Roadster Shop is a reputable name in the world of vintage American car restoration. In the past, we’ve covered the company’s efforts to sell basically brand new Square Body Chevy trucks powered by 650-horsepower LT4 V8s. Now they’ve done something a bit different, and arguably, equally impressive. The company has come out with a custom chassis designed to make slamming late ’80s and ’90s GM pickups—GMT400s—easier than ever. It’s called the OBS Low-Pro chassis, and it packs some seriously impressive engineering.
How impressive? Well, to start, the solid rear axle is gone, replaced by an all-new independent setup. In fact, the only thing you need from your old GMT400 is the drivetrain, bed, and cab. This is a totally new chassis utilizing all-new Roadster Shop parts, and some off-the-shelf GM stuff as well. “It is designed as a bolt-on chassis with very minimal body modifications,” Phil Gerber of Roadster Shop told The Drive. “The frame retains all of the factory bumper, core support, body, and bed mounts.”
In order to make that work, clever engineering had to happen everywhere on the frame, but mostly on the suspension side. The front dampers, for instance, are located remotely now and connected to the control arms via a system of linkages. The rear shocks are in a funny spot as well, tucked under the rear suspension’s trailing arms in a cantilever arrangement so a stock bed can be used without raising its floor. Typically being able to retain the stock bed floor height is not possible because the rear frame rails have to be kicked up to make space for a solid axle.
A few components on the truck chassis have been taken out of the GM parts bin, most notably the wheel bearings/brake mounts on the rear suspension and the front spindles, which were both swiped from a C7 Corvette. These parts, along with the rest of the setup, mean any truck underpinned with the OBS Low-Pro chassis should be able to “set the frame rails on the ground when aired out,” but also maintain a fair amount of height when the bags are inflated. Gerber describes an aggressive 4.5-inch standard ride height but also notes it can be adjusted as high as 8.5 inches.
The base price for all of this custom-fabricated goodness (complete frame and suspension) is $34,995, which is a bit steep until you consider you’re getting most of a car. Roadster Shop also offers additional options on the chassis, like brake packages and air ride management kits to tie it all together.
If you have a cleanish GMT400 you want to drag frame, it’s never been easier. Everything you have on your truck can be swapped right onto this new chassis. It’s like getting a whole new truck, but with none of that pesky new car smell. That, folks, is a beautiful thing.
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