For the home of Slam’d Mag headquarters in beautiful Southern California, winter came and went with hardly a hiccup or trace. Summer is all around us and the faint whispers of SEMA 2016 are fluttering their way through the proverbial grapevine. Even with a few months between now and the sanctioned insanity of the SEMA show, we find ourselves eagerly awaiting the arrival of the wonderful yet terribly busy week.

To keep our mind on the task at hand, we finally decided to outfit our 2014 GMC Sierra aptly named the “Slam’d Hauler” in two phases – PHASE 1 covered here will be: the McGaughy’s adjustable drop, 24-inch Intro Retro wheels, Toyo Tires, and Baer Performance Brakes giving us a much more respectable “tire to fender” ratio and will pave the way for PHASE 2 where we’ll go a bit further toward our end goal for the build – unveiling at this year’s SEMA Show in the Injen Technology booth. This is going to be very beneficial if you’re considering a GMC Sierra.

In order to express our joy for the arrival of the next SEMA installation, as well as to accurately describe the pace at which all things related to the infamous show must be done, here is a fun “technical adventure,” describing the less than 48-hour operation with Sadistic Iron Werks prepping our 2014 GMC Sierra for some Slam’d representation at last year’s SEMA show with our good friends at McGaughy’s Suspension. It is important to note, that while this description and guide can be helpful for those seeking to perform similar modifications, make sure you consult and follow all directions and guidelines provided by the manufacturer.


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Installation of McGaughy’s 5-7 Adjustable Drop Kit and Baer Brakes 6S Extreme big brake kit:

Before beginning, perform a visual inspection of kit, corresponding all included pieces with the enclosed directions/inventory list

Step 1: After inspecting parts inventory, begin by safely unhooking your battery and jack your truck to the appropriate working height to remove all the wheels.

Step 2: After removing wheels, plan to work with the front suspension first. Disconnect the ABS sensor from front the wheel hub assembly, remove factory brakes, disconnect brake lines and remove factory brake calipers, remove front hub assemblies from factory spindles. (If you are modifying a 4wd vehicle, now is also the time to remove front cv axles, however 4wd vehicle should NOT be lowered more than 2inches in the front.)

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Step 3: Disconnect upper and lower ball joints, tie rod ends and remove factory spindles from the front end.

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Step 4: With the factory spindles and hubs removed as well as the ball joints and tie rod ends disconnected, it is now much easier to remove factory struts and coil springs. Disconnect factory struts and coil springs, removing them from the vehicle.

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Step 5: Using a spring/coil compressor, remove factory strut from coil and top hat, then reassemble front coil and hat using McGaughy’s lowered strut and provided polyurethane bumpstop. The provided rings will determine the amount of drop from the lowered strut. (5 rings for 1/2in, 4 rings for 1in, 3 rings for 1.5in, 2 rings for 2in, 1 ring for 2.5in, 0 rings for 3in [Ring 1 is slightly thicker than other rings])

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Step 6: Replace coil and strut assembly into the frontend using factory hardware.

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Step 7: The award winning and patented McGaughy’s drop spindles are one of the key components keeping the front suspension geometry dialed keeping the nice factory ride and ensuring proper tire wear for the long haul (note: always properly align vehicle after performing suspension changes).

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Step 8: Remove the Dust Shield to trim in prep for the killer new Baer rotors and 6P calipers. SLAMD-TechGMC-16SLAMD-TechGMC-17

Step 9: Install the new McGaughy’s drop spindles and replace trimmed dust shield.SLAMD-TechGMC-36

Step 10: Reinstall hub assembly using M12 nut on new stud (tightening to 75 ft. lbs. of torque) and both factory lower bolts (use locktite and tighten to factory spec).

Step 11: Install upper and lower ball joints as well as tie rod ends to new spindles, using factory torque specs (using air tools is not recommended for this process) [for 4wd vehicles cut off top excess of ball joint stud and reinstall cv axles using factory torque specs] {if you are planning on using a wheel size smaller than 17inch, you will also need to cut the excess of the threaded stud on the lower ball joint} SLAMD-TechGMC-37DSC_0434

Step 12: At this time we can begin the easy installation of the front Baer Brake 6S Performance System. Start by installing the Baer intermediate bracket for new caliper using factory caliper bolts, torqued to 110 ft. pounds. Place the provided spacers on the bracket’s ARP studs (Baer provides helpful in-depth instructions for rotor/caliper centering that need to be followed both front and rear).

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Step 13: With the front buttoned up, it’s time to install the Baer rear rotor, carefully following the left side and right side guide markings.

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Step 14: With brake pads in place, install Baer Brakes Calipers (the bleeder screws will point up, indicating the correct side) using provided 12point ARP nuts and washers, torqued to 75 ft. pounds.

SLAMD-TechGMC-41Step 15: Using provided adapter block, copper washers, and banjo bolt, attach block to caliper and torque to 20 ft. pounds, then attach factory brake hose to adapter block, torquing to 15-20 ft. pounds.

SLAMD-TechGMC-40Step 16: Repeat all steps for the installation of the rear Baer Brake system. Bleed brake lines and add needed brake fluid, making sure brake systems are fully functioning before driving on the road. (Baer also provides in depth brake bedding steps that need to be adhered to for correct operation.)

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Step17: At this point triple check that all processes have been completed with care and attention to torque specifications for both driver and passenger sides of the truck. You should now have properly installed McGaughy’s lowered struts, drop spindles and front/rear Baer Brake System.

Step 18: To install the McGaughy rear flip kit with U-bolt plate, begin by unbolting factory U-bolts. We recommend doing this one side at a time. SLAMD-TechGMC-19

Step 19: Once each rear leaf spring is loose, reposition it underneath the rear-end, replacing the leaf spring. Perform on both sides of the vehicle, before reattaching the U-bolts. SLAMD-TechGMC-20SLAMD-TechGMC-21

Step 20: After positioning the rear leaf springs underneath the rear end, install McGaughy’s flip kit between the rear leaf springs and rear-end housings. NOTE: The more narrow ear of the included flip saddle, ought to be pointing to the rear of the truck. Use the factory U-bolts, McGaughy’s flip kit, provided retainer, and leaf spring plate, bolt the U-bolts to OEM torque specifications, with the bolts extending through the bottom of the leaf spring plate, using provided hardware.

NOTE: After installing full flip kit, thoroughly check that all brake lines and wires are cleared from moving rearend and suspension components. Next, install McGaughy’s rear shock extender and rear lowering shocks, by removing the rear shock mounts and shocks.

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Step 21: Align McGaughy’s shock extender to rear axle tabs and bolt them through the side holes using provided grade-8 hardware. Do not tighten yet. SLAMD-TechGMC-25

Step 22: Adjust extender to rest on factory mounting tab, drill hole, and attach using provided hardware. Install McGaughy’s lowering shocks to factory upper mounts and McGaughy’s shock extenders, tighten all hardware.

Thoroughly check that all steps have been completed and hardware tightened on both sides of the vehicle, double check that all brake lines, wiring, and exhaust components are clear of rubbing on moving points and tidy up anything that’s in the way.

The Before & Afters Show a Drastic Altitude Improvement

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And what better way to wrap up the perfect drop, then with a killer set of billet wheels and performance tires?! We opted for a nice clean set of 24-inch Intro Retro billets with polished hoop and brushed face along with our tire of choice, Toyo Proxes. Now there’s a major improvement! Stay tuned for PHASE 2 as we continue to tweak the current “kinda” Slam’d Hauler to an even more respectable ride height.

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