max bed wt. capacity for lowered 66 c10

[fleetman]

how much might i lower the front and back and still be able to haul stuff in my bed sometimes ?
i am thinking drop spindles or 2 inch lowered springs in front -
and then drop springs and or bags in rear.
right now the truck is stock in need of front end overhaul.
i see really low trucks dont carry any thing in the bed. does any one have a lowered working truck that rides well and didnt break the bank in its build ?
thanks
paul

[andrewmp6]

Hauling with it can be done just remember its a older 1/2 ton truck,

[fleetman]

thats what i am thinkin. it can be done.. wonderin what suspension mods might yield a good ride - and reasonable cargo capacity........ at say 4 inch drop.
could i do it with spindles/springs in front and springs / bag in rear ?
wondered if someone has working truck like this and how it rides with load ?
thanks

[Clyde65]

Spindles in front are fine, if you tow or load above average loads in your bed then go with air bags, they are adjustable with the load.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by fleetman

thats what i am thinkin. it can be done.. wonderin what suspension mods might yield a good ride - and reasonable cargo capacity........ at say 4 inch drop.
could i do it with spindles/springs in front and springs / bag in rear ?
wondered if someone has working truck like this and how it rides with load ?
thanks

You can run a simple bag set up in the rear and maintain your load capacity. Forum Member Scoti has had a similar set up on his trucks for years.

[fleetman]

with bags in the rear.... how much will they lower stock hieght ? 3, 4 " ?
another question i have is .... if bags are "2600" model how can i tell when a bed load is safe for its (the bags) capacity ?
thanks in advance.
paul

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by fleetman

with bags in the rear.... how much will they lower stock hieght ? 3, 4 " ?
another question i have is .... if bags are "2600" model how can i tell when a bed load is safe for its (the bags) capacity ?
thanks in advance.
paul

If you have to increase bag pressure beyond recommended specs to overcome a ride height issue due to cargo-capacity, you're exceeding the bags limits.

2x 2500# capacity bags = 5K of weight @ the rear of the truck. CYA would say don't exceed 4K & you'll be good as far as the bags. 4K is more than what the trucks frame is rated from in original condition. Ideally, you shouldn't exceed 2K of weight (1/2 ton capacity technically for these trucks was 1k of weight but they could carry the additional weight if other factors like brakes were improved).

[fleetman]

thanks for the reply -
so if i have a load - is determining max bag pressure as simple as the psi read at the valve to the bag ?
forgive a simple question .. but say a 2500 bag replaces the stock spring.... what is new unweighted bed height ? or am i missing something here ?
thanks
paul

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by fleetman

thanks for the reply -
so if i have a load - is determining max bag pressure as simple as the psi read at the valve to the bag ?
forgive a simple question .. but say a 2500 bag replaces the stock spring.... what is new unweighted bed height ? or am i missing something here ?
thanks
paul

Double convoluted bags @ normal/average pressures typically yield 5.5" heights minimum. Typical factory coil springs in a 6x-72 1/2 ton truck arm app range from 8.5-9.5" tall so figure about 3" drop. Manufacturer suggested/recommended pressures typically are up to 100psi but it depends on the exact mfr & type of bag.

For example.... My 68 had bags swapped in place for coils (I used Firestones). I originally used the larger 2600#/7"/RE-7 size bags (which are slightly taller) & the recommended installation brackets. This combo of parts ultimately only required about 25psi to achieve the ride height I was targeting & rode like crap (very bouncy). To 'correct' this, I 1st removed the 'installation' bracket which removed about 1.5" from the installed height. This combo required about 30psi to achieve my targeted height. The ride was better, but still soft. The best ride required dropping to the smaller 2500#/6"/RE-6 size bag which required about 35psi minimum & provided a very nice ride quality.

With a loaded bed (or when I hooked-up my 18ft car trailer to pull another truck), bag psi typically was about 65psi.

[fleetman]

thanks for help scoti-
in your discription and comparison of bags with springs you predict 3" drop for unloaded rear ride height .
i am wondering if when you deleted that installation bracket you gained another inch drop ? such that if i were todo the same i would really see around 4 inch drop ?
if so what would you recommend for a complimentary front....?
i am thinking 2.5 spindles with either 1 or 2 inch springs ?

appreciate it.
paul

[fleetman]

scoti - any chance you have pic of your bag/trailering set up. sure would love to see it. i assume you have the shock brackets to readjust shock angle !
thanks
paul

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by fleetman

thanks for help scoti-
in your discription and comparison of bags with springs you predict 3" drop for unloaded rear ride height .
i am wondering if when you deleted that installation bracket you gained another inch drop ? such that if i were todo the same i would really see around 4 inch drop ?
if so what would you recommend for a complimentary front....?
i am thinking 2.5 spindles with either 1 or 2 inch springs ?

appreciate it.
paul

any chance you have pic of your bag/trailering set up. sure would love to see it. i assume you have the shock brackets to readjust shock angle !
thanks

Sorry... I thought I responded before. The 4" drop is probable; the 3" is most likely the minimum. For the front, I did 2.5 or 3" spindles & then cut 1-coil from the original springs for about 5" of drop.

I'll post up some pics later tonight (they're on my home computer).

[sixtyeightchevykid]

i am interested as well..

[SCOTI]

I looked last night & didn't have any actual pics of the rear suspension (just the truck @ ride height and another shot tugging my trailer).

[fleetman]

Originally Posted by SCOTI

I looked last night & didn't have any actual pics of the rear suspension (just the truck @ ride height and another shot tugging my trailer).

the reason i asked is because i'd like to see a install. i have tryed to get stage 1 rear bag system install info from porterbuilt- but no luck so far.
i assume the bag just goes there in place of the spring - but without the install bracket (you discarded yours) ..... i was wondering how you did it to secure the bag.
also is it safe to say you run the shock brackets to get the correct shock angle ?
for the rear on my 66 longfleetside i want to start off with a simple shrader in the wheelwell area and just adjust as occasionally needed for heavy cargo.

thanks
paul

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by fleetman

the reason i asked is because i'd like to see a install. i have tryed to get stage 1 rear bag system install info from porterbuilt- but no luck so far.
i assume the bag just goes there in place of the spring - but without the install bracket (you discarded yours) ..... i was wondering how you did it to secure the bag.
also is it safe to say you run the shock brackets to get the correct shock angle ?
for the rear on my 66 longfleetside i want to start off with a simple shrader in the wheelwell area and just adjust as occasionally needed for heavy cargo.

thanks
paul

http://www.67-72chevytrucks.com/vboa...d.php?t=129463
http://www.67-72chevytrucks.com/vboa...d.php?t=451200
http://www.67-72chevytrucks.com/vboa...d.php?t=437582

[fleetman]

scoti - thanks loads for the putting those links together. they answer a lot of questions.
appreciate it.
paul