Suspension, brakes and wheels...oh my?

[33shooter]

Alright, I keep reading on here and looking at all the great setups that everyone has. I was originally not gonna lower my truck, now I am. I was originally gonna rebuild the stock motor and trans, now an LS motor swap is in order. I was originally gonna go with 15" wheels, now I want bigger. Ya'll are great...

Down to business.

Suspension: I'm confused as to what I should do with my suspension. I want it to handle like a sports car..er truck. I want something that will be fun to drive, and have good road manners, like a sports car. I'm planning on dropping it, but I'm not sure if I want to go with a 2.5/4 or a 4/6. I don't want to have to worry about speed bumps, or anything like that. Going with front and rear sway bars, adjustable trac bar and quality parts. I've settled on ECE or CPP for my parts. Bags are out of the question for now.

Which kits do you guys run, and why? Should I buy a new cross member and trailing arms? 2.5/4 or 4/6? Suggestions?

This leads me to brakes:

I'm planning on being able to stop the 400 ponies I have planned, so I need new brakes. Again, I really like ECE and CPP. Should I go 4 wheel disc or disc front and drum rear? Which kits really are the best and why? I am converting from 4wheel manual drums to power disc so I'm looking at complete kits. Had a salesman (I know) tell me that drum rear was all I needed because the rear of these trucks were too light and rear disc had the tendency to lock up.

True or false? Planning on getting lowering spindles with the brake kit, so it kinda goes hand in hand with the above problem of suspension. Help me out, what are you running, and what do you suggest. Not gonna fork out the money for wilwood or bear, just something nice from ECE or CPP.

And Shoes...Wheels:

And to top off my problems, I'm not sure what wheels I want. I'm swapping to 5 lug wheels and want to run coy's or something similar. I want the same diameter wheel all around, but maybe wider in the rear. Is it worth it to go from 18" to 20"? I'm considering an 8" up front and 10" in the back. What tires should I look at that are not killer on price? I'm not going to spend $350 a wheel, and $300 a tire, I want something easier on the pocket book. I was thinking something that will perform well for a driver, but last more than 20k miles. Suggestions? Should I run 18s or 20s?

It's a 1970 long bed C10. It will have a 6.0 or 6.2 (if I can find one) with 4l60e/4l80e or 6l80e if I get the 6.2. I'm going for performance with mileage. My goal is 350 wheel horses and 20+ mpg on the hwy (goal/wishful thinking). The rear gear will be decided by what wheel/tire I run.

Thanks
33

[oldblue1968chevy]

Id got 4/6 because 2.5/4 you wil wanna go lower..lol

Just go front disc for now you can swap out later, DEFINITELY front sway bar (I have no experience about rears) and thats all I can answer from experience

[33shooter]

Originally Posted by oldblue1968chevy

Id got 4/6 because 2.5/4 you wil wanna go lower..lol

Just go front disc for now you can swap out later, DEFINITELY front sway bar (I have no experience about rears) and thats all I can answer from experience

Well, I have to address my brakes in the back anyway because I'm swapping from 6 lug to 5 lug. So I want to buy once cry once. I just don't know if I should buy a beefier rear drum set up, or spend the few hundred extra for disc.

[oldblue1968chevy]

if ya got the $ why not lol

[red69ss]

changing trailing arms and crossmember is not necessary for the amount of drop you want. as far as rear disc goes probaly not needed either but thats a personal preference depending on budget. I think the kits from ece have more quality components in them ,they use moog and raybestos products. good luck

[Fitz]

Originally Posted by 33shooter

Down to business.
Thanks
33

How much you drop the truck will depend upon wheel/tire combinations and what you want to do with it. Cornering and stopping ability is determined by suspension geometry, sway bars, brakes and tire sidewall stiffness. If you plan to autocross it, a 2.5/4 drop with 17 in wheels and 40 series tires will look about the same as a 4/6 drop with those high sidewall balloons most trucks run but thosehigh sidewall tires will tuck under when you corner hard. That problem will be exaggerated by stiff sway bars front and rear. On the other hand, a good 40 series tire will just stick and turn like the truck is on rails so you have some work to do.

First, decide how you want to drive it. I could not make a longbed truck handle like my Corvette so I autocross the Vette and save the truck for the drags. Once you know how you're going to drive it, decide how much you're going to drive it. Mine is no trailer queen but in the last year I've put about 5000 miles on it. A daily driver probably should not be geared as low as a truck that occasionally runs at the track and it's got to be comfortable. Mine runs like a scalded dog and gets a lot of attention when i go down the street but tires are gettin kinda expensive.

Choices...lots of choices, Dude!

[bigsnookmaster]

I went with 4 wheel discs and will never have another car or truck without them! I have Aerospace rears on mine now, and it will stop faster than most of the new stuff on the street.

