hows the ride

[1978chev]

hey guys i have a 69 stepside and the previous owner cut the coil springs all the way around to lower it, needless to say it rides like a basketball.
i was wondering how these trucks ride with the proper 4/6 drop.

thanks

[2nd_wnd]

cut the previos owner. I've driven and ridden in both long and short beds, 2 wd and 4wd and never felt the basketball ride yet.

[corn]

Bad shocks maybe? Ive ridden in & owned them with cut springs. About the same as drop springs to me. Did they trim the front bump stops? How do you cut rear coils, arent they tapered on both ends?

[Premium72]

yeah try some good lowering shocks. you cant just use regualr shocks with that much of a drop. good luck,.

[kaycee]

He probabally just heated the rear's until they were the heigth he wanted and then sprayed water on them.

[ChevLoRay]

I consider mine to be "properly lowered", that is with spindles up front, and with coils out back. In addition, I have the shock relocators and the adjustable track bar in the rear. With the shorter shocks in place, as needed, and with all of the other components in the front end replaced, the ride of my truck is far better than I ever expected it to be. I wish my '96 GMC rode as well, but with leaf springs, it ain't gonna happen.

[1978chev]

the truck now is about 3" lowered, they cut the fronts and still have the stock length shocks. the rear were cut then it looks like they heated them and put the taper back in it.
the basketball ride i am refering to is when i hit a bump it just bounces (springs) front to back not real bad but annoying. it does not feal like worn out shocks it just feels like they cut a little to much spring.
basically what i am asking is how does a 4/6 drop ride when done correctly, c-notch,track bar,springs,spindles? i don't know if i missed anything.

thanks darrell

[ChevLoRay]

If it has stock-length shocks, they may not be dampening the ride at all. If they are working at the lower end of their capability, there can't be much left for them to do. A shorter shock may help.

NAPA helped me to find a shorter shock for my '96, by looking at the top and bottom mounts of the stock shock, then the length of the stock shock. Next, look for a shock that has the same mounting eyes/brackets and compare the lengths until you find one that has the length that is closest to what you want. In my case, I was looking for one that was 4-inches shorter, and settled on one that was 3-inches shorter. It was for a '99-up Tahoe rear axle. Works well.


If your truck has coils, and I think you said it does, a 6-inch drop in the rear can be done without a C-notch. Early Classic Enterprises has what you need, as do others. I have a 4-inch drop in the rear of mine, done with coils and the stuff I mentioned in a reply above. You can go to their website and look at trucks that have a variety of drops and what it takes to accomplish it. The adjustable track bar allows you to re-center the rear end under the chassis, while the shock relocators let the shocks be positioned correctly, in light of the new stance of the suspension. If you don't relocate the shock mounts, and especially with a 6-inch drop, the shocks will be at an extreme angle and essentially be useless. But, you do NOT need a C-notch, so mark that off of your list......

[71swb4x4]

The shocks are there to stop the bouncing. Replace your shocks and your ride will improve drastically.
While you are at it take some measurements and buy some shocks that dampen in the range they are traveling in with those lowered springs.

There are some good threads in the suspension section that deal with shocks on lowered trucks.

[cstm68]

the harsh ride means he probly heated the coils, not cut

[72BlckButy]

Definitely look into Early Classic Enterprises... they know what they are talking about!