69 stepside lowering question

[69vetteside]

Hi guys,What i have kinda sussed out so far thanks to you guys is my truck seems to be lowered 3/4 approx.done only with lowered springs(coil).
the spindles are stockies.shocks ,cant tell they have no markings and are painted yellow as springs
My ride is very soft and bouncy.it leans on the drivers side.
will a stiffer shock help and how stiff ,whats a good one?
i will get a front sway bar as it has plenty of body roll.
I intend to swap the 20" rims and rubber band tyres for a set of 17"x8"&11" wheels i have and run 27" front and 31 " rear tyres.
the rear will then be lowered more to even out the stance. the fronts at the moment with the 20" rim and tyre measures 27"so the front wont change.

[tubbedII]

I'd figure out the lean before going any further. Lean isn't common in these trucks, so something must be wrong. Maybe pull the springs out and sit them next to each other to see if they are differnent heights...heated springs will have some coils much closer to each other than normal, and you should be able to see cut marks if they were cut. If it's not the springs, look real close at the frame/crossmembers for damage.

Shocks won't correct the lean, but should help the ride and there's tons of opinions on what a good shock are. I recommend doing a search and going with what your pocket allows. The sway will also help with handling/roll, and is a great upgrade.

The tire hieght between front and rear is pretty big, but that's a personal choice. The truck looks to have a nice rake as is, so I'd look at a 2" drop block for the rear when doing to rim swap.

[69vetteside]

TUBBED11 thanks for the info. will look into the springs then the frame/crossmember.
I know there is a big diff. between tyre heights(that may change to a 29" or 30"high rear)I always wanted a tubbed car or truck and i dont want to cut up the corvette so a nice mini tub on the truck should get me what i want.
Can i use the 2" drop block on the torsion bars (i think thats what you call them)mine is a coil suspension all round.

[blime81]

You can use a 2" block on the trailing arms (torsions are a whole different animal and not relative to your truck) but they are not the same as blocks for leaf sprung trucks.

Check out this sites vendors for plenty of options on drop blocks.
I like the CPP HD sway bar so I always recommend that one. It's a great upgrade.

And X2 on what tubbed said. Check those springs. I've always been wary of suspension parts rattle canned yellow. I'd wager that they may have been heated. If thats the case a set of drop springs is in your future.

[69vetteside]

thanks blime81 ,yeah trailing arms was the word i meant but just could'nt get it out LOL.
to me it all looks like its been done the cheap way. the only pieces painted on the suspension were the coils and shocks !

[tubbedII]

Originally Posted by 69vetteside

TUBBED11 thanks for the info. will look into the springs then the frame/crossmember.
I know there is a big diff. between tyre heights(that may change to a 29" or 30"high rear)I always wanted a tubbed car or truck and i dont want to cut up the corvette so a nice mini tub on the truck should get me what i want.

I love the tubbed look as well (hence the name and once had a pro-street Nova). There's tons of room in frame rails for a huge tire/wheel in the rear of these trucks, and modding the bed tub looks to be a pretty simple task. The 17x11 should look killer when mounted!

If you do find the front springs are bad, I recommend going with a set of spindles and spring combo to get the desired drop. It'll be more $, especially if you don't have discs up front right now (drop spindles require them), but you should get a better ride out of this set up than with just drop springs alone.

For my front sway, I went to the junk yard and snagged one off an 8 lugger...they are the HD versions and are the same diameters as most aftermarket...plus it was only $20. I had to get new bushings which cost about the same, but still was cheaper than a kit. Haven't installed it yet, but my blazer is still on stands probably until spring time.

One other thing...post some pics of the vette!

[69vetteside]

TUBBED11 hi,yes the truck has been converted to disc brake but he did'nt go the drop spindle way.
unfortunetly there are'nt many truck wreckers in Aust. that i can get second hand parts from.
putting in a small tub in the bed is pretty easy by the looks and i dont have to go to far in which wont upset the look of the stepside to much.
thanks for all your help