Front track too wide - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

CG · 01-26-2009, 02:58 PM

I need to shave the front track down about 4 inches...Right now the only option I know of is to use a Dropmember. Those things are great for sure, but I really dont want to bag my truck if I dont have to. I prefer the static drop for this particular ride.

Dropmembers after all is said and done are probably close to or maybe even over 2 grand. Money well spent if bagging was what you had in mind in the first place.

I read somewhere that someone was going to narrow their crossmember, but in my head I dont see how this will work without some serious fab work which equals big expense.

Any other way to do this? After market a arms that arent as wide? Maybe narrowing a cross member is easier than I think?

Any insights are appreciated...thanks guys.

theyammieguy · 01-26-2009, 03:41 PM

Why would you need narrow it?

**lolife99** · 01-26-2009, 07:13 PM

I would just change the front wheels to something with more backspacing or a narrower wheel all together.

Spray-Bomb · 01-26-2009, 08:34 PM

You can get a DropMember set up for coil overs

Some people shorten there A-arms, but that will mess with your steering & stuff, so I dont really know what you would do

This truck has a narrowed front

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=317961

CG · 01-26-2009, 09:39 PM

I have a 69 converted to disk. This pushes the track out. I have 15x8 inch rims with a 4.25 inch backspacing. I set these rims on a truck set up like mine and its going to leave the tire almost against the wheel opening lip on the fender.

I see trucks all the time with giant wheels and tires on the front and all slammed to the ground. I know most of these rigs dont have drop members (even though Nathan would like that lol). How are these guys getting away with that?

And since when were you able to run coil overs on a drop member? Are you talking about the Corvette set up? As you guys can tell this stuff befuddles me..lol

**lolife99** · 01-26-2009, 10:14 PM

Big rims allow bigger backspacing. I like a 20x8 with a 5.25 BS, or a 20x8.5 with a 5.75 BS.
You can't do that with 15 inch rims.

CG · 01-26-2009, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lolife99

Big rims allow bigger backspacing. I like a 20x8 with a 5.25 BS, or a 20x8.5 with a 5.75 BS.
You can't do that with 15 inch rims.

I had no idea you could go with that much backspacing even with big wheels. Im not much of a big rim guy, I look at the pics but dont really read the specs.

Thanks for the info...I really do learn stuff here everyday.

CG · 01-26-2009, 11:31 PM

Maybe of you guys could tell me how deep of a backspace I can use with 15 inch wheels before they interfere with something?

Spray-Bomb · 01-26-2009, 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CG

And since when were you able to run coil overs on a drop member? Are you talking about the Corvette set up? As you guys can tell this stuff befuddles me..lol

You would have to talk to Nate about that, but I think I remember him having one (other than the C-4) that could run coil overs

**lolife99** · 01-26-2009, 11:41 PM

I would say 4-4.25 inches.
Just run a 7 inch rim or narrower.

gringoloco · 01-27-2009, 12:05 AM

You can run the 7" wheels from a light duty '80s truck or 6.5s from a full size van if you like the truck rallies. You can get away with a little more BS if you're not using drop spindles, but not much. CPP's new modular spindles keep your stock track width, but require a 17" wheel...

CG · 01-27-2009, 12:21 AM

Everything is pointing me to the dropmember. I have a look Im going for and the skinny wheels just wont work for me...Anybody wanna buy a 58 Ford wagon or maybe a 51 Ford flathead V8? Time to liquidate...lol.

Thanks again guys for helping me out

PBFAB.COM · 01-27-2009, 12:42 AM

CG-

I build front suspension systems to accomodate ALL needs. If you're looking for something special, like a static set-up... No problem. We're working on a couple options as we speak.

CG · 01-27-2009, 02:22 AM

Thanks, Ill have to give you a call.

Besides lowering my plans all along were to put my Caddy 500 in it and I was never able to figure out if that combo was compatible with your drop member.

But now that I picked up the 41 Caddy from oldiron I think Im going to save my Caddy drive train for that. Time for the good old reliable 350 and auto combo.

Tx Firefighter · 01-27-2009, 07:46 AM

I've personally run 15x8 with 4.25 b.s. (Cragar SS wheels) with 245/60/15 tires on the front of a truck that had been converted to disks and lowered 4.5 inches in front.

No narrowing needed, no rubbing either.

My stepside in my signature actually has 64 model drum brake suspension under it, with ECE conversion drop spindles and 5 lug rotors off a 77 model truck. 8 inch wide wheels on all 4 corners. Nothing narrowed.

