Truck stance and crossmember questions

[Envy]

Im new to the forum and have a 65 swb fleetside that i have been working on since 2001. It started as a full restoration project with me and my dad when i was 15, but when i graduated, i spent a majority of graduation money on parts and then never touched it again. It sits in the same garage in rolling chassis form and piles of brand new parts to be added. I will try and start a build thread to explain all the plans...............

But the questions i have now are
-I am bagging the truck with the bolt on c-notch and CPP's tubular rear control arms, and the front 2.5 lowering spindles. I was wondering how necessary the CPP center crossmember is which allows a larger driveshaft clearance and higher ground clearance?
-I am also planning on using the stock a-arms for the front with the bag mounting plates and cups, how efficient is this compared to tubulars?
-I was also curious as to how my truck will actually sit with this set up and if anyone has used a similar set and can provide pictures of there truck and parts. Thanks

[markeb01]

I can't speak to the driveshaft, exhaust or ground clearance needs, but if you're going to lower the truck I would suggest getting the CPP crossmember to avoid possible pinion angle problems. As noted in step 18 on the attached thread, they raise the forward trailing arm connection 4 inches, to compensate for the rear axle drop (which in effect is raising the rear axle in relation to the chassis).

http://www.classicperform.com/tech_a...r-Part-One.htm

If the truck is substantially lowered without either raising the forward mounts, or changing the angle of the trailing arms, the rear end will point downhill to some extent. It is important the rear face of the transmission tailshaft and the yoke on the rear axle share the same angle. If the nose of the rear end points up or down in relation to the transmission, the driveshaft will probably vibrate and u-joint/rear axle issues are likely.

Another option instead of the crossmember is to install angled shims between the trailing arms and the rear axle pads to correct the pinion angle. The following link shows an example.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SU...5/?image=large

Just one of the many details to consider when planning to lower a truck.

I'd also suggest doing a search in this forum to find other threads regarding lowered trucks (there are many). To do so:

1. Log in.
2. Click on search near the top of the page.
3. Click on "Advanced Search" below the empty box.
4. Type in keywords like "dropped suspension", or whatever terms you like.
5. About 2 inches down on the right side - click "The 1960-1966 Chevrolet & GMC Pickups Message Board". This will focus your search on only the 60-66 series.
6. Click the Search Now box near the bottom center.

A bunch of threads will appear and you can peruse these for ideas and photos. Once you get the hang of it you can do additional searches with different terms for improved results. There's a ton of information available.

[Envy]

thanks that helps.