Doing Bags, have a few ?'s

[kxmotox247]

Originally posted by loweredd

Stock floor body drop is just as easy as doing air suspension on these trucks if you are interested in being THAT low.

What does that mean? Instead of air ride, channeling the body over the frame?

If I need to weld on new brackets on the rear end, would I be getting rid of my trailing arms? What would I do? Shave all of the old mounts off my rear end and weld on new ones? The 4-link would replace the trailing arms and the new brackets would be for the bags? Is this at the point when someone might decide to switch to a 9"?

I don't want to steal anyone's thread here....
Does anyone have any other pictures of a bare frame with air ride installed?

Thanks for everyone's help.

[Slammed67]

Check out my web site. It shows pics of my air ride system. A 9" has nothing to do with air suspension, it's just a personal preference. You don't need a 4-link either.

jayspot.com

[loweredd]

I wondered about the 9" part of your post too. Stock floor body drop is a little bit different than channeling. With a stock floor body drop, you remove the offending (lowest part of the frame) piece of frame, to make it even with the rocker panels. Then it lays on the body, not the frame.

[loweredd]

here's a pic (hopefully)

[kxmotox247]

loweredd...Cool truck! Thanks for the pic.

Slammed67...Your website is awesome. I've checked it out before. Definately some good pictures on there. Do you have the floor back in your truck?

As far as my comments go about a 9" rear, that's what we use in our street rods and I know I can get parts cheaper for them. I was just thinking that if I had to weld a bunch of new brackets on my rear end, I might just start with a new rear considering mine probably needs freshened up and some kind of limited slip installed.

Thanks for everyone's help. I'll be deciding soon what to do. Bags sound more complicated than what I want to deal with. Perhaps I'd be better off with a set of dropped spindles and dropped springs. Might be quicker although the adjustability of ride height sure is appealing.

[loweredd]

Originally posted by kxmotox247
loweredd...Cool truck! Thanks for the pic.

As far as my comments go about a 9" rear, that's what we use in our street rods and I know I can get parts cheaper for them. I was just thinking that if I had to weld a bunch of new brackets on my rear end, I might just start with a new rear considering mine probably needs freshened up and some kind of limited slip installed.

Thanks for everyone's help. I'll be deciding soon what to do. Bags sound more complicated than what I want to deal with. Perhaps I'd be better off with a set of dropped spindles and dropped springs. Might be quicker although the adjustability of ride height sure is appealing.

No problem....it's not mine though.....Mine's in the garage getting air put on it. Once you get bags on, you'll never want anything else.

Makes sense about the 9 though. Might as well start out with a new axle tube to weld to!

[SCOTI]

Uuhhmmm, I've always been under the impression that stock floor bodydrops were lowering the body in relation to the frame.... as in removing material from the top of the frame, not the bottom.

If you remove material from the bottom of the frame, it will allow you to plant the rockers flush w/the frame rails but only @ a very compressed ride height.

But.... removing the material from the top of the frame (and relocating the cab/body mounts) lowers the body (truck) while leaving the suspension (and ride) unchanged. The 'stock floor' part is just doing the drop w/o altering the floor pan of the truck/vehicle. A regular 'body drop' raises the floorpan for clearance & 'channeling' notches the floorpan for the higher frame-rail location only.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong.....

[loweredd]

On an S-10 Scoti the first stock floor description is correct. On these trucks, the only part that hangs down is right under the cab, and that is what gets chopped off.

*edit* Have you ever seen a truck with any body drop that was not on airbags?

[Izzy]

Originally posted by SCOTI
Uuhhmmm, I've always been under the impression that stock floor bodydrops were lowering the body in relation to the frame.... as in removing material from the top of the frame, not the bottom.

If you remove material from the bottom of the frame, it will allow you to plant the rockers flush w/the frame rails but only @ a very compressed ride height.

But.... removing the material from the top of the frame (and relocating the cab/body mounts) lowers the body (truck) while leaving the suspension (and ride) unchanged. The 'stock floor' part is just doing the drop w/o altering the floor pan of the truck/vehicle. A regular 'body drop' raises the floorpan for clearance & 'channeling' notches the floorpan for the higher frame-rail location only.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong.....

