None of the rear lowering options for the van really fulfill my satisfaction. My thoughts are to build a complete axle from scratch to suit my needs.
Here are my goals:
3-4" of lowering
Limit loss of ground clearance at axle beam
Fit disc brakes
Limit loss of suspension travel
retain load carrying capacity and ride
Part of my plan includes mimicking the "drop" in the center to allow exhaust and provide under body clearance, I would like to mount the axle on top of the springs to keep the wheel mounting close to the center of the axle beam for strength. I was thinking of using either 3x3 or 4x4 box tubing as my main beam, not sure on wall thickness yet though. I would like to use the 11in vented rear brake setup on the axle. Shock mounts could possibly be lowered to keep some suspension travel or some kind of different style shock could be mounted. I was thinking of some rear shocks meant for lowered small trucks possibly.
Any inputs on this Idea? I'm horrible at paint and drawing freehand so no pictures.