Air suspension stock arms, etc...

[Dave Reed]

I need advice...
My plan is to leave the stock trailing arms, and front a-arms on my 68 C10 SWB truck. I want to bag it and I assumed I would need at least some McGaughey's spindles, shock relocators front and rear, and a new track bar.

I will do schraders on the bags for now. I want to get away cheaply, but with a decent ride. I would like a 3/5 or 4/6 drop. I do not want to slam it.

I want a plush ride and have it ride like a modern truck. I had a 2006 Chevy 1500 SWB reg cab and it rode nice.

Am I in the hunt with that setup? or...Will I need to do all kinds of other things to get this to ride well. I don't want bounce. I am not opting for a static drop since I am under the impression that I will get a smoother ride and have the ability to still haul well with the truck.

Any and all relevant advice is appreciated..

[ulakovic22]

I don't have a lot of experience, but I would say it's doable and fairly cheap. Front would be bags with plates and cups and a 2-3" spindle. The rear would be bags in stock location with a c-notch and a 1.5" or 2" block between the axle and trailing arms. The spindles and block are considered free because the drop they give you doesn't effect shock length. They will also allow you to run more PSI in the bags to give you a better ride.

Ride quality is very subjective and what is nice to one person is crappy to another. Shock choice will obviously play an important role as will bushings, brakes and steering components.

[Dave Reed]

Shock suggestions will be needed as well. I would like adjustable, but $....

[SCOTI]

I think schrader valves are fine for the rear but I wouldn't do them on the front where steering/height control is so much more critical.

For such a mild front drop, spindles & coils up front; bags out back. Good ride, maintain cargo capacity, cheaper, & no hassles w/maintaining psi up front (manually) for alignment.

Spindles w/a 1" drop coil (or trimmed OE coil) wouldn't need a custom shock as travel would be very similar to OE dimensions. If anything, relocating the upper mounting point is easy enough. If just swapping bags in place of the rear coils, No Limits has a nice shock relocation set-up that gives better geometry/leverage vs the stock positioning. Spend the money on good OE perf shocks (I like Bilstiens).

C-notching isn't required until the ~6" drop mark. If you do the 3/5 don't worry about them. If you go more than 5" in the rear, opt for them.
If lowering blocks are used in the rear, shock length is not impacted as much as just swapping shorter springs/bags.
Do a longer Panhard bar to minimize rear axle side shift.

[Dave Reed]

Originally Posted by SCOTI

I think schrader valves are fine for the rear but I wouldn't do them on the front where steering/height control is so much more critical.

For such a mild front drop, spindles & coils up front; bags out back. Good ride, maintain cargo capacity, cheaper, & no hassles w/maintaining psi up front (manually) for alignment.

Spindles w/a 1" drop coil (or trimmed OE coil) wouldn't need a custom shock as travel would be very similar to OE dimensions. If anything, relocating the upper mounting point is easy enough. If just swapping bags in place of the rear coils, No Limits has a nice shock relocation set-up that gives better geometry/leverage vs the stock positioning. Spend the money on good OE perf shocks (I like Bilstiens).

C-notching isn't required until the ~6" drop mark. If you do the 3/5 don't worry about them. If you go more than 5" in the rear, opt for them.
If lowering blocks are used in the rear, shock length is not impacted as much as just swapping shorter springs/bags.
Do a longer Panhard bar to minimize rear axle side shift.

I am leaning more towards a 4/6. I did not realize that the front would have an issue with geometry using bags. I want daily driver reliability since it will be driven probably 10k miles per year.


C-notch
track bar
shock relocaters
spindles front with new spring
bags rear with schraders

are the bilsteins adjustable?

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by discreet007

I am leaning more towards a 4/6. I did not realize that the front would have an issue with geometry using bags. I want daily driver reliability since it will be driven probably 10k miles per year.


C-notch
track bar
shock relocaters
spindles front with new spring
bags rear with schraders

are the bilsteins adjustable?

Not so much 'have an issue', it's more of an additional possible point of failure or what could be called a critical control point (term common in the food manufacturing industry) for a system that can achieve a similar goal (ride height & quality) on a simplified scale. On a weekend-er? Sure. A daily driver? I'd do the steel coil/spindle w/o thinking twice & I've never had a bag *failure* (installation error).

There are those that have done the manual/schrader front set-up & are successful especially when they're not adjusted (playing around w/ride height).

If stuff like Porterbuilt is within your budget, their products are definitely top notch (as are No Limits & ECE). PB's control arms also allow for more clearance @ the lower pivot point vs OE arms which is important to me for a comfortable daily driver.

[Pro Performance]

From what you describe, I would take a look at Porterbuilt Stage 1 kits. What's nice about these, it is will include the shock relocators and KYB shocks. This will accomplish what you are looking to do, when added with spindles. The c-notch will get you a tad lower. A adjustable trac bar is recommended also, to help center up the rear end due to the new ride height.

This all can be done for $1,199.

Front:
http://www.azproperformance.com/Port...Front-Kit.html

Rear:
http://www.azproperformance.com/Port...-Rear-Kit.html

Trac Bar:
http://www.azproperformance.com/63-7...c-Bar-Kit.html

Schrader Kit:
http://www.azproperformance.com/1-4-...Valve-Kit.html

Drop Spindles:
http://www.azproperformance.com/McGa...173-63176.html

[Pro Performance]

Here is a picture of one of our customer's (and board member here) truck with Stage 1 kits, using a 2.5" drop spindle. He is now adding a notch to get the back down just a tad more, but hope this helps give you an idea.

[Dave Reed]

Originally Posted by Pro Performance

Here is a picture of one of our customer's (and board member here) truck with Stage 1 kits, using a 2.5" drop spindle. He is now adding a notch to get the back down just a tad more, but hope this helps give you an idea.

That is a lot lower than I want to be. Nice truck though

[Pro Performance]

Originally Posted by discreet007

That is a lot lower than I want to be. Nice truck though

That is the aired out height of the truck. Your ride height of the truck would be similar to a 4/5 drop, if using 2.5" spindles.

[Pro Performance]

If you use the same pressure all the time for ride height, there won't be any issues with bags up front. We use the Stage 1 Porterbuilt kit in a lot of our systems, and it works very well.

If for some reason you lose pressure in the front, you can just fill it. If you use a good sealant, there is no reason why they would leak air. Just in case, I always suggest keeping a small portable in the truck, when running schrader valves. This is especially recommend if used as a daily driver.

[Dave Reed]

If I do a static drop up front will I need a shock relocator and who makes one?

When pricing this I am starting to lean towards a static drop.

[ulakovic22]

Originally Posted by discreet007

If I do a static drop up front will I need a shock relocator and who makes one?

When pricing this I am starting to lean towards a static drop.

Shock relocator depends on how low you go. Spindles do not effect shock length so it depends on what you do with the spring/bag.

Static is definitely cheaper and functionally simpler since there are no moving parts and steel coils don't "fail". Technically bags, if installed properly don't fail either, but if I had to choose between steel and rubber for reliability, it would be steel.

The truck above, as Travis mentioned, is aired out, that would not be your ride height. Search the forum and look in the static drop sticky thread for what you would look like with a 4/6.

[Pro Performance]

If doing a static drop, shock relocators wont be necessary up front. Just will need a drop shock that is shorter, due to the shorter spring.

Nothing wrong with a static drop, and they can ride well.

[Dave Reed]

Thanks guys. It is a tight budget for the next couple years and then I can get crazy.
I think I will stay static for now until I can do it the right way.