Frizzle Fry · 01-27-2009, 01:45 PM

Here's an option for ya CG! http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=277621

Custom 68 · 01-27-2009, 02:35 PM

I too have been looking at options and found this one.
http://www.classicperform.com/NewPro...op_Spindle.htm
I posted this a month or so ago but didnt get much info on it. That post is now gone but it looks like it might work but it will only move it 1 1/8 per side so only 2 1/4 overall instead of the 4 you were looking for.

CG · 01-27-2009, 06:49 PM

Ill be running 275 60 15s on all corners. This is the same set up see ten was running on his truck at one time. But maybe because his is a disk brake truck from the get go the track is narrower?

LOL...frizzle if I was going to do that I would have to drop my panel off at your house and just wait for your call to let me know its finished.

SCOTI · 01-27-2009, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CG

Ill be running 275 60 15s on all corners. This is the same set up see ten was running on his truck at one time. But maybe because his is a disk brake truck from the get go the track is narrower?

Half ton GM disc brake trucks have the same track width regardless of year. The crossmembers will interchange throughout the 63-87 model range which means the a-arm location & pivot points are the same. The exception to this might be the 81-87 Lt.duty 1" rotor equipped trucks.

CG · 01-27-2009, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SCOTI

Half ton GM disc brake trucks have the same track width regardless of year. The crossmembers will interchange throughout the 63-87 model range which means the a-arm location & pivot points are the same. The exception to this might be the 81-87 Lt.duty 1" rotor equipped trucks.

So you're saying my 69 that has the drum to disk conversion which pushes the track out approx 1.5 inches per side is now equal to our trucks that came stock with disks?

**lolife99** · 01-27-2009, 08:18 PM

Yes.

**lolife99** · 01-27-2009, 08:23 PM

I'll be doing the same to my '69 swb. I have a set of McGaughy's drop spindles. I'll be using all my static drop stuff off of the blazer.

You are thinking about spending alot of money ,... just to keep those 275/60's up front.
The track width of these trucks has always been wider up front. The look of a "wider track width" just gets magnified when you lower them. Actually the lower arms do push the spindle out when you use a drop spring. (arm is more horizontal instead of pointing down)
My old 17's I had on the blazer were 17x8's with a 5" backspace,... and they worked fine.

SCOTI · 01-27-2009, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CG

So you're saying my 69 that has the drum to disk conversion which pushes the track out approx 1.5 inches per side is now equal to our trucks that came stock with disks?

Did you actually measure the difference in track width before doing the swap & after?

CG · 01-27-2009, 11:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SCOTI

Did you actually measure the difference in track width before doing the swap & after?

I haven't done the swap yet. I'm going by what Ive read on the board. I have already purchased my spindles and disk kit. You're the first person that's given a definitive yes to the after the swap to disks the front track now equals all the disk brake trucks (well, up to a certain year).

CG · 01-27-2009, 11:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lolife99

I'll be doing the same to my '69 swb. I have a set of McGaughy's drop spindles. I'll be using all my static drop stuff off of the blazer.

Your are thinking about spending alot of money ,... just to keep those 275/60's up front.
The track width of these trucks has always been wider up front. The look of a "wider track width" just gets magnified when you lower them. Actually the lower arms do push the spindle out when you use a drop spring. (arm is more horizontal instead of pointing down)
My old 17's I had on the blazer were 17x8's with a 5" backspace,... and they worked fine.

My reasoning for doing the larger tires is this...A panel truck is a huge beast of a truck. Even though its the same size as a burb, it looks larger because of the lack of windows. So in the rear I see that tire as the best looking and fitting. Now my plans are to do some real road trips in this thing so I would prefer to have the same size tire on all four corners.

Look at post number four in this thread. http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=285491 see tens truck looks very good with this set up. Basically what I want to run except not ralleys, just plain steel for me. When I put my steel wheel on a truck that went from drum to disks, even though I didnt have the tire mounted you could tell it was going to be rub city.

I think my best option is going to be a drop member. I just wish I could use springs instead of bags.

01-26-2009, 02:58 PM	#1
CG BlahBlahBlah Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Wa. Posts: 20,019	Front track too wide I need to shave the front track down about 4 inches...Right now the only option I know of is to use a Dropmember. Those things are great for sure, but I really dont want to bag my truck if I dont have to. I prefer the static drop for this particular ride. Dropmembers after all is said and done are probably close to or maybe even over 2 grand. Money well spent if bagging was what you had in mind in the first place. I read somewhere that someone was going to narrow their crossmember, but in my head I dont see how this will work without some serious fab work which equals big expense. Any other way to do this? After market a arms that arent as wide? Maybe narrowing a cross member is easier than I think? Any insights are appreciated...thanks guys. __________________ … … … … … … … … ... … … … … … … … … … … … Last edited by CG; 01-26-2009 at 02:58 PM.

