4 inch drop question

[halfadeuce]

I recently purchased a 71 c10 suburban. It came with heavy duty springs in the rear which I replaced with some springs made for a 96 caprice which leveled it out with the front. The front has 2 coils cut on the stock springs. It measures 28 inches from the ground to the middle of the wheel well but the rear bottoms out with any weight in it. I would like know if I install some 4 inch drop heavy duty springs, how low will the rear actually be. I don't know what 28 inches to the wheel wells is equal to. Is it like a 4 inch or 5 inch drop?
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[zellway]

Is your Sub leaf or coil out back? I know that some placed list drop kits for trucks and subs so if you go a kit for a sub it will be the drop listed. I got the CPP kit for my sub that it coil all around and the rear droped 5" just like they told me it would. might be a little lower with a a full tank and a load of kids in it but not by much.

[halfadeuce]

It's got coils all around.
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[zellway]

They I would say the coils you installed just can't hold the weight of your burb. Check out the sets they sell and get ones for your truck and you will like the way it rides. If I remmber right I got my front and rear coil set with shocks and mounts for around $250 from CPP when they had a winter sale. I love the way it rides. I have even pulled a small boat with it and had no problems.

[halfadeuce]

That's the plan, I'm just trying to figure out what the height to the center of the fender will be with the hd drop springs. I don't want to buy them if I'm going to be at the same height I'm at right now.
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[zellway]

When I get home I will measure from center of hub to the top of the wheel openings and that would give you the height for min but if you have more or less weight it will be a little different. Mine has a 5" drop so keep that in mind.

[halfadeuce]

That would be great. Thank you. I would put up a picture of mine if I knew how to so you can see what I'm dealing with.
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[zellway]

When I checked it on as flat of ground as I could find it was 16 3/4"

[halfadeuce]

Thanks. I measured mine and its 15.5 inches from center of wheel to fender. That would mean I'm lower than a 5 inch drop so I should be ok with a 4 inch spring right?
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[zellway]

A 4" would be best if you do not have your frame c notched.

[halfadeuce]

I really appreciate your help. I was considering going back to the stock hd coil with 2 inch lowering blocks, but after this I think I can safely go with the 4 inch hd coils and not bottom out with some load on it. Hopefully it won't look too bad with the rear a little higher than the front. I put a picture up of what it looks like. It needs some work but I think I got a good starting point. I found it out in phoenix on Craigslist.
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[zellway]

No prob. I will always try and help any way I can. I love cragslist! and there are some great deals out there. I'm picking up a new sub this weekend that I found on there. It's a clean one that I can drive it as is and enjoy A/C. Something that is a must in AZ!

[CMACDONALD1]

when I first bought my burb I bought drop spindles and lowering springs but I had the same problem with the rear. I have a trailer I pull with mine once in a while so I knew this would not be good. I purchased 2 air bags and run a couple of air lines to my licence plate with a couple of schader valves and I ran it like that for about five years. this way you can use your suburban and ad air as needed.

[halfadeuce]

Mine has the rear ac unit but isn't hooked up. I don't know if it works. @cmacdonald1 that's a very nice truck.
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[lowrollin70gmc]

You can always adjust to taste with a 1-inch or 2-inch block a lot easier than adding height, so a 4-inch drop HD coil would be perfect. Let it break in for a few months and if you want it level again adjust down with a block.

Also, an off-roader's tip to see how much shock travel you're using: tighten a zip tie around the shock shaft and drive around trying to flex the suspension (driveways, jack up opposite corner, etc.). Then look and see how close to bottoming out the shock you are. If you have room to spare, carry on. Otherwise flip the mounts side to side (flattening out the curved lip with a big hammer) and test again or buy mount relocators.

[halfadeuce]

I'm currently trying to do all the DIY stuff because I'm on a serious budget. I would rather try the rear shock mount flip over buying relocation brackets. I really want to get this suspension done so I can move onto something else. What kind of shocks would any of you recommend. I had bilstein shocks on a 96 caprice I used to own with hotchkis springs and the ride was nice. Unfortunately those might be a little out of my budget for now and I'm leaning towards kyb gas shocks. Any opinions?
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