looking for pics of air ride with no body drop

[draggin49]

Was curious if you run air ride how low will a c10 sit with air completely out of the bags without doing any sort of body drop???If anyone has pics id love to see them

My truck is a 1969 c10 shortbed
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[wayno]

Love to see this as well. I have my body off now - I am running porterbuilt front and back and can tell you that I'm laying frame right on the garage floor when aired out with that setup.

[jimmydean]

How low you go depends on a LOT of factors.

If all you do is replace the coil springs with bags, you will get low.
If you notch the rear, you will get lower
If you step notch the rear, you will get even lower
If you use drop spindles, you will get even lower

Here is my '69 with drop spindles and no notch in the rear aired out. I used a short cup in the rear to keep the axle from hitting the frame when aired out.



I was using Slam Specialties RE7 bags front, RE6 bags rear.

Here is aired up.



Another view up



Down

[Sin7]

I like that !

[cubber]

2.5" drop spindles, c notch out back.

[wraprail]

2.5 drop spindles. Notch out back.


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[knomadd]

Originally Posted by jimmydean

How low you go depends on a LOT of factors.

If all you do is replace the coil springs with bags, you will get low.
If you notch the rear, you will get lower
If you step notch the rear, you will get even lower
If you use drop spindles, you will get even lower

Here is my '69 with drop spindles and no notch in the rear aired out. I used a short cup in the rear to keep the axle from hitting the frame when aired out.

Do you have drop spindles or not?

[jimmydean]

Originally Posted by knomadd

Do you have drop spindles or not?

Yes, I had the 2.5" drop spindle disc kit.

[knomadd]

oops... Guess I should have read a little closer. You even said you did in your original post. Thanks for answering anyway.

[502ms]

This low enough for you?

Note it's on casters to get on the lift.

Z'd front
4 link/12" notch rear


Lays frame. No drop spindles. No tubs yet.
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[502ms]

1972 Chevy C10 6.0/6 Speed | Independence Day...

In this video you can see how my frame layer can rise up to full stock height

In this pic, you see she is lower than the Bimmer.

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[catch2otwo]

how come post number 5 and 6 both look so much lower then post number 3? It seems they are all running a drop spindle and rear notch?

[draggin49]

↑↑↑↑↑↑
I was wondering the same thing
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[tinydb84]

Originally Posted by catch2otwo

how come post number 5 and 6 both look so much lower then post number 3? It seems they are all running a drop spindle and rear notch?

#6 is Z'd

[knomadd]

Overall wheel/tire height makes a difference as well as if they are using a bag cup and the type of LCA they are using. If they aren't all the same, the drop will vary.

[catch2otwo]

Originally Posted by knomadd

Overall wheel/tire height makes a difference as well as if they are using a bag cup and the type of LCA they are using. If they aren't all the same, the drop will vary.

If thats the case, could you guys post more details.
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[tinydb84]

Originally Posted by catch2otwo

If thats the case, could you guys post more details.
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Tire size wont really make a difference (unless your running super tall tires i.e 33inchs)

When you air out in the front the lowest you can get is the crossmember (assuming you modified the upper and lower control arms and have drop spindles)

In the rear (assuming you have a step notch) you will lay out completely

The truck wont be flat as the LCA's hang about 2inches lower than the rest of the truck

[knomadd]

Tire size will make a difference if it's a 29" tall tire vs a 26" tall tire. That's a 3" difference in diameter which translates to 1.5" ride height difference. A lot of guys don't go with factory spec'd tire sizes (29" tall IIRC) so it does depend on tire sizes. If it's 28 vs 29, then you won't visually see the 0.5" difference in a photo. Tiny's right, assuming the previous poster's overall tire height is within an inch of each other. EDIT: (this is for ride height only, not laid out with the frame on the ground)

If you don't have a notch (C or step) post #3 is about as low as you can go, unless you don't use the bag cups and rest on the axle (NOT RECOMMENDED).

[tinydb84]

Originally Posted by knomadd

Tire size will make a difference if it's a 29" tall tire vs a 26" tall tire. That's a 3" difference in diameter which translates to 1.5" ride height difference. A lot of guys don't go with factory spec'd tire sizes (29" tall IIRC) so it does depend on tire sizes. If it's 28 vs 29, then you won't visually see the 0.5" difference in a photo.

If you don't have a notch (C or step) post #3 is about as low as you can go, unless you don't use the bag cups and rest on the axle (NOT RECOMMENDED).