Scoti you are correct a stock floor takes the top of the frame down not the bottom up. On 73-87’s we don’t have to worry since the bottom of the frame sits flush w/ the body.

[loweredd]

Originally posted by fiveeightchevy

Scoti you are correct a stock floor takes the top of the frame down not the bottom up. On 73-87’s we don’t have to worry since the bottom of the frame sits flush w/ the body.

Mine doesnt?

[Izzy]

Originally posted by loweredd


Mine doesnt?

That'd be the first I've ever seen a 73-87 that the frame bottom doesn't sit level with the body. You have a stepside?

[loweredd]

uh-uh, it's a LWB....the frame is down about 2 inches lower than the cab.

[Izzy]

Originally posted by loweredd
uh-uh, it's a LWB....the frame is down about 2 inches lower than the cab.

AHH, I'm used to standard cab fleetside frames that sit level with the body. Once you raise the front cross member and tranny crossmember it's within an inch of laying body.

Learn something neve everyday.

[loweredd]

a SWB is thast much different? I wonder why? Yeah, the front crossmember is WAY low, and the tranny cross and the tank actually is a little low too. BUT....then it still does have the frame. Within an inch blows though, LOL. I might even get rid of the pinch weld! Then I really need to lose some frame.

I dont want anyone to think I'm not agreeing with them (scoti). I suppose a stock floor could be anyway you wanted to do it.

[loweredd]

This is an S-10...but.....you could do a stock floor body drop this way.... It's still a body drop, and still a stock floor.

[SCOTI]

No probs here....

Since I've got both the 67-72 model as well as a 73-up I've crawled under both to see what it takes to get them low & still be drivable. I'm not against planting the rockers on the pavement by airing out the suspension.... but for me, I like driving them low & still maintaining suspension travel, so it is for this reason I would remove material from the top of the frame before the bottom.

Weird thing is.... as close as the suspensions are between these year trucks (67-74) that I have, the 74 has less fenderwell area that the 67/8 does & although my 68 is actually lower than my 74, the 74 bottoms out much easier when going down the road. Both were dropped up front using the same methods/materials so there shouldn't be much difference & both of them are relatively flush as far as frame-rails vs. cab/rockers. I actually measured the difference on my 67swb in the garage & it was less than 3/4" & not worth the hassle of doing a body drop.

[fastbagged68]

Just another way to Stock Floor Body Drop one of our trucks- To put a peice of 2x4 square tubing along the frame rails. Weld it in there then cut off the top of the old frame and move down thecab mounts, there you have a stock floor body drop. There are a few other thing to do like cut off the horns and drop them down too. If you have a SWB- you should be able to to lay body with out body dropping it! Here is my partners 54 chevy. Its body dropped alot and is NOT on air.

[bagged81]

Man that stepside looks good! As soon as we get our garage built, I am dropping mine. I want to do some more serious cutting.

[loweredd]

That stepside is done by SilverStarCustoms.

[Izzy]

Originally posted by loweredd
That stepside is done by SilverStarCustoms.

Eek.

[Izzy]

Originally posted by fastbagged68
Just another way to Stock Floor Body Drop one of our trucks- To put a peice of 2x4 square tubing along the frame rails. Weld it in there then cut off the top of the old frame and move down thecab mounts, there you have a stock floor body drop. There are a few other thing to do like cut off the horns and drop them down too. If you have a SWB- you should be able to to lay body with out body dropping it! Here is my partners 54 chevy. Its body dropped alot and is NOT on air.

That's normally what a stock floor body drop is unless you build a new frame.

[loweredd]

Originally posted by fiveeightchevy

Eek.

Huh?

[Izzy]

Originally posted by loweredd


Huh?

I've seen silver star's work and it leaves a lot to be desired.

[loweredd]

really? I've seen a few of thier cover trucks, and they look great! They just got done with one of my buddies truck, and the rear suspension is killer!

[loweredd]

here's the truck,