Unsure about spindles...

[SRD art]

I'm about ready to dig into my 77 Suburban and have been looking at spindles. I am doing an axle flip and C notch out back was considering a 3" spindle and then cut the factory springs as needed to get about a 1/2"-1" rake up front. Note- I am using a '90 Suburban 1/2 ton suspension to swap out the 77's 3/4 ton parts, and will be using 20" wheels.

There are several spindles out there in various drops, is one better than another? Are there any brands to avoid?

I would like the truck to be fairly responsive too, are there any that specifically have better geometry?

Thanks everyone!

[Nick_R_23]

I prefer the Early Classic Enterprises (ECE) spindles, they're 2.5" drop, very high quality and they provide excellent customer service. I used these as well as stock coil springs with one full coil cut off (2"), for a total of 4.5" in the front. I also used an axle flip kit in the back, and with my wheel and tire combo I have a slightly raked stance. The build thread link in my sig has several pictures of how it looks when sitting on the ground, if you want to get an idea of how they sit.

[bbbc10]

go with belltech or western chassis spindles top 2 brands to go with

[Tom]

Always go with the most spindle drop you can find...helps keep the ride nice by using the least amount of spring drop possible. And as said, use western chassie or belltech. I know they are good to go at least. Stay away from DJM.

[Speeding Dakota]

I went with CPP 2.5" drop spindles and cut 1 full coil off to get about 4.5" of drop in the front.

[RDrancher]

I just dropped my '85. Since your project is a Suburban, there are some notes in my thread that may be of some use to you. Link in my sig.

[69heavychevy]

I used DJM drop spindles and havent had any issues.
Their flip kit did look a little cheap though, I ended up using a western chassis flip kit instead.

[bbbc10]

cpp only has spindles for hd brakes

[SRD art]

Originally Posted by Tom

Always go with the most spindle drop you can find...helps keep the ride nice by using the least amount of spring drop possible. And as said, use western chassie or belltech. I know they are good to go at least. Stay away from DJM.

So far I'm finding DJM has the most drop and the least price from Summit. Why would you suggest staying away from them? Do they have a bad track record? Their website claims magazines say they're the toughest. Thanks for your input.

[Nick_R_23]

DJM has a reputation for low quality parts. Suspension and steering are not places I would skimp on safety just to save a few bucks. I wouldn't get too caught up in the 2.5 vs 3 inch spindles, any of them from the large brand places will work well for you.

[SRD art]

Originally Posted by RDrancher

I just dropped my '85. Since your project is a Suburban, there are some notes in my thread that may be of some use to you. Link in my sig.

Thanks, I just read through. So how far did it drop total? It looks way low! Did you cut the factory front springs? Sounds like you flipped the axle, What else did you do for the drop?

Good scripture too.

[RDrancher]

Originally Posted by SRD art

Thanks, I just read through. So how far did it drop total? It looks way low! Did you cut the factory front springs? Sounds like you flipped the axle, What else did you do for the drop?

Good scripture too.

I used Western Chassis spindles and cut one factory coil which dropped it 4.5". We also cut the complete bump stop and tower off. It's flipped in the rear using Specialty Retail's brackets and the stock spring packs, but I didn't get it back out on the pavement to measure the drop yet. From what I understand the suburbans need a lift (shorter) shackle to sit level or have just a touch of rake. Without air in the shocks, mine sits a touch lower in the rear than the front. I'm going to get the lift shackles since I don't want to rely on the air shocks in case I blow one out on a long trip. Keep in mind that if you want to do a c-notch that you'll have to fab it. The truck pieces don't fit.

[RDrancher]

I just reread your original post and noticed that your sub is a 3/4 ton. There is a mention of the rear springs in this thread, post #8. http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=728733

[SRD art]

Thanks. I haven't measured anything yet to make sure it lines up but I was planning to use the 10 bolt 5 lug axle on the 3/4 ton springs, plus do a C notch and am thinking to raise the floor under the 3rd seat about 1-1.5" for the just in case moments. I still plan to use the truck to haul my autocross car so hopefully this will work.

Still looking around at spindles but am considering the 3" Bell Techs even though they're $80 more than JDM. I'm leaning towards BT because they've been around forever, were at least back in the day the only spindle that wouldn't void a new truck warranty and they're 3". I figure somewhere in there there's some extra resale value to throw around the name should I ever sell the truck. As are many of you, I'm on a budget so I I try to avoid wasting money unnecessarily and am still open to input.

I noticed that several of the other brands have photos of their products that look "mysteriously" the same as competitor's parts. My guess is that like many things in this industry it's made by one manufacturer and distributed with different labels to several companies, or someone made it and then everyone copied it. With that in mind it might be easy to assume that they're all similar quality and fit and we end up buying from which name we like the best? Again, I'm open to input of your thoughts about this.

[bbbc10]

this is where I got my belltech spindles got them for like 260 shipped. also there is a difference in quality in spindles an they are not all made by one company then shipped out for sale....djm is one that has a ****ty track record an parts are junk....like said above go with belltech or western chassis an be done


http://www.ebay.com/itm/Belltech-73-...item3f4620261c

[SRD art]

Originally Posted by bbbc10

this is where I got my belltech spindles got them for like 260 shipped. also there is a difference in quality in spindles an they are not all made by one company then shipped out for sale....djm is one that has a ****ty track record an parts are junk....like said above go with belltech or western chassis an be done


http://www.ebay.com/itm/Belltech-73-...item3f4620261c

Sounds good, they're $311 there, same as Summit which is where I buy all the stuff for my race cars so that'll probably do it. Thanks for everyone's input.

[bbbc10]

But u can make a offer an get them lower than the 311 they want

[N2TRUX]

Since you already have a C20 suspension heres something to consider. I have always cut the C10 coils, but have recently been told that the C20 coils perform better when cut. I havent tried it yet, but a reliable source gave me the info and has good success on several builds.

[SRD art]

I missed that BB, I'll give it a shot.

I was planning to cut the 3/4 front springs. It would make sense, cutting springs increases spring rate and if the springs were a heavier rate to begin with there's a bonus. I looked at Moog's catalog recently and I found only one spring rate for all trucks. That doesn't make sense though, with a big block mine sits way higher than a 1/2 ton small block.