lowering

[ampsyco]

i just got a 66 swb fleetside. i want to lower it.

does anyone here have lowering springs in the front end of their truck, and if so how do they ride.

id like to do the spindles but i dont really want to convert to disc brakes. and no one makes a drop drum spindle.

i have coils in the rear so thats easy. im just wondering how much a 2 or 3 inch spring in the front is going to change the ride.

any input would be helpful.

[David Flores]

I'm about to put in some 3 inch drop coils in my truck tomorrow. But I have no idea how it will ride until a month or so until it's drivable.

[BIG CTY]

Originally Posted by David Flores

I'm about to put in some 3 inch drop coils in my truck tomorrow. But I have no idea how it will ride until a month or so until it's drivable.

Can you post pics after your drop, and also let us know what springs you are going to use? I want a 2-3 in drop and am still deciding on which direction to go in. I ALMOST ready to just slice ring off each spring...

[TimE]

I used 3" drop springs from cpp on the front of my 64 with 4" springs on the rear. I rebuilt the whole suspension at the same time with new shocks, bushings, ball joints, etc. I actually thought it rode better after the drop with all of this done. My shocks and springs were worn completely out though.

[ampsyco]

do you notice that you bottom out alot ???

and how does your alignment look ??? do you have a lot of camber or were you able to get it lined up right ???

[TimE]

My alignment looks good. The guy just put some extra spacers in and set it with the machine and it was all within spec. As far as bottoming out, I haven't driven my truck further than about 1/4 mile at a time in the last 3 years so I don't recall having any real issues with mine. I have looked at the bumpstops fairly recently and I could see where it had bottomed out on them but it wasn't like they were busted or anything, just "rub" marks. Also, keep in mind, that my suspension was "shot" when I did this so I was impressed with how mine road/drove after the fact. ANYTHING would have been an improvement on mine with the worn out original components. lol

Something to keep in mind though is that the 3" spring does put the upper ball joint at a pretty good angle. I have been told that this will cause excess wear on it but, so far, I have had no problems with mine. I drove it about 20 miles or so every day with the drop springs for about two years before I started taking it apart and quit driving it.

[63fleetside]

when you corner stock they lean bad but i noticed after i dropped mine it handled nice except for the armstrong steering lol i got about a 4 inch drop in the front and a 5 inch drop spring in the rear but im going to go lower

[TimE]

Originally Posted by 63fleetside

when you corner stock they lean bad but i noticed after i dropped mine it handled nice except for the armstrong steering lol i got about a 4 inch drop in the front and a 5 inch drop spring in the rear but im going to go lower

You're right about the handling(and the steering, lol). I am probably going to go a little lower with mine also, just haven't made up my mind how I want to do it yet. I'm still in the research/planning stage on that.

[badriand]

Lowering puts your truck closer to ground so it is going to handle alot better , ie around corners etc. my 2 cents anyway. I haven't got the pleasure of driving my 66 on long hauls yet since i dropped it 4.5 up front and 5 in thr rear due to it's not registered yet. I used to have a 96 with a 5/6 drop and it handled like a car on the road.

Only thing is you have to get use to driving a lowered truck, ie: you may forget when you pull into a driveway or store parking lot and try to hit it straight on like it is still stock height (bad idea). Will only take 1 of these and you will remember after that. Don't ask me how i know.

[63 & 64 Bowties]

I used a sawzall to cut the bump-stop off my lower control arm.

[62ChevyStep]

I originally had 3" drop springs on the front of mine with 5" drop in the rear, body roll was greatly reduced due to the lower center of gravity, bottoming out never became a problem, I suppose if I hit a huge dip or pothole at high speed it could have been.

I changed to 2 1/2" drop spindles and 1 inch drop springs, so I could add disk brakes. I still have had no issues with bottoming out, recently completely rebuilt the front and added a 1 1/4" swaybar and that changed the ride dramatically (no body roll) handles like a slot car, in the corners, getting ready to add a rear swaybar from a Iroc Z28 (21mm).

I used Toxic Shocks for the front, has worked great, had them on the rear but was too much, way too firm, changed them out to something softer and now rides perfect.

[Hillbilly Deluxe 65]

how involved is that to install sway bars to the front and back

[ampsyco]

nobody else with any input ???

[protrash64]

If youre asking I'll add some...........My 64p/up is lowered 5.5" up front and flipped in the rear (leaf spring truck). It does not lean w/ a swaybar, however it does scrape anything and has about 2.5" clearance on the a-arms. It rides like crap due to the tire/wheel combo......they are cast and very heavy. Wheels have alot to do w/ the ride. Different shocks mite help.

Hillbilly deluxe asked about swaybar installation.......if you can use a wrench and a drill you will have one on in under an hour. You may have to drill for mounts on the frame below the radiator.....I never had to drill the a-arms but heard it mite be necessary.

My 64 "burb has 3.5" lowered; spindles and springs and a swaybar. All new shocks also ( the pick-up has new shocks also). I have forged wheels which are very lite.....22pnds......this thing rides like a Caddy. It is smooth and mellow. I used the CPP kit on the burb; relocated the shock- mounts and used their heavy-duty springs in the rear.

Hope this helps........

[JohnnyG.]

anyone ever cut and lower the coil buckets on the lower a arms? or anything else to this nature? im thinking about going to try something like this on mine. dont want to drop the money into dropped spindles just yet and am getting parts truck within the next month or so.