At ride height it makes a difference but he was asking for the aired out pictures. When aired out with the crossmember on the ground the front tire size doesnt make a difference (assuming the tires arent so tall the crossmember isnt on the ground.

[knomadd]

Originally Posted by tinydb84

At ride height it makes a difference but he was asking for the aired out pictures. When aired out with the crossmember on the ground the front tire size doesnt make a difference (assuming the tires arent so tall the crossmember isnt on the ground.

Good point. I forgot about the frame being the limiting factor.

[draggin49]

I had considered doing the front dropmember by porterbuilt , unbelievably nice setup, but after the dropmember/arms /needed accessories id be at around $2, 500 or so for the front.

My motor ended up being shot, so that hurt my budget.
Just was trying to see how low I could get in front/rear without a dropmember but running airbags.if its not low enough I may just do drop hotchkis 4/6 drop springs till I can save up for a porterbuilt setup.im driving the car for a bit but will be selling it.if it was a keeper theres no question id dump the $5, 000+ on porterbuilts front/rear.

My truck currently has all the stock arms, no drop spindles etc
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[tinydb84]

Originally Posted by draggin49

I had considered doing the front dropmember by porterbuilt , unbelievably nice setup, but after the dropmember/arms /needed accessories id be at around $2, 500 or so for the front.

My motor ended up being shot, so that hurt my budget.
Just was trying to see how low I could get in front/rear without a dropmember but running airbags.if its not low enough I may just do drop hotchkis 4/6 drop springs till I can save up for a porterbuilt setup.im driving the car for a bit but will be selling it.if it was a keeper theres no question id dump the $5, 000+ on porterbuilts front/rear.

My truck currently has all the stock arms, no drop spindles etc
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If your motor is out you could Z the frame in the front. I dont have the space or access to the equipment I used to so I am having a local shop do it. The Z and steering is going to cost me $500 in labor.

In the rear you could get away with just the drop arms and notch. Do that with a bag over axel set up and it couldnt be over $1,000

[draggin49]

Tiny,
What does z'ing the frame do to the steering? What is needed to make the steering work after frame has been z'd??

I have a friend whos a very skilled metal fab guy locally, could have him do it.

I also am bummed my truck has 6 lug, wheels I want to run are for 5 lug.may lead me to run painted steelies with caps instead, otherwise id have to shell out a bunch of money for front disc 5 lug and a rear axle 5 lug conversion.

Drum brakes are fine for me, have had them on numerous old cars.
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[knomadd]

Originally Posted by draggin49

I had considered doing the front dropmember by porterbuilt , unbelievably nice setup, but after the dropmember/arms /needed accessories id be at around $2, 500 or so for the front.

My motor ended up being shot, so that hurt my budget.
Just was trying to see how low I could get in front/rear without a dropmember but running airbags.if its not low enough I may just do drop hotchkis 4/6 drop springs till I can save up for a porterbuilt setup.im driving the car for a bit but will be selling it.if it was a keeper theres no question id dump the $5, 000+ on porterbuilts front/rear.

My truck currently has all the stock arms, no drop spindles etc
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If you're not going with a drop member, you'll want drop spindles regardless if you go bags or coils. They will give you 2.5" drop with no sacrifice in ride quality from shorter springs/shocks. If you're set on springs, I'd suggest something cheaper than Hotchkis if it's going to be temporary anyway. ECE and CPP have some quality stuff that's less expensive than Hotchkis. With Hotchkis, you're paying a premium for the name. Their stuff is good, but not that much better to warrant the price for a temporary solution.

[tinydb84]

Originally Posted by draggin49

Tiny,
What does z'ing the frame do to the steering? What is needed to make the steering work after frame has been z'd??

I have a friend whos a very skilled metal fab guy locally, could have him do it.

I also am bummed my truck has 6 lug, wheels I want to run are for 5 lug.may lead me to run painted steelies with caps instead, otherwise id have to shell out a bunch of money for front disc 5 lug and a rear axle 5 lug conversion.

Drum brakes are fine for me, have had them on numerous old cars.
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When you Z the front your upper control arms will hit your steering shaft so you have to route it around the arm. Its not hard but make sure you measure correctly. If you have someone that is go with fab then your possibilities are endless.

Search "Z'd frame" on here and you find tons of stuff.

Dont worry about the 6 lug. There are tons of rims for them.