3" drop coil question

[carbon69]

Hey guys, hope everybody had a great Christmas.

Just wondering how many people have run a 3" drop coil with stock control arms, and successfully aligned the front end. I'm getting conflicting information, and I know I'll get a straight answer from the members on here.

Thanks

[Smitty]

I went with drop spindles, stock coils and have had no problems. Don’t know about the set up you are contemplating.

[carbon69]

Originally Posted by Smitty

I went with drop spindles, stock coils and have had no problems. DonÂ’t know about the set up you are contemplating.

Hey Smitty, I too went with drop spindles. 3" Belltech's. I had a 2" drop coil up front, but the truck sat nose high after adding a 1" lowering block along with a 6 inch drop spring in the rear. I've purchased some 3" drop coils to correct the stance.

The reason I'm asking about the use of a 3" drop coil with STOCK control arms is that I already spent the money rebuilding them with Moog ball joints, cross shafts etc...

I didn't plan on 3" coils, but didn't get the drop I wanted from the 2".
I've heard people say that the 3" drop coils made getting an alignment impossible because the camber cannot be corrected due to running out of stud length for the upper crossshafts. Others say they had no problems...

[Smitty]

Mine was done about 20 yrs ago. At that time I redid the whole front suspension. Just using the spindles. I put 5" drop springs on the rear. Got the stance I like. Not up on alignment. It's been aligned twice this year. The second time because I replaced the steering box and Pitman arm. Here's a picture of it in the driveway. Sit a little nose down but gets a lot of attention.

[Smitty]

Might be wise to find the best alignment shop in your area. One you see classics around. Or one recommended by a trusted mechanic. And get their feed back. My mechanic is great when it comes to recommendations. Found him when I noticed that there was always one classic or another around his shop. Also is highly recommended on line. Word of mouth is the greatest advertisement for me.

[Andy4639]

I've had 3" drop coils for over 20 years never had a problem with them are getting it aligned. If the shop can't align it it's time to find a new shop!
I'm putting 3" coils in the 68 step too!

[rharris]

I used 3" drop coils and shorter shocks with stock control arms and no issues

[carbon69]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. I put the coils in last night. The stance is perfect now in my opinion. The wheels tilt slightly inward at the top/negative camber. There seems to be adequate room on the upper cross shaft studs to add some shims and correct. Surprisingly the springs don't seem as stiff as I expected. I'm sure the BBC is a contributing factor in this.

[Raleighswb]

Originally Posted by carbon69

Thanks for all the replies everyone. I put the coils in last night. The stance is perfect now in my opinion. The wheels tilt slightly inward at the top/negative camber. There seems to be adequate room on the upper cross shaft studs to add some shims and correct. Surprisingly the springs don't seem as stiff as I expected. I'm sure the BBC is a contributing factor in this.

How does it ride?

[carbon69]

Originally Posted by Raleighswb

How does it ride?

Honestly I'm not sure yet... Not the most scientific, but here's what I did;.
With the stock springs installed, the shocks removed, and the drivetrain in place, I simply used my arms and bounced the front end pushing down on the core support. It was relatively easy with the stock springs to really getting it hopping. I removed the stockers for a set of ece 2" drop coils for a big block and performed the same test. It took slightly more effort to get the same effect, but to my surprise still was pretty easy to bounce around. At this point it became obvious that I'm more than likely going to want a sway bar on the front. I removed the ece coils and added the cpp 3" coils and performed the same test. Again the amount of effort to bounce the truck as I did previously was only slightly increased, but to the point that I felt it should be for a big block. All in all, I think adding a sway bar and the right shock for my application will produce a decent ride given the amount of drop.

[Ironangel]

Years ago I installed 2-1/2" drop spindles with 2" drop springs in a 72 C/10 LWB with a 350 under the hood. The only alignment adjustment necessary was to bring the toe in back into spec. I replaced the factory shocks with a Monroe shock that was 2" shorter than the factory spec'd shock. I also added a factory 1-1/16" sway bar and inverted the two forward mounts placing them inside the frame brackets and running the sway bar inside the forward frame brackets. That raised the front of the sway bar about 3" and gave it some protection inside the brackets. My only issue was tire rub in the bumps and turns because at the time I was running 275/60R-15 BFG TA/Radials all four corners. I corrected the issue by reinstalling the factory coils with 1/2 coil cut off the bottoms. This raised the front by only 1/2" but gave the suspension a much stiffer ride which was perfect. As I said that was years ago and that truck now has a 439ci BBC motor with Moog coils and adjustable shocks up front. The sway bar made a huge difference in how the truck steered. I kept it simple out back and added 4" drop coils and by doing so the panhard bar pushed the axle 1" to the right. I quite by accident bent the panhard bar strapping the truck down to my trailer. After the 120 mile journey I realized that the axle was nearly centered, and that by swapping ends of the bar I was able to access the Moser 12-bolt cover girdle. No notches or shock relocaters were necessary, the truck handles perfectly and can still haul my 600 lb KZ-1000 bike with 2" of clearance between the axle and bump stops...

[Richard]

Any time you use a drop coil inner tire wear will be increased. The more drop in the coil the worse it is. Even if the arms are set to proper camber at static drop height the camber curve is accelerated due to the arms sitting at the wrong angle. This is claimed to be corrected by some aftermarket drop members and can somewhat be compensated for by changing the suspension geometry. If you drive the truck a lot spindles are a no brainer. Adding a drop coil to them will increase tire wear. With a spindle and 3" drop on the coil in my 94 10-15 thousand miles is all I could expect on the front tires and it was aligned properly. Went through 3 sets of tires at that drop height. I enjoyed it and expected the tire changes.

[Abomb]

Sorry for the huge picture, but no issues with the alignment, 3” coils in front, 5” in back