going "Pro Street" - the affordable way!

[ProStreet83C10]

hey guys, long time no talk. Anyway, i visited with a guy on facebook the other night who has pro streeted his truck while still retaining a 100% stock frame. Ive been wanting to "pro Street" my truck for a NUMBER of years, and NEVER had considered this as an option!

It seems like a SUPER solid way to do it without any major frame altering, can be done in a weekend or two, AFFORDABLE! - no need to spend $2,000+ on a rear subframe that needs to be cut and fit to the truck, retain stock width axle etc.

Basically what this process consists of, is simply moving all suspension components to the inboard side of the frame rails, adding a crossmember to weld top shock mounts too, and some other small stuff. Ive asked for more detailed pictures as well as a "build list" etc and parts i may need to buy to make this as straight forward as possible.

Just curious if anyone else here has already done this same process that can chime in or know anyone with this process done to their truck etc. Basically anyone with ANY knowledge on this type of process please give me pros/cons, ideas, suggestions/tips etc. Im hoping to do this yet this spring!

Heres some pictures of how he set everything up and how it looks. Will post other pictures as he send em to me!







Last pic is pretty dark, tried to lighten.

Anyway guys, let me know what you all think about this.

[eager_adventurer]

Looks promising! How much will it cost you more or less?

[Mike C]

No reason it won't work, won't handle as well with the suspension components so far inboard but that's not the point of Pro Street.

Looks like an S10 rear axle rather than the stock one narrowed? Obviously he's not going for big power.... That plus no traction bar of some type (slapper bar, CalTrac) shows this is an "all show" setup IMO.

[lolife99]

Another downside to this, is without a step notch,(an really low suspension),... you will have a pretty tall ride height with a 31" or 33" tall Mickey Thompson tire.

[ProStreet83C10]

Originally Posted by Mike C

No reason it won't work, won't handle as well with the suspension components so far inboard but that's not the point of Pro Street.

Looks like an S10 rear axle rather than the stock one narrowed? Obviously he's not going for big power.... That plus no traction bar of some type (slapper bar, CalTrac) shows this is an "all show" setup IMO.

He said its an early 80s camaro Z28 stock width rear axle, and i would be adding traction bars to my setup. However i have an El Camino rear axle, is that same width as a camaro axle or not?

Originally Posted by lolife99

Another downside to this, is without a step notch,(an really low suspension),... you will have a pretty tall ride height with a 31" or 33" tall Mickey Thompson tire.

My current tire is a 275/60R15 which is a 28" tire, the tire im going after is a 29x18.00R15 so im only gaining an inch of tire max, and i MAY put a small block between axle and leaf pack to adjust for that

[Mike C]

Originally Posted by ProStreet83C10

He said its an early 80s camaro Z28 stock width rear axle. However i have an El Camino rear axle, is that same width as a camaro axle or not?

My current tire is a 275/60R15 which is a 28" tire, the tire im going after is a 29x18.00R15 so im only gaining an inch of tire max, and i MAY put a small block between axle and leaf pack to adjust for that

The El Camino rear will be a 7 1/2" ring gear as well. If from a Camaro it's an '82 or up. Only the Hurst Olds and the Grand National came with the 8.5" 10 bolt that's moderately stout. The Camaro rear is either a 7 1/2" or 7 5/8" and inadequate for any real power.

Tire width also plays into the equation, not just height. Swapping the leaf springs inboard and running CalTrac bars with a narrowed rear of some real strength and you're GTG.

[chevy_mike]

Only issue I see is the lower shock mount brackets are lower than the scrub line. If he ever gets a flat tire, he'll be dragging those big time.

[BR3W CITY]

Obviously from a handling and ride perspective it won't be elegant, but my actual concerns would be; relying on leaf only to center the axle isn't the best idea with that much tire (its gonna wiggle)...and that with that much tire, if its got any balls, its gonna snap that 10 bolt the first few times out.

[lolife99]

Originally Posted by BR3W CITY

Obviously from a handling and ride perspective it won't be elegant, but my actual concerns would be; relying on leaf only to center the axle isn't the best idea with that much tire (its gonna wiggle)...and that with that much tire, if its got any balls, its gonna snap that 10 bolt the first few times out.

I agree on the wiggle.
My buddy built a truck like this and it was a handful when you got caught in the rain.
The standard Mickey Thompson tires are so hard, I doubt you will ever hook those.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by lolife99

I agree on the wiggle.
My buddy built a truck like this and it was a handful when you got caught in the rain.
The standard Mickey Thompson tires are so hard, I doubt you will ever hook those.

