How to Body-Drop or Channel a Truck
Body-dropping, or channeling, a truck involves cutting out the bottom of your vehicle and dropping it down. This takes a lot of cutting and a little welding, but with some basic supplies and extra time, you can body-drop your truck. The look is incredible and extremely popular on the custom truck circuit.
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Instructions
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Decide how much you want to drop the truck. Take into consideration tire clearance and any other body accessories that could be affected. Mark a half inch or so on the top and bottom of the cab for overlap when welding it together.
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Cut along the firewall, back of the cab and along the sides of the floor so the cab will be loose. Then, cut the front frame horns. The cab should fall out. If it doesn't, go back over the areas you cut to check for a portion of metal holding it together.
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Weld the front and back of the cab together using the half-inch tabs you left on each side. Patch the gap on the sides of the doors with 16 or 18-gauge sheet metal. Recreate some body tabs with 1/4" plates. Attach these to the rocker panels and the cab.
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Box in the front frame horns with some heavy plate. This is the completion of the body drop. There will be many other projects to complete before the truck looks the way it should. You will need to deal with all the systems that were affected, including braking, steering and other lines.
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Tips & Warnings
Sheet metal is difficult to weld, so use a thin wire and low heat.