01-26-2009, 03:41 PM	#2
theyammieguy accepting donations Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: houston tx Posts: 521	Re: Front track too wide Why would you need narrow it? __________________ 1999 Yamaha roadstar 1600 chop. (in progress.) See my builds here>http://s113.photobucket.com/albums/n238/nickrp_2006/ "Ya'll can go to hell, I'm going to Texas." David Crockett

01-26-2009, 07:13 PM	#3
lolife99 67-72 parts collector,… Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Mid-MO Posts: 22,700	Re: Front track too wide I would just change the front wheels to something with more backspacing or a narrower wheel all together. __________________ Keith Convert to disc brakes. http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=444823

01-26-2009, 08:34 PM	#4
Spray-Bomb Texas Big Wig Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Mineola, Texas Posts: 5,620	Re: Front track too wide You can get a DropMember set up for coil overs Some people shorten there A-arms, but that will mess with your steering & stuff, so I dont really know what you would do This truck has a narrowed front http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=317961 __________________ Just not low enough... ----------------------------- Sinister Killer Last edited by Spray-Bomb; 01-26-2009 at 08:36 PM.

01-26-2009, 09:39 PM	#5
CG BlahBlahBlah Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Wa. Posts: 20,019	Re: Front track too wide I have a 69 converted to disk. This pushes the track out. I have 15x8 inch rims with a 4.25 inch backspacing. I set these rims on a truck set up like mine and its going to leave the tire almost against the wheel opening lip on the fender. I see trucks all the time with giant wheels and tires on the front and all slammed to the ground. I know most of these rigs dont have drop members (even though Nathan would like that lol). How are these guys getting away with that? And since when were you able to run coil overs on a drop member? Are you talking about the Corvette set up? As you guys can tell this stuff befuddles me..lol __________________ … … … … … … … … ... … … … … … … … … … … …

01-26-2009, 10:14 PM	#6
lolife99 67-72 parts collector,… Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Mid-MO Posts: 22,700	Re: Front track too wide Big rims allow bigger backspacing. I like a 20x8 with a 5.25 BS, or a 20x8.5 with a 5.75 BS. You can't do that with 15 inch rims. __________________ Keith Convert to disc brakes. http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=444823

01-26-2009, 11:31 PM	#8
CG BlahBlahBlah Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Wa. Posts: 20,019	Re: Front track too wide Maybe of you guys could tell me how deep of a backspace I can use with 15 inch wheels before they interfere with something? __________________ … … … … … … … … ... … … … … … … … … … … …

01-26-2009, 11:41 PM	#10
lolife99 67-72 parts collector,… Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Mid-MO Posts: 22,700	Re: Front track too wide I would say 4-4.25 inches. Just run a 7 inch rim or narrower. __________________ Keith Convert to disc brakes. http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=444823

01-27-2009, 12:05 AM	#11
gringoloco A guy with a truck Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Germany, for now Posts: 5,921	Re: Front track too wide You can run the 7" wheels from a light duty '80s truck or 6.5s from a full size van if you like the truck rallies. You can get away with a little more BS if you're not using drop spindles, but not much. CPP's new modular spindles keep your stock track width, but require a 17" wheel... __________________ -Chris Instagram _elgringoloco_ '70 Short-Wide How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10 ‘70 Blazer ConversionHow To: Ruin a Perfectly Good 4wd '72 Highlander How To: Ruin a Perfectly Good K/5 (SOLD) '72 Blazer 2WD How to: Ruin a perfectly good Blazer (SOLD) '05 Yukon Daily Driven (not so stock) Yukon (SOLD) ‘07 Yukon Denali (daily) Members met list: SCOTI, darkhorse970, 67cheby, 67cheby'sGirl, klmore, porterbuilt, n2billet, Fastrucken, classicchev, Col Clank, GSFMECH, HuggerCST, Spray-Bomb, BACKYARD88, 5150, fine69, fatbass, smbrouss70, 65StreetCruiser, GAc10boy

01-27-2009, 12:21 AM	#12
CG BlahBlahBlah Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Wa. Posts: 20,019	Re: Front track too wide Everything is pointing me to the dropmember. I have a look Im going for and the skinny wheels just wont work for me...Anybody wanna buy a 58 Ford wagon or maybe a 51 Ford flathead V8? Time to liquidate...lol. Thanks again guys for helping me out __________________ … … … … … … … … ... … … … … … … … … … … …