Even w/a 'better' suspension, those tires are a handful in weather conditions. Hydro-planing (sp?) is common on wet roads w/that much width.

Relocating the leafs inboard is an old-school approach to get the look of pro-street.

[tinydb84]

I remember seeing an article from the 80's(?) that someone scanned in and posted that did that. I actually thought about doing something like that for a second but decided against it. If you are going for looks I think it would be fine.

[Rod Run]

2 friends of mine have done exactly the same thing as you are talking about. One with a 71 GMC and the other with an 85 Ford step side. They both have owned them for years and drive the piss out of both of them.

It seems a lot of people in this thread are just missing the point of your question and are just commenting against pro-street in general. That is a perfectly acceptable way to do pro-street on a budget

Of course you lose a lot when you do something like this, but everything we do has pros and cons

[Mike C]

I considered it for my '69 but just don't want to modify the inner bed sides. (stepside leaf spring short bed).

I don't have any beef with the ProStreet thing or with the leaf spring setup. Just that a 7 1/2" or 7 5/8" F-body axle is insufficient for an F-body much less a 1/2 ton truck with 29x19 tires.

Oh, and I wound up with CalTracs on my truck which had spring wind up issues with the 307 in the front and the 3.07 in the rear...

[ProStreet83C10]

Originally Posted by BR3W CITY

Obviously from a handling and ride perspective it won't be elegant, but my actual concerns would be; relying on leaf only to center the axle isn't the best idea with that much tire (its gonna wiggle)...and that with that much tire, if its got any balls, its gonna snap that 10 bolt the first few times out.

OK so what would you recc I do for additional support for axle? I just have a mild small block in it for now. Not concerned about snapping axle at this point.

Originally Posted by lolife99

I agree on the wiggle.
My buddy built a truck like this and it was a handful when you got caught in the rain.
The standard Mickey Thompson tires are so hard, I doubt you will ever hook those.

That's a solid point however I try and keep truck out of rain as much as possible. Tires I'm looking at are sportsman pros.

Originally Posted by SCOTI

Even w/a 'better' suspension, those tires are a handful in weather conditions. Hydro-planing (sp?) is common on wet roads w/that much width.

Relocating the leafs inboard is an old-school approach to get the look of pro-street.

I know. What I'm going for right now is the look. I'm only powered by a mild small block at this time.

Originally Posted by Mike C

The El Camino rear will be a 7 1/2" ring gear as well. If from a Camaro it's an '82 or up. Only the Hurst Olds and the Grand National came with the 8.5" 10 bolt that's moderately stout. The Camaro rear is either a 7 1/2" or 7 5/8" and inadequate for any real power.

Tire width also plays into the equation, not just height. Swapping the leaf springs inboard and running CalTrac bars with a narrowed rear of some real strength and you're GTG.

I'm pretty sure my axle is an 8.5" axle. I also know its a Camino axle. Maybe someone put bigger ring gear in it when gear swap was done? How does tire width also play into equation. Never thought about width.

Originally Posted by Rod Run

2 friends of mine have done exactly the same thing as you are talking about. One with a 71 GMC and the other with an 85 Ford step side. They both have owned them for years and drive the piss out of both of them.

It seems a lot of people in this thread are just missing the point of your question and are just commenting against pro-street in general. That is a perfectly acceptable way to do pro-street on a budget

Of course you lose a lot when you do something like this, but everything we do has pros and cons

Thanks for reply man. I try n drive mine every weekend. What do you mean by "you lose a lot when you do something like this". What's to lose haha

Originally Posted by Mike C

I considered it for my '69 but just don't want to modify the inner bed sides. (stepside leaf spring short bed).

I don't have any beef with the ProStreet thing or with the leaf spring setup. Just that a 7 1/2" or 7 5/8" F-body axle is insufficient for an F-body much less a 1/2 ton truck with 29x19 tires.

Oh, and I wound up with CalTracs on my truck which had spring wind up issues with the 307 in the front and the 3.07 in the rear...

Like I said earlier I Believe my truck has an 8.5" ring gear but I'd have to double check. I also intend to install some traction bars as well.

Thanks for the replies guys. Keep em comin!

[Rod Run]

Originally Posted by ProStreet83C10

Thanks for reply man. I try n drive mine every weekend. What do you mean by "you lose a lot when you do something like this". What's to lose haha

You lose the ability to look like a lot of the other trucks. LOL!!

