Looking for experienced knowledge/opinions

[lil magoo]

Hey all, new to the forum here and this is my first post. I have however searched this site multiple times within the last 2 weeks. I picked up a 65 C10 2 Saturdays ago and the first thing I am going to do to it is the suspension and brakes. Looking at doing a 3/4 drop and making it handle well while having a good ride for an old truck. This truck will be driven a lot, and I'm sure I will push the limits on it a few times.

The parts I am looking at include:
CPP power front and rear disc with the 2.5" drop spindles
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/clp-6366frbk5-bb
CPP deluxe lowering kit 1" spring front and 2" spring rear
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/clp-6372cssk-d
2" rear blocks
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/clp-cp4-2
QA1 front and rear sway bar kit
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/qa1-52898
18x8 US Mags Ramblers up front and 18X9.5 in the rear
and I'm looking at a set of 255/45r18 bfg comp 2 tires to run on each corner
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/bfg-15054
I will also be ordering axles for the 12 bolt thats in it to convert to 5 lug, but, I want to pull the current axles out first and get some measurements before i order. Where would you buy the axles from? (CPP, Moser, Strange, ect.)

Do any of you see any issues with anything on my list or have any feedback on any of the parts? My truck is a short bed step side, I looked through 5 pages of search results, I would really like to run a 275 tire but it seems some people have issues with rubbing or needing to roll the fenders. Am i correct on this? The 18x9.5 rears should have a 4.5" backspacing also if I am correct but what about the 18x8's on the front?

I appreciate all the help and info.

[Clyde65]

Adjustable pan hard bar! Shock Relocators from and back.

Also, all CPP parts, buy from summit racing, cheaper and free shipping.

[lil magoo]

Thanks Clyde! The deluxe lowering kit includes the adjustable pan hard bar and shock relocation kit. Summit is the only place I buy stuff like this from. They are one of the few big companies IMO that still have excellent customer service.

[theastronaut]

You can save a little by cutting 1/2 coil off your original spring for a 1" drop, and using 4" drop rear spring instead of buying 2" blocks and 2" springs. You'll want to cut the bump stop brackets completely off on the lower control arms so it's not bottoming out.

The CPP shock relocators help, but they still don't put the shocks in an ideal location. I like to move the shock outside of the frame and stand it straight up and down so it's most effective. You can flip the stock lower shock mounts from side to side, and use a pair of front shocks on the rear. Mount the top of the shock to the frame using the stud that comes with new shocks. FrizzleFry has a write up here, starting at post #9:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...postid=4730005


You can use an original front sway bar from a C20/C30 up front, and a mid 80's F150 bar on the back (near bolt on) to save a bit of cash if you're up for looking for used parts.


I did all of this on my old '66 and it rode great with no body roll. I prefered the ride over the stock/original ride of my dad's completely stock '66 since the lowered center of gravity, sway bars, and better shock action controled the body movement better. It had less body roll than my autocross/road course car. Still soaked up bumps without being harsh. I had 215/75-15 and 235/75-15's that weren't really the best for pushing it hard in the corners, and it was low enough that the front tires would scrub the fenders under hard cornering but it felt great in corners up until the point the tires started rubbing. With 18's and low profile tires you'll have an even better handling truck.


Depending on how hard you're going to push the truck in corners, you may want to add taller upper ball joints to increase the rate of camber gain as the body rolls over, and the caster mod on the lower control arm shaft will help with stability and steering feel. It would be a good time to upgrade to the larger LCA U-bolts as well. You'll want to set the alignment up with more modern specs as well.

[PGSigns]

I would take some time and do some reading here. You can do all of what you want for a lot less money using odd the shelf parts. Just one example is the front disk brakes. A 73 to 87 donor truck will get you the power steering, all the control arms and small parts for the brakes, new rotors and calipers from the parts store, a brake booster bracket from here on the board and parts store booster and master cylinder. Will save you a ton and easy to get parts. A long track bar like the ECE super track bar is a lot better than the short one. When it comes to wheels you are limited on back spacing. On a fleet side 4" in the back is about it. Shocks will make or brake it. I don't like the kit shocks. Have had several sets on my 66 and the Belltech street performance shocks have been the best. On the back do just springs. You may also need a 2 degree shim to get the pinion angle back to where it needs to be. Now do some reading in the suspension section and read the make it handle thread and the caster mod thread.
Jimmy

[DLW]

For the Rambler wheels you mention, pretty sure the rear 18x9.5 have a 5.25" back space. Not sure that will work or not on a step side, my fleetside would be very close, if not, to hitting the inner wheel well. The front should have a 4.5" BS and should be OK.

[lil magoo]

Hey guys, thanks for the input! I will definitely do some more research before I place an order. The cheaper the better as I am planning a 6.0/t56 swap as well.

[theastronaut]

If you're going for handling you might want to stick with the stock control arms. The 73-87 arms have huge rubber bushings. I have a set and haven't used them; from their size and softness I'm fairly sure they would deflect and not hold your alignment settings under hard cornering. They also rot and go soft. The original 63/72 style don't really give problems unless they haven't been greased, and they're smaller diameter so you have a little more ground clearance, they don't hang below the crossmember like the 73/87 bushings do.

I had CPP's disc on my '66 with drums on the back, and a stock master cylinder. I liked the pedal feel and effort without a booster. On my next truck I'll do the same setup but use a dual circuit M/C with the same bore size as stock.

A CPP steering box would be a good upgrade vs a later model stock P/S box. Used boxes are usually loose and the steering ratio is slower than the CPP box.