level ?

[66skylarkpost]

hello , over the last couple months i have been tearing my 72 shortstep aprt and replacing suspension parts , sandblastings and por 15ing stuff . i been swaping out diferent front coils and two different lowering blocks . my question is ,"where would we measure level at ? the wheel well above the tire or the body line ?" . i had it last last level at 29 inches at the wheel wells , but around an inch higher at the body line at the rear . measured on the fender behind tire and in front of the tire at the rear . what i have now is 275/60-15's with new cpp 2 inch front springs , and an older set of their 3 inch rears with a 1 1/4 block and ece deluxe track bar adding another quarter . i only haul my two man 10 foot boat in the summer , less than 200 pounds with all the gear . i dont want it to sag . i have some 1 inch blocks i want to put back in , giving me a 1/4 back , i hope . i know now i lay a level on the bed rails and theres a slight incline to the rear . anyway , its how it looks to me . ive got a 455 buick in it, with and aluminum intake, with the stock four speed .in the next couple weeks i am swapin in a 400 turbo , i am not sure of the weights . i plan on pulling out my electronic race scales and weigh it first before i tear anything off. i have a a/c cab i restored and plan on chaning in the future so i can hanlde the front being high mow ,, but not too much. thanks -steve

[OARNGESI]

Nice truck mine use to be the same with a 2.5/4 drop it was Slightly lower in the rear. The best was to measure is fron the center of the rim to the top of the arch but if your tires are the same on all four corners it should be the same from the ground
Posted via Mobile Device

[special-K]

I kinda got confused. I never got that technical about it. The best way to measure it at the body is with your eye. It either looks level or it doesn't. Ultimately that's all that matters. As far as in the suspension department goes,the general rule on a stock truck with like new specs is the rear sits 2" higher than the front on a shortbed.So,a 4/6 drop (for example) gives a level stance. Things like heavier motors (I doubt an aluminum intake will have much affect) play in for sure. The factory used heavier springs for big blocks. Lowering springs,unfortunately,don't come in different ratings...one size fits all. In the rear,with these things having beds that can haul anything from 20# to 2,000# it's impossible for any spring to give a consistent level. The best bet is air suspension to give a full range of adjustment. The same goes for the front,for that matter. Although the weight up from remains constant,payload in the bed can affect the front ride height,too.