Front coil spring height

[Kenfuzed]

I'm new to this board so apologies if this has been asked before.

I have a 66 C10 SWB that I recently purchased. The PO gave little info but "thinks" the front clip is from a 74-78 Chevy (disc brakes, 5 lug). There are also lowering springs and shocks installed, but no clue what size springs were installed.

So my question is, is there a way to measure the free length of the coil springs to figure out what drop height was used? Currently the front is ~1-2" too low and I'd like to level it with the rear. No clue what springs are in the rear either, so no help there. All of the springs look new so I'm sure it probably came from a kit of some sort, but I don't want to start buying different size springs trying to guess. The front end rides like crap and needs the extra 1-2" of travel added back in.

Below is my new ride how she sits right now.

[gimmy 64]

that looks about like my truck did. it was 2 1/2 dropped spindle and a 2 inch spring. you need to put on here your tire size on here so people know what we are looking at.

[chevyguy_72]

you might crawl under and actually look at the springs... some of the manufacturers are actually printing the part number and brand on the coils

[Kenfuzed]

Originally Posted by gimmy 64

that looks about like my truck did. it was 2 1/2 dropped spindle and a 2 inch spring. you need to put on here your tire size on here so people know what we are looking at.

I believe the tires are 215/70/15, I'll have to double check in the morning.

I haven't removed the springs but when I had the truck up on jacks and moving the springs around (pretty loose when on jacks) I couldn't see any markings, only that they are fairly new aftermarket springs, not cut, and powder coated black. I would like to put at least another 1-2" under the front to both level it off and provide a little more travel.

[chevy_mike]

If you had it up on jack stands and the springs were loose in the mounts, they are likely 3" dropped springs. 1" and 2" are still long enough to keep pressure in the spring pocket and will not move when jacked up. I had this on my '65 when I bought it and it rode like crap since there was almost no travel before bottoming on the lower arms. When I jacked it up, the springs were loose in the pockets. What I did was to use a set of CPP 2" drop spindles and 1" drop springs so I could keep the ride height I liked but allow more travel. It worked great and had a great ride.

If you want to go up in height, you would likely need a 2" drop spring, which should raise you up 1" or a 1" drop spring which should raise you up 2".

Good luck and nice looking truck!

[Kenfuzed]

Originally Posted by chevy_mike

If you had it up on jack stands and the springs were loose in the mounts, they are likely 3" dropped springs. 1" and 2" are still long enough to keep pressure in the spring pocket and will not move when jacked up. I had this on my '65 when I bought it and it rode like crap since there was almost no travel before bottoming on the lower arms. When I jacked it up, the springs were loose in the pockets. What I did was to use a set of CPP 2" drop spindles and 1" drop springs so I could keep the ride height I liked but allow more travel. It worked great and had a great ride.

If you want to go up in height, you would likely need a 2" drop spring, which should raise you up 1" or a 1" drop spring which should raise you up 2".

Good luck and nice looking truck!

Yes, I can actually rock the spring side to side when on jacks, they are extremely loose in the pockets to the point of clunking when going over a bump.

The seller had thought the front clip or spindles had come from a mid to late 70's chevy so not sure if that as well adds to the lower stance. Most trucks I've seen with a 3" front drop had not seemed this low. My initial thought was the front was dropped 4" but I've not seen 4" drop springs for trucks in my searches... maybe somebody used springs from something else though

This weekend I might try to get in there and get a measurement of the free length of the spring. Then use that when ordering new springs. I'm also headed out to the monthly Hi-Performance swap in Long Beach this Sunday and might get lucky there finding some other springs.

[chevy_mike]

If the previous owner had/used dropped spindles and dropped springs, that could account for how low it is. It's hard to tell in the pics but it doesn't look much lower than my '65 when I bought it (looking at the front bumper height). This was with 3" dropped springs.



To check if you have dropped spindles, look at where the axle is located in the spindle (you can see this from the backside of the spindle. If it's near the bottom of the spindle, they are standard height. If it's near the middle of the spindle, they are dropped.

[Kenfuzed]

They appear to be standard, axle looks to be closer to the bottom than middle.



The shocks may be lowering shocks, definitely not stock. Plain black with red bushings, no labels either, similar to what is sold in some of the kits.

Also I checked and the bottom of the front bumper is aprox 8.5" from the ground. Maybe this is not that low but the rough ride makes it seem worse. I should stop messing with it and just spring for a set of drop spindles. How hard could it be?

[chevy_mike]

Yeah, those look like standard height spindles. Looking at where your lower control arm is in relation to the crossmember flange, I would say you have 3" dropped springs. Swap them for some 2" ones and you should be fine.

[Kenfuzed]

I was able to get a measurement of the free length of the springs and they are 9.75" long unloaded. I'm headed to the Long Beach Hi Performance swap meet in the morning and maybe I'll get lucky and find some springs and other parts for my project.