How to build a heavy hauler?

[jkeady]

Hey all. I've got an unmolested '70 2wd Custom Camper/20. It's a pretty nice truck, doesn't really need anything, and I'd like to use it for towing / camper purposes. 2 things I want to change: disc brakes in front, and lower it just a little without losing any load carrying / towing capacity.

Sorry if these are really common questions, I hate being a n00b, but hear me out.

What's the best way to convert a '70 to 8-lug disc brakes? '71 spindles? I'm not looking for extreme stopping capability, just something to kill the fade on long downgrades.

After that, what's the best way to lower this thing just an inch or two? I'd like to level it because it's got a fair amount of rake. I was thinking 1 inch in the front and 3 in the rear. Suggestions?

Thanks in advance,

Josh

[special-K]

Does it have leaf or coil springs?There are lowering shackles for leaf(about 1").For coils,you can use blocks and not change the springs.

[Bob Moore]

Check out Performance Online for 3/4T dropped spindles to adapt discs.

[jkeady]

Thanks for the link on the spindles. Does anyone know of a drop spindle that would let me use 8 lug rotors and larger calipers? I would like some beefy brakes because I do think I will be towing a pretty heavy car trailer or hauling a big camper, and I'm afraid the half-ton brakes will be a little puny.

[special-K]

Bob was refering you to 3/4t(8-lug)drop spindles.The thing is,that will only put your rear up more(visual effect).You said you wanted to level it out a bit.You can only drop the rear so much before "C" notching the frame.Not exactly a strengthening proceedure for heavy hauling.And,the only way to bring the rear down more than an inch or two would be to reduce spring capacity.Unless it`s a leaf sprung truck.If it is,you can do an axle-flip,but will require a "C" notch.I`m sure you can notch and beef it up as strong,if not stronger.

[Richard H.]

I built the trailer in the picture , it weighs 3000 lbs and I can put 8000 lbs on it "legally" but with no more than 2000 lbs tongue weight. The trailer has four wheel brakes and I haul it with a Dorf 250. When loaded it makes the truck squat to level and a lot more comfy to ride in. I don't rely on my truck brakes to stop my trailer. The toyota commercials you see on tv are a joke when it comes to pullin a 10000 lbs load with truck brakes and coming to a quick stop.
Sounds like you need a load leveler system in the back and a trailer with brakes.

[jkeady]

I guess I should have been a little more clear what I meant when I said I wanted to drop the truck.

First, yes, it does have leaves. Did they make a Camper 3/4 ton long bed with coils?

Unloaded, the back sits a fair amount higher than the front, as do most 2wd 3/4 tons that I see. I don't know if the front coils are sacked out, of if they just came that way, or what. Anyway, I want to drop the front just a smidge... maybe like an inch, and drop the back enough to level it and get that unloaded rake out of there. I didn't know how much it'd take to do that (remembering to factor in the front drop)... 3 inches?

Anyway, it's not important enough to me to do a C-notch because I don't want to get that involved with it (would be a long ways off, anyway.) I was hoping maybe someone made another spring pack with less arch that retained the same weight carrying capabilities. I was thinking about a spring-under mod. How much drop would that give right off the bat? Let's say I did a spring-under and didn't change anything else in the rear... how much travel would I have left?

As for the brakes, it says on that Performance Online page, "All spindles require heavy duty 1/2 ton rotors." I'm not too up on Chevy stuff, so I don't know what "heavy duty" means, but I figured it would be a 5 or 6 lug pattern.

Also, talking about towing. I pulled a 7000 pound camp trailer. It's got a class IV receiver, load leveling bars, and a brake controller, she's good to go. But I tell you, heading down through the Siskiyous with undersized truck brakes, your trailer brakes will fade away to nothing real quick, and you are in for a white knuckle ride. The 3/4 has some big drums, and really, their stopping performance isn't abysmal, but even with those and ample trailer brakes, I have almost gotten in trouble with some of the mega-grades we have out here on the west coast.

What I was really thinking of brake-wise was 3/4 ton rotors with a set of dual-piston calipers. Asking too much?

Anyway, thanks for the responses guys, feel free to chime in with more thoughts.

[special-K]

Doing the axles-flip,or spring under,will lower it to wher you`d want a "C" notch if you load it.You could use the lowering shackles,de-arch springs,and/or take a coupleleafs out but add overloads set to contact with your load hooked up.The other thing would be to raise the front with new 1t springs.