Need new springs for my '65

[Flyboy '65]

I'm not sure what springs are on my 1965 Chevy C10 truck, but the truck bounces all over the place when I hit a bump in the road. It has new shocks all the way around. The rear shocks are air shocks. I have the 350 motor in the front, and was wondering if the standard springs were ok or if I needed to go to a stiffer spring in the front due to the heaver motor. I like the rake of the truck now as it is but the ride is just too bouncy.

Plus while I'm at it, can a sway bar be added to the front end. I have been looking at some in the LMC catalog and was thinking about installing one to help with the roll that occurs when I go agound a corner.

Any help would be greately appreciated!!!

[Clyde65]

Sounds like your springs may be worn out or they may have been heated up so they would give the rake you see now. If it were me, I would measure from the fender lip to the ground when it is on a flat surface and ask here for others with drops to see what the differences are. Once you find someone with the same rake you purchase springs like they got. For instance, if yours measures 32" at the front fender lip on both sides, and someone here has the same measurement and they did a 2 1/2" drop, then you know which springs to get or maybe a drop spindle if you want disc brakes up front. Also a front sway bar is easy to add, I would also go through CPP, they are a sponsor here and Jeff with CPP will treat you right, LMC has the chinese stuff, I think.

I hope this helps..

[Flyboy '65]

I just had the front brakes converted to the disc brakes with the brake booster installed. The rake is what i wanted, so I did not order the 2 1/2 drop.

My dad owned the truck before me and said that the springs were out of a sedan. But a mechanic and fellow truck owner said that that would not be possible.

[Flyboy '65]

OK I just measured the fender height all the way around. It looks like the truck is leaning toward the drivers side about 1".

LF- 30"
RF- 31"
LR- 28"
RR-29"

[DPowers]

I think Tony- LILRED66 could help on the sway bar. Will be putting one on mine in the future as well.

[Clyde65]

I have front and rear sway bars, love them! I am needing to lower mine, but funds are escaping me right now. Is there anyone here that has the info he needs, I am not near my truck so i cant get the stock ride height, oh yea, how tall are your tires too? I think that would make a difference too.

[blackedoutharley]

The addition of a good high quality gas shock designed for trucks will help the ride quality greatly. I am not too sure, from past experience, that an air shock will do the same.

Springs are often overlooked and do contribute to the overall ride and handling of the vehicle.

I have front and rear sway bars on my '65 C-10 LWB and would never go back to not having any.

I have a Helwig on the rear and a factory bar on the front from a later model C-30 dually.

Can't recommend sway bars, in conjunction with good suspension components, enough.

[markeb01]

A lot of diagnosing depends on your interpretation of bouncing around. A common trait on these trucks is very stiff rear springs to accommodate heavy loads, which causes the truck to ride very rough when empty. If your rear air shocks are aired up, that’s going to intensify the problem, and cause the rear end to bounce off the ground when hitting bumps in the road. The front end is usually pretty smooth by comparison due to the weight of the engine. I solved the problem by having custom wound springs made for the back which lowered the load capacity to 400 pounds. It now rides like a Buick, and the shocks have a chance to work.

If you can easily bounce the truck up and down by pushing on the bumper with your foot, the springs may be too weak. If it keeps bouncing after you’re done, the shocks aren’t doing their job even if they are new. If you can’t bounce it up and down, the suspension is probably too stiff (either springs or shocks) and it’s just riding too rough to handle well.

I added a stock 1975 sway bar to the front of mine when I swapped to the later front suspension. Nothing more than drilling a couple of holes and well worth the effort.