Make it handle

[aggie91]

dmw319 - it will make them stronger since the two parts are only spot welded together from the factory. I would weld about an inch long, skip a space and weld about an inch long the entire length of the arm. Do the top AND the bottom of the arm. Before welding, make sure to get all the paint and junk out of the seam. I will be doing mine once I get my son's truck rolling on it wheels and I have room to take mine apart again...

[robnolimit]

I am in favor of 'capping', 'plating', and 'boxing' the ends of the arms. They do need a little help here. I also think it's OK to add some weld, like Aggie suggested to the seams. But, I'm not sure it's such a good idea to box or plate the entire arm,- for ride and handling. For drag racing - yes. Show truck - yes. Canyon carver -no. The arm needs to 'twist' to let the suspension articulate freely. We want to control movement with springs, shocks, sway bars, not with 'binding' or suspension 'friction'.

[dmw319]

awesome thanks for your suggestions guys! my truck is just a weekend driver, occasional non-pro show, occasional haul of mulch, etc. So my idea was to just beefen them up just a little and keep them from splitting down the road.

[jimmydean]

Originally Posted by robnolimit

I am in favor of 'capping', 'plating', and 'boxing' the ends of the arms. They do need a little help here. I also think it's OK to add some weld, like Aggie suggested to the seams. But, I'm not sure it's such a good idea to box or plate the entire arm,- for ride and handling. For drag racing - yes. Show truck - yes. Canyon carver -no. The arm needs to 'twist' to let the suspension articulate freely. We want to control movement with springs, shocks, sway bars, not with 'binding' or suspension 'friction'.

So what about a tube arm vs the stock arm? Does the tube arm allow the same flex to let the suspension articulate?

I know there is a kit that bolts a plate to the bottom to stiffen the stock arms, but based on your input, Rob, this might not be a good idea from a touring performance standpoint.

[theastronaut]

Originally Posted by jimmydean

So what about a tube arm vs the stock arm? Does the tube arm allow the same flex to let the suspension articulate?

I know there is a kit that bolts a plate to the bottom to stiffen the stock arms, but based on your input, Rob, this might not be a good idea from a touring performance standpoint.

Tube arms need more flexible joints than the original style bushings. This thread shows what's needed.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=387475
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[derrickmanx1]

Loving the thread guys. Keep it up.

[jimmydean]

Originally Posted by theastronaut

Tube arms need more flexible joints than the original style bushings. This thread shows what's needed.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=387475
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I recall Nate talking about these when another member made his own arms. I didn't think about the flex being in the joint. Thanks.

[derrickmanx1]

I just bought a cpp rear trailing arm coil spring kit w/3" springs, but it's to convert from leaf springs. I got their rear sway bar. I also got their a-arms and 2.5" drop spindles w/bilstien shocks. I hope this will help out a bunch. I want to run 18" rims. I like the JD wheels ridler 18x8's or 18x9.5. I want to run the same size on front and rear. I just wish I could figure out what back spacing to run.

[gringoloco]

It's tough to run the same BS front and rear on these trucks due to the difference in track width front/rear. Did you get the new 'school/old school' spindles? That would help get them closer. And you could probably get away with ~4 to 5" of backspacing all the way around, depending on your wheel width and the look you're going for, ie tucked or flush...
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[fatgump]

I installed the Nolimit wideride which is going to allow me to run 20×10 , same bs, with 285x40x20 on all four.

[derrickmanx1]

I got the normal 2.5 cpp drop spindles I think 1.5" wider. I just want to run 18x9.5 w/5.25 bs on all four.

[robnolimit]

OK, this is probably out there some where. Is there a chart of wheel size and back space for these trucks? I have some info on our suspension set ups, but it would be good to have a chart we all could use. If not, start posting up what your running and I'll sort it out.

[jimmydean]

Rob, I am fighting with the wheel options myself. I am running a 9C1 rear that measures about 62" wide. The wheels I want to run are 18x7.5 with +51mm offset.

So for my truck:
62" wide axle + 2" of wheel + 1" of tire (max) per side would be a 68" rear end that looks like it will tuck without cutting the fenders at 72" of space.

[jjzepplin]

OK. So I switched the upper control arms and did the lower control arm move it forward thing about 3/4" . So far so good but the upper ball joint seems to be close to binding. Is this just because the body is not on the frame yet? 73 heavy duty front end. Should I put more spacers on the rear upper control arm until I can get it aligned?

[C0UCH]

I'll be tearing apart my truck next week, finally. I have a 67 shortbed, but it looks to be built on a newer chassis. Has discs up front, power steering (frame is formed for the PS which is why I'm thinking it isn't a 67 chassis), 5 lugs front and rear. Doesn't really look to be a major parts swap, more of a front end and cab swap if anything, if any of this makes a difference for suspension/wheels.