01-27-2009, 12:42 AM	#13
PBFAB.COM Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Mesa,Az Posts: 3,981	Re: Front track too wide CG- I build front suspension systems to accomodate ALL needs. If you're looking for something special, like a static set-up... No problem. We're working on a couple options as we speak. __________________ www.PorterbuiltFabrication.com Phone: 480-297-2621 E-mail: sales@pbfab.com Find us on FaceBook under Porterbuilt Fabrication Specializing in Chassis and Suspension Components for your Classic Chevrolet Truck. We offer components from the following manufacturers: Porterbuilt Accuair Ridetech (Air Ride Technologies) Air Lift Wilwood Intro Unisteer ECE Gotta Show Air Lift Borgeson CPP Supporting this forum since 2003!

01-27-2009, 02:22 AM	#14
CG BlahBlahBlah Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Wa. Posts: 20,019	Re: Front track too wide Thanks, Ill have to give you a call. Besides lowering my plans all along were to put my Caddy 500 in it and I was never able to figure out if that combo was compatible with your drop member. But now that I picked up the 41 Caddy from oldiron I think Im going to save my Caddy drive train for that. Time for the good old reliable 350 and auto combo. __________________ … … … … … … … … ... … … … … … … … … … … …

01-27-2009, 07:46 AM	#15
Tx Firefighter Watch out for your cornhole ! Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Azle, Texas Posts: 14,162	Re: Front track too wide I've personally run 15x8 with 4.25 b.s. (Cragar SS wheels) with 245/60/15 tires on the front of a truck that had been converted to disks and lowered 4.5 inches in front. No narrowing needed, no rubbing either. My stepside in my signature actually has 64 model drum brake suspension under it, with ECE conversion drop spindles and 5 lug rotors off a 77 model truck. 8 inch wide wheels on all 4 corners. Nothing narrowed. __________________ I'm on the Instagram- @Gearhead_Kevin

01-27-2009, 01:45 PM	#16
Frizzle Fry Registered User Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Hillsboro Oregon Posts: 6,449	Re: Front track too wide Here's an option for ya CG! http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=277621

01-27-2009, 02:35 PM	#17
Custom 68 Registered User Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Springfield, MO Posts: 2,939	Re: Front track too wide I too have been looking at options and found this one. http://www.classicperform.com/NewPro...op_Spindle.htm I posted this a month or so ago but didnt get much info on it. That post is now gone but it looks like it might work but it will only move it 1 1/8 per side so only 2 1/4 overall instead of the 4 you were looking for. __________________ Dave 1968 Custom Chevy with turbo charged 5.3 gen III 4l80e swap 1967-71 GMC 3/4 ton long step 4x4 (not sure what year exactly?) "A good friend will bail you out of jail...but a true friend will be sitting next to you saying "that was frekin awesome". "If it doesn't fit force it...If it breaks then it needed to be replaced anyway!"



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01-27-2009, 06:49 PM	#18
CG BlahBlahBlah Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Wa. Posts: 20,019	Re: Front track too wide Ill be running 275 60 15s on all corners. This is the same set up see ten was running on his truck at one time. But maybe because his is a disk brake truck from the get go the track is narrower? LOL...frizzle if I was going to do that I would have to drop my panel off at your house and just wait for your call to let me know its finished. __________________ … … … … … … … … ... … … … … … … … … … … …

01-27-2009, 08:18 PM	#21
lolife99 67-72 parts collector,… Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Mid-MO Posts: 22,700	Re: Front track too wide Yes. __________________ Keith Convert to disc brakes. http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=444823

01-27-2009, 08:23 PM	#22
lolife99 67-72 parts collector,… Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Mid-MO Posts: 22,700	Re: Front track too wide I'll be doing the same to my '69 swb. I have a set of McGaughy's drop spindles. I'll be using all my static drop stuff off of the blazer. You are thinking about spending alot of money ,... just to keep those 275/60's up front. The track width of these trucks has always been wider up front. The look of a "wider track width" just gets magnified when you lower them. Actually the lower arms do push the spindle out when you use a drop spring. (arm is more horizontal instead of pointing down) My old 17's I had on the blazer were 17x8's with a 5" backspace,... and they worked fine. __________________ Keith Convert to disc brakes. http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=444823 Last edited by lolife99; 01-27-2009 at 11:50 PM.

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