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Yes, it’s true. We feel dumber after watching this.
This video is the first thing you should know. It’s not something you should take seriously. There are many people out there who will be able to take this truck apart. But it isn’t actually damaged. The suspension components are definitely stressed to the limit. However, with some TLC, this old Chevy Chevy Silverado might be back on the road. It shouldn’t be trusted to travel more than a few hundred yards from your house. But that’s not what we are talking about.
More mindless destruction:
This is a simple lesson about physics, and specifically leverage. We don’t pretend to be engineers or scientists so we won’t try to understand the details of fulcrums and load, effort and other terms. We know that leverage is a way to make small forces exert greater force over longer distances. We believe this YouTuber knew exactly what was coming when he created four-foot-long spacers to support the truck’s back and two-foot spacers to support the truck’s front. This is right, we think this dumb-as a-stump project wasn’t real. Amazing, isn’t it?
It’s still entertaining to watch, and it gives you a clear visual representation of physics at work. Chevy’s suspension components were unable to withstand the custom-built wheel spacers that act like giant levers. The driver’s side ball joint fails almost immediately. However, the rear suspension is still strong. The wheel spacer fails at the back, which shouldn’t surprise considering that the video host referred to his own welds in a dog-poo way.
More big wheels:
While this is a great video, there is a real lesson here. Modifying a vehicle’s height or width, whether by lowering, lifting or wheel spacers, can have a compounding effect upon load-bearing suspension parts. Even if the adjustment is only a few inches, it can cause unexpected and potentially catastrophic failures if not properly managed. This is a lesson to learn before you start building your own crazy pickup-truck.