Anyways, I'm looking to install the Hotchkis TVS and bigger brakes (haven't decided which yet but I'll be going disc front and rear) and run it on a set of Bassett D-Hole wheels. For the wheels/tires, unless you guys advise against for any reason, I'd like to keep all four the same and go 15x10 (unless it won't clear) with as much rubber stuffed in there as possible.

Given that info, I now need to calculate the ever troublesome backspacing. With that wide of a wheel/tire and that suspension I'm assuming I may run into some rubbing issues if the backspacing isn't dead on. I can pull the wheels off and measure the rearend width, but the Hotchkis widens the front by 1.8" What would be the most efficient way of figuring all this out? Backspacing, making sure I have enough clearance/etc. I'll need to order the wheels since I can't find them locally, so I'd rather not order and find out they don't fit and start over.



For the front spindles, will the TVS 4/6" drop sit the truck level or will it need the 2" drop spindles to drop the front end level with the rear? I want it as low as possible but again, don't want to run into rubbing issues with the tires and I want to keep it level.

Tires, this may sound like a silly question but Goodyear Eagle G-23 (or similar) tires. Will a tire like this drive well on the street? As terrible as it sounds, the massive yellow Goodyear Eagle logos are primarily what I'm after to be completely honest.
http://www.racegoodyear.com/tires/short_track.html


Long list of questions and a bit scattered, I know, but any advice/help would be greatly appreciated, and will help narrow things down. I drive this truck daily and often push it fairly hard. Figure with the upgraded suspension/brakes/wheels/tires I'll be driving the snot out of her!

[skorpioskorpio]

Don't know about those specifically but racing tires tend to have a life expectancy on the street of not dramatically more than they do on the track, and most track tires have a life expectance on the track of a couple hours or a couple hundred miles.

[C0UCH]

Originally Posted by skorpioskorpio

Don't know about those specifically but racing tires tend to have a life expectancy on the street of not dramatically more than they do on the track, and most track tires have a life expectance on the track of a couple hours or a couple hundred miles.

Thats what I figured. Considering I'll be painting the truck a creamy high gloss tan, the yellow may not work well anyways. Just been meaning to ask about them for a while. Figured I'd get it out of the way with the rest of the questions.

Thanks!

[theastronaut]

Originally Posted by C0UCH

Thats what I figured. Considering I'll be painting the truck a creamy high gloss tan, the yellow may not work well anyways. Just been meaning to ask about them for a while. Figured I'd get it out of the way with the rest of the questions.

Thanks!

Don't race tires need heat in them to make them stick? That reason alone would probably make them a bad idea on the street. 15" wheels will limit the brake size alot too. If you want wheels that are similar to the ones you posted, Cragar soft 8's are available in 17's which would give you more brake options. Leave the cap off and paint a pinstripe around the edge and they would look very close.

[bdiamond]

Originally Posted by C0UCH

but the Hotchkis widens the front by 1.8"

I was under the impression that the Hotchkis stuff extended the wheelbase 1.8" .

[bo-w]

so I am in the midst of a front disk swap on my 66, and founf that the po heated the spring un-evenly so its rolled over in a spot, leaving me to buy new springs front and rear, im going with 2.5" drop spindles and cross member from an 85 im thinking 2" drop springs(front)4-5"drop rear not trying to notch it though , however im questioning weather to go with an off the shelf (cpp, etc) spring or if there is maybe a a decent progressive rate or stiffer/softer spring package .Any input would be great, truck is a 66 short fleet with a small block and will get an 85 stock front sway bar may be some stock rear if i can fit one without welding much . its not necessarily a track truck just a fun driver. thanks a bunch

[C0UCH]

Originally Posted by bdiamond

I was under the impression that the Hotchkis stuff extended the wheelbase 1.8" .

I must have read it incorrectly or there was incorrect info somewhere. Just checked the Hotchkis site and its the wheelbase. My mistake. Thanks for pointing that out!
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[theastronaut]

Originally Posted by theastronaut

That something else I've wondered about- how does the bag size and design (bellows vs rolling sleeve) affect handling? I remember it being mentioned that bags naturally have a progressive rate; would smaller bags have a quicker rise in rate vs larger bags? If so, wouldn't smaller bags resist body roll more? I've already bought D2600 bags for my '66 since I will be towing occasionally but I've never thought about how well they'll work for auto X until lately. Maybe they'll be fine for a soft spring/big sway bar set up?

Bump for input on this?

[DM Garage]

If we only had one of these to play with every time we go to make a change!

[robnolimit]

Too cool. Is that from PRI? So, caster, camber toe and bumpsteer all at once, and scales?, and is it active? - can you raise and lower the suspension?

[DM Garage]

It was at the IMIS Show(soon to be PRI) last week! It was super cool, I tried to get more screen pics but they didn't come out good. Yes it has scales on all four wheels and you can pull down or raise up and watch the load vs. travel change along with bump steer, camber curve and several other options. I was so geeked out over it that it took a couple minutes for me to realize I was standing next to Brad Keslowski!