Best bang for your buck suspension upgrades for 72 c10

[nicks68chevy]

Hi, I have a 68 Chevy step side pickup with a 71 chassis and am looking for suspension upgrades that won't break the bank. I know hotchkis makes a great suspension but I don't want to spend $5000. Please help

[leftybass209]

WELCOME!!!!! Bar none, if you don't have a sway bar, that would be the best place to start. You can pick up some sway bar mounts from places like GMCPauls and Classic Heartbeat. Then you can pick up a sway bar from any 73+ square body. Also, some really good shocks can help wake up any suspension. Aside from that, make sure your ball joints, and other bushings are in good condition. For the rear end, really shocks, and sway bars as well, as well as good suspension bushings.

[leftybass209]

Poly bushings will give it a stiffer ride (less give in the bushing) and rubber would be more comfortable and forgiving. That lends to how you want to build your truck, daily driver, weekend cruiser, or trailer queen. Best of luck with your choices. I'm sure others will chime in. Fortunately with these trucks, you have a large amount of options, you can go wild.... extreme even with the Porterbuilt air ride stuff to lay frame if that's your goal!

[Fitz]

Originally Posted by nicks68chevy

Hi, I have a 68 Chevy step side pickup with a 71 chassis and am looking for suspension upgrades that won't break the bank. I know hotchkis makes a great suspension but I don't want to spend $5000. Please help

Early classics makes a 1.25 in diameter solid front sway bar and CPP has a rear bar for a coil spring rear. total cost for both is about $250 and that will significantly improve the handling of your truck without making the ride harsh. Adding drop springs and relocating the rear shocks will also help but the bang you get out of that isn't as great as adding the sway bars.

[70blackfish]

get a factory 1.25 sway bar at the junkyard off a 1 ton or stake bed truck is where i got mine.....20.00.. and then get good bushings.

Disc brakes should be on your list.......

[Fitz]

Originally Posted by 70blackfish

get a factory 1.25 sway bar at the junkyard off a 1 ton or stake bed truck is where i got mine.....20.00.. and then get good bushings.

Disc brakes should be on your list.......

Good luck if you ever try to drop that truck to improve the stance.

[nicks68chevy]

Thanks for all the reply's, it sounds like I definitely need to get sway bars front and back. I have disc brakes in the front and have redone all the the bushings.

[Mr Handy]

I just redid the suspension in my 70. I did a disk break swap and replaced all the springs/shocks/ball joints/bushing. I also lowered my truck but I don't know that that really helped with handling, but I doubt it hurt. I have manual steering and the truck steers much more easily with all new parts.
A front sway bar will make a huge difference if you don't have one, and a rear sway bar will make another big jump and really keeps the truck flat in corners.
I have a stock 1-1/16" bar up front and a 7/8" bar in the back... I would think a 1-1/4" bar in the front would be even better, but that is speculation...

The truck is a new machine with all the new parts, I think my next step will be Porterbuilt lower control arms but I al very happy with the truck as it sits and I need to get my engine in and get some bodywork finished up before I do more work on the suspension.

Everything I did cost $1200 or so.