[earl84]

I have absolutely nothing technical to add, but, DAYUM, that just looks bada**. Sounds like if you're going for the look, it's great, but there are tradeoffs in performance. Sounds like compromise will be worth it, as long as you are willing to accept the tradeoffs. No different that frame draggin' airbag setups, which I also think look bada**.

[Mike C]

I assumed your El Camino axle was a G-body (78-86) but now that I think about it, it could be older and that means 8.2" if 1960's to early 70's or a 12 bolt if a big block truck, or 8.5" '73-77.

The width of the tire also adds rubber to the ground increasing traction and load on the axles, and really wide tires tend to scrub on turns increasing load on axles and differentials.

My K30 dually (similar effect to really wide tires) with a LockRight in the rear is really rough in the slow turns, even in the dirt.

No matter, to do Pro Street correctly (IMO) requires a narrowed axle housing. Obviously, looking at the truck above, you can do it other ways. Just not a good long term strategy.

[BR3W CITY]

Add a Panhard or a Watts link to help control axle movement.

[ProStreet83C10]

Originally Posted by Mike C

I assumed your El Camino axle was a G-body (78-86) but now that I think about it, it could be older and that means 8.2" if 1960's to early 70's or a 12 bolt if a big block truck, or 8.5" '73-77.

The width of the tire also adds rubber to the ground increasing traction and load on the axles, and really wide tires tend to scrub on turns increasing load on axles and differentials.

My K30 dually (similar effect to really wide tires) with a LockRight in the rear is really rough in the slow turns, even in the dirt.

No matter, to do Pro Street correctly (IMO) requires a narrowed axle housing. Obviously, looking at the truck above, you can do it other ways. Just not a good long term strategy.

im just going for the look right now, as my big block wont be built for a LONG time yet, once that gets built i will convert it over to coils, 4 link and a 9". I also plan to add a traction bar of sorts, whether a slapper style bar or similar.

Originally Posted by Rod Run

You lose the ability to look like a lot of the other trucks. LOL!!

gotcha!

Originally Posted by BR3W CITY

Add a Panhard or a Watts link to help control axle movement.

will definitly look into and consider that, thanks for the idea man!

[BR3W CITY]

For example here's a watts link that attaches to the third member cover. If something like this fits your case, it would be an easy way to help it out. Just be careful that the inboard leafs and the watts don't cross-paths.

[Rod Run]

All of these other suggestions are taking away from your "affordable" build.

Also, I don't think I've ever seen a panhard bar in that situation.

If it was me, I would just stick to the set-up that you posted in your original pics and wouldn't even add the traction bars.

If you're going with the look of Pro-street set-up, traction bars take away from it. The whole thing about Pro-street, is that the big meats are supposed to give you all the traction you need.

It is your truck, so have fun with whatever way you choose, but since you asked for different ideas and advice, I figured I'd just throw my two cents in because I have a lot of friends that have done this type of stuff over the years (with me helping them on more than a few of them), so I have seen a lot of the things they came across.

Good luck with your project!

[BR3W CITY]

Originally Posted by Rod Run

Also, I don't think I've ever seen a panhard bar in that situation.

You mean in a leaf spring vehicle? The above is a watts link, but either can be fit with a couple of brackets. Guys on the mini truck forums have built watts and panhard setups for under $150, waaay less if you can harvest something from a junkey.

[Rod Run]

Originally Posted by BR3W CITY

You mean in a leaf spring vehicle?

Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen a panhard in a leaf spring vehicle?

The above is a watts link, but either can be fit with a couple of brackets. Guys on the mini truck forums have built watts and panhard setups for under $150, waaay less if you can harvest something from a junkey.

I know about the watts link, because I was thinking about installing one in my Camaro at one point in the past

Building a watts that cheap is pretty impressive, but the OP is asking for cheapest way and in his words, "make this as straight forward as possible", so fabbing something like that might be more than he wants to do

[BR3W CITY]

Originally Posted by Rod Run

Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen a panhard in a leaf spring vehicle?

I'm not making it up for fun (I'd be more creative).

[smbrouss70]

Leaf springs have been controlling side to side movement for well over a century with out the addition of a panhard bar or watts link. The panhard bar will actually cause binding in the suspension due to the fact that it will "try" to push and pull side to side on the axle and the leaf springs will not let that happen. The Watts link would not cause binding, but would be useless due to the leaf springs already doing that job and would be a nightmare to package it with the leaf springs in the way, especially once they are inboard of the frame rails.