[68Stepbed]

I'm running a 3.5/5 drop, 1 1/8" front sway bar, stock 72 disc/drum setup, and 15x8's with 255/60/15 front, 275/60/15 rear tires on my 68 stepper. I also only have a stock but cammed 350/TH350/3.73 combo for drivetrain. It's defininetly not the most powerful truck and could surely use some improvement in the areas of stopping. I assure though, it holds it's own on The Dragon. I've not been able to run it on a road course or slalom or anything, but it's blast to drive on country curvy roads.

The only issue you may run into is the long wheel base. A shorter wheel base is quicker and more nimble in the curves. Don't let that deter you, though. Upgrade what you can while you're rebuilding. I would say rear discs will help you alot, but bigger front brakes will benefit you more.

The ECE 4/6 kit is the best on the market. I've not had good experience with CPP and really haven't heard alot of good reviews.

As far as wheels, like I said, I'm running 15's and they serve me well. I plan to upgrade to 17's eventually and the shorter sidewalls should improve the handling a bit. As far as your wheel budget, there's not too many options for cheap 18's or 20's that I've seen, but there's lots of inexpensive alternatives with 17's. It all depends on what you want and what you're willing to spend.

[33shooter]

While i know i can't make it handle like a vette I'm sure i could make it drive more like a sportscar than a truck. Im not planning on putting it on a track but it will drive 30 miles on the interste a day.

Probably going to have 3.42 gears behind a LS motor and 4l60e.

The goal is 350 wheel HP and 20+ mpg with handling like a sportscar.

[72BlckButy]

Here is my truck running a 4.5/6" drop with a 6-lug disc brake upgrade and front sway bar addition. The truck is running on 255/40 and 295/40 20's and as mentioned above, rides like a dream and like it's on rails.

IMO, the rear sway bar is a little overkill and not needed. Same thing with the larger drum brakes on the rear as they are really meant for slowing a load you will be towing.

Also, I wouldn't look any farther than ECE. I have not ordered from CPP, and some have had good experiences, but I would highly recommend referring to the review board on some of the issues fellow members have experienced. I know that when I ordered my complete brake/drop kit all the pieces were there and then only issue I had was with my M/C lid which was bent during shipping. One call to Stan at ECE and I had a new one in a couple of days.

For more information on my truck, the drop, the wheels, etc.; refer to my build thread in my signature (Project Blank Slate).

No better static drop setup, but I'm partial as you can tell.

[33shooter]

Does your truck drag on speed bumps? And would that drop necessitate a crossmember i can run the exhaust through?

[72BlckButy]

My truck has not drug on any speed bumps I have crossed.

IMO, a crossmember would not be necessary to run the exhaust through. If you really want to run your exhause through a crossmember, simply drill two holes through the stock crossmember (3-4") and then weld in round pipe into those previously drilled holes. Many have done it without any issues.

[33shooter]

72BB I love the look of your truck, its actually the one that spawned this thread fyi....


Can anyone tell me why CPP isn't good? Is it their customer service alone or are their products lacking? They are a board sponsor so I assumed they made good products. ECE was the one who told me NOT to buy rear disc, but to get drums instead.

What rear discs are people running?

[68Stepbed]

I bought springs from CPP before and I had trouble making them fit just right. Their customer support wasn't too snazzy either.

When I went with ECE, everything was made nice, it all came with it's own hardware, the fit was perfect, and their customer support is great.

ECE also deals ONLY with 63-72 Chevy truck suspension components, so that's where their expertise and knowledge is. CPP makes parts for a multitude of different cars and trucks of different makes. They have a general knowledge of these trucks, but nothing like ECE.

[72BlckButy]

Originally Posted by 68Stepbed

I bought springs from CPP before and I had trouble making them fit just right. Their customer support wasn't too snazzy either.

When I went with ECE, everything was made nice, it all came with it's own hardware, the fit was perfect, and their customer support is great.

ECE also deals ONLY with 63-72 Chevy truck suspension components, so that's where their expertise and knowledge is. CPP makes parts for a multitude of different cars and trucks of different makes. They have a general knowledge of these trucks, but nothing like ECE.

I couldn't have said it any better.

I'm not saying CPP makes inferior products but I'm saying that to me the ability to call up the store and ask a technical question or to know that I will receive all the parts I ordered the first time, ECE was the only way to go. ECE goes above and beyond. When you're missing one bolt or clip, it can make the world of difference and I didn't want to have to wait on a specific piece for weeks.

ECE only deals with 63-72 so they know just about anything that has to do with them. It's like going to Dairy Queen and asking about Baskin Robins 31 flavors. DQ has ice cream but not the 31 flavors offered by BR.

Kind of a crazy analogy but hey....

[big_al_71]

Go to this website and buy with confidence.......

http://www.earlyclassic.com/


Finished over a year ago and trouble free.......

[33shooter]

Could you give me the specs on your drop and wheel/tire combo? What rear brakes do you use?

[68Stepbed]

Originally Posted by 72BlckButy

It's like going to Dairy Queen and asking about Baskin Robins 31 flavors. DQ has ice cream but not the 31 flavors offered by BR.