that for a while until I heard about King of the Hammers and decided I had to go check it out. When I saw what people were doing out on Chocolate Thunder, I told myself "I'm going to do that one day." That was the day I decided I needed 4x4, and the hunt was on.
Going All Out: That's when I decided to go all out on the '96 Chevy 1500. If I was going to do this right, it was time to build something that could handle whatever I threw at it.
The Real Build Begins: I started with the suspension, knowing that "leaf springs party harder" (Loose and Lost) and they'd be more budget-friendly and possibly easier to install. I knew I needed tons and 40s to do what I wanted to do. After doing research, looking at images of other builds similar to what I had in mind, and spending time on forums, I decided on '99-'04 Super Duty Ford axles. Being driver-side drop meant minimal modifications - seemed ideal for what I was trying to accomplish.
The Junkyard Score: Hit the junkyard again and started looking. I found a matching set of axles front and rear off a 2000 F250 Super Duty and pulled them. The front axle is a high pinion Dana 60 with 30 spline and the rear is a 10.50 Sterling with 35 spline.
Suspension Install: For the suspension setup, I went with Sky's Offroad Designs, picked up their hangers and shackle kit along with their rear shackle flip kit. These guys make solid stuff and it's specifically designed for this type of conversion. The spring setup is a bit unconventional but works perfectly for what I'm doing. Up front, I'm running rear leaf springs from a '99-'04 F250 - these give me the arch and load capacity I need for the Dana 60. In the rear, I went with lifted Chevy leaf springs to get the height and flex I was looking for. The shackle flip kit from Sky's was clutch for getting the geometry right and maximizing travel in the rear. Installation wasn't too bad once I had everything laid out.
The Driveshaft Dilemma: The lift was pretty high and the front driveshaft was binding. I needed a high angle driveshaft but everyone I called was telling me it would be almost impossible to get the angle I needed for the measurements I would give them. So I made my own front driveline. I found a forum with an old post that someone had wrote and talked about how they used to use square body Chevy double cardan joints and shave them down to get higher angles. I tried it and it worked. I used receiver hitch tubing and bam - front driveshaft done.
Custom Fabrication: I also made the front and rear bumpers, rear shock hoop, rock sliders and tie rod using 1-1/4 heim joints. Nothing beats building your own armor exactly how you want it - plus it saves a ton of money when you can do the fab work yourself.
PARTS LIST:
Axles & Drivetrain:
Yukon 5.13 gears
Yukon Grizzly lockers front and rear
Yukon 35 spline chromoly outer axles
Warn locking hubs
Barnes 4WD diff covers
'06 2500 4L80E transmission
NP241 transfer case
Inland Empire Driveline rear driveshaft
Suspension & Steering:
Sky's high steer kit
Sky's front hanger and shackle kit
Sky's rear shackle flip kit
American Iron ball joint delete system
Tractor Supply hydraulic ram
Bilstein shocks
Wheels & Tires:
40x13.50R17 Nitto Trail Grapplers
Body & Interior:
Fiberglass fenders
Sidewinder shifter
Seats from an '06 Silverado
Brakes & Hydraulics:
G&J Aircraft hydraulic steel braided brake lines
'06 Tahoe master cylinder
Engine Management:
LT1 swap ECM flash
Custom Fabricated:
Front bumper
Rear bumper
Rear shock hoop
Rock sliders
Tie rod with 1-1/4 heim joints
I've got a 1996 Chevy C1500 Extended Cab that's been through quite the transformation - what started as a bone stock 2WD truck is now running a solid axle swap (SAS) with a full 4x4 conversion.
The Beginning: I picked this truck up a few years back for about a grand. It was going to be my daily driver since I didn't have anything else to get around in. When I bought it, the thing was completely stock - still had the original push-in cigarette lighter and was in pretty decent shape overall.
The Itch Begins: Once I started making a little extra money, I got the itch for an OBS prerunner build. Keep in mind, this was still a 2WD truck at the time. I knew I wanted to hit the dirt, but I had no idea how far this build was going to go. I started hitting up junkyards looking for lift components and spending way too much time on Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp hunting for parts. Slowly but surely, I found some fenders, lights, upper control arms, lifted springs, and just started slapping parts together. It was starting to look like something, but it was still far from flying through whoops and jumping sand dunes.
The King of the Hammers Moment: I drove it like that for a while until I heard about King of the Hammers and decided I had to go check it out. When I saw what people were doing out on Chocolate Thunder, I told myself "I'm going to do that one day." That was the day I decided I needed 4x4, and the hunt was on.
Going All Out: That's when I decided to go all out on the '96 Chevy 1500. If I was going to do this right, it was time to build something that could handle whatever I threw at it.
The Real Build Begins: I started with the suspension, knowing that "leaf springs party harder" (Loose and Lost) and they'd be more budget-friendly and possibly easier to install. I knew I needed tons and 40s to do what I wanted to do. After doing research, looking at images of other builds similar to what I had in mind, and spending time on forums, I decided on '99-'04 Super Duty Ford axles. Being driver-side drop meant minimal modifications - seemed ideal for what I was trying to accomplish.
The Junkyard Score: Hit the junkyard again and started looking. I found a matching set of axles front and rear off a 2000 F250 Super Duty and pulled them. The front axle is a high pinion Dana 60 with 30 spline and the rear is a 10.50 Sterling with 35 spline.
Suspension Install: For the suspension setup, I went with Sky's Offroad Designs, picked up their hangers and shackle kit along with their rear shackle flip kit. These guys make solid stuff and it's specifically designed for this type of conversion. The spring setup is a bit unconventional but works perfectly for what I'm doing. Up front, I'm running rear leaf springs from a '99-'04 F250 - these give me the arch and load capacity I need for the Dana 60. In the rear, I went with lifted Chevy leaf springs to get the height and flex I was looking for. The shackle flip kit from Sky's was clutch for getting the geometry right and maximizing travel in the rear. Installation wasn't too bad once I had everything laid out.
The Driveshaft Dilemma: The lift was pretty high and the front driveshaft was binding. I needed a high angle driveshaft but everyone I called was telling me it would be almost impossible to get the angle I needed for the measurements I would give them. So I made my own front driveline. I found a forum with an old post that someone had wrote and talked about how they used to use square body Chevy double cardan joints and shave them down to get higher angles. I tried it and it worked. I used receiver hitch tubing and bam - front driveshaft done.
Custom Fabrication: I also made the front and rear bumpers, rear shock hoop, rock sliders and tie rod using 1-1/4 heim joints. Nothing beats building your own armor exactly how you want it - plus it saves a ton of money when you can do the fab work yourself.
PARTS LIST:
Axles & Drivetrain:
Yukon 5.13 gears
Yukon Grizzly lockers front and rear
Yukon 35 spline chromoly outer axles
Warn locking hubs
Barnes 4WD diff covers
'06 2500 4L80E transmission
NP241 transfer case
Inland Empire Driveline rear driveshaft
Suspension & Steering:
Sky's high steer kit
Sky's front hanger and shackle kit
Sky's rear shackle flip kit
American Iron ball joint delete system
Tractor Supply hydraulic ram
Bilstein shocks
Wheels & Tires:
40x13.50R17 Nitto Trail Grapplers
Body & Interior:
Fiberglass fenders
Sidewinder shifter
Seats from an '06 Silverado
Brakes & Hydraulics:
G&J Aircraft hydraulic steel braided brake lines
'06 Tahoe master cylinder
Engine Management:
LT1 swap ECM flash
Custom Fabricated:
Front bumper
Rear bumper
Rear shock hoop
Rock sliders
Tie rod with 1-1/4 heim joints
Attachments
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