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Belltech Coilover Conversion: Transforming a ’97 Chevy C1500 for Modern Handling

Chris Hamilton . October 07, 2025 . Features .
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A Full Coilover Conversion on Our ‘97 Chevy C1500

We finally got our hands on a super cherry 1997 Chevy C1500. Bone stock, clean as a whistle, and ready for a modern-day sport truck makeover. For this first phase of the build, we’re tearing into the rear end with an all-new suspension system from Belltech that’s anything but old-school. This isn’t your grandpa’s lowering block kit. Belltech went all-in with a rear coilover setup and performance-driven parallel 4-link system that’s built to handle. And yeah, we’re the first ones to bolt this kit on, so you know we’re hyped to show you how it all came together.

To kick things off, we yanked the bed and stripped out every piece of factory rear suspension. With the frame exposed, we hit it with the sandblaster, laid down a fresh coat of paint, and got it looking pretty close to brand new. From there, we mocked up the new heavy-duty cast axle brackets and started cutting off the old leaf spring mounts. This isn’t a bolt-on-and-go setup; this one’s for the real-deal performance junkies who aren’t afraid to put in the work.

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Belltech’s rear coilovers are mounted at a slight angle for added stability and tuned handling. The parallel 4-link setup ties into a beefed-up C-notch and includes a Panhard bar that connects directly to the notch brackets. Every piece of this system is well-built and well-engineered. It’s clear Belltech put serious R&D into this kit, and we can’t recommend it enough if you’re serious about how your OBS handles the road.

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To keep body roll in check, we added Belltech’s front and rear sway bars. These solid steel bars are powdercoated gunmetal grey and come with grade 8 hardware and poly bushings. They’re a must-have upgrade to complement the suspension.

This OBS also got the full show-stopper treatment with 20-inch Billet Specialties TEC5 wheels—20×8.5 up front and 20×10 in the back, wrapped in Atturo AZ850 ultra-high-performance rubber (245/40R20 and 305/35R20). These billet wheels are built specifically for ‘88–’98 Chevy trucks and fit like a glove, giving our OBS the perfect stance.

 

 

 

 

After getting the truck inside the shop and unboxing all the parts in this kit, it’s clear the engineering and build quality is second to none. Just check out these coilovers, brackets, control arms, notch kit, and these massive heim joints. Wicked!

The first thing to remove from the truck was the bed. We’ve done this tons of times, and it goes quicker the more you do. A few bolts under the bed and some screws holding in the gas filler tube were all that we needed to remove.

To save our backs, we had the luxury of using a bed lift tool attached to a forklift.

We simply set the bed outside for now and out of the way. Forklift for the win!
Here is a look at the stock setup these trucks have. We needed to remove brackets and clean this frame before installing this amazing new suspension.
We unbolted the spare tire bracket and threw it out. This won’t be reinstalled.

Next, we removed the factory rear shocks and trashed them as well.

Using the provided template, we marked the rear step notch location and drilled holes in each corner.

Before removing the rear axle, we drove it outside and put it on the trailer. This way we can remove the leaf springs and axle before bringing the truck over to the sandblaster.
With the truck on jack stands, we could hack these 15-inch wheels off. Can’t wait to bolt up our new Billet Specialties wheels!
The forklift came in handy again by sliding out the rear axle. We will sandblast and paint this as well.

It was time to unbolt the factory leaf springs and pitch them. We won’t need these in the future.

The rear leaf spring hangers could come off now. We used a cutting wheel to make relief cuts in the rivets, then a pneumatic chisel to remove the rivet heads.

We used the same process for the front leaf spring hangers.

We also removed the rest of the unused rivets from the frame so it’s smooth and clean.

We went ahead and made a slice in the frame where the C-notch brackets go, but we didn’t cut them out all the way to maintain structure, as we towed it to the sandblaster.

The last thing to remove was the gas tank. You don’t need to do this in order to install the coilover kit, but we want to sandblast and paint the whole rear section of the frame.
Time to head to the sandblaster. The truck is less heavy and looks like a junker, but you have to go backwards to go forwards sometimes.

The sandblaster protected the cab of the truck and ripped all the rust and paint off the frame with ease.
After sandblasting and painting, the truck is back at the shop looking great.
Check out the finish of our nearly 30-year-old frame now; it looks like new!
Roger could now finish cutting out the rest of the C-notch with the back of the frame supported.
We then slipped in the C-notch bracket from Belltech and marked the holes to be drilled.
That was followed by drilling the holes in the frame for the provided hardware.
This kit includes this sweet-looking metal panel for the front of the C-notch with the Belltech logo cut into it.
For additional support, Belltech designed this inner C-notch bracket that attaches using the provided hardware.
Here’s a look from the inside. Extra beefy and built to support a ton of abuse.
With the passenger side complete, we could head over to the driver’s side and repeat the process.

Moving on, we again used the provided template to mark the locations for the front 4-link brackets. Followed by drilling the holes and bolting the bracket up.

The rear coilover bracket was installed next, along with the Panhard bar bracket.

Now we could move to the axle brackets, starting with the cast brackets that wrap the axle.
Next were the 4-link brackets that connect the 4-link bars to the axle.
The lower coilover bracket mount was next to be bolted to the axle.

With everything in place, we tightened all the bolts and slid the axle back under the truck frame.

The coilovers could now be mounted into place using the hardware provided.

Followed by threading the heim joints into the link bars and mounting the link bars to the truck.

Finally, we bolted up the Panhard bar from the axle to the frame brackets.
Here is a shot of the rear suspension complete and ready for the bed to go back on. Looks amazing!
Here’s a great look at how angled the coilovers are mounted in the rear. Perfect for track and street performance.
Bump stops under the C-notch will prevent the axle from hitting the frame when we hit a big bump.

 

 

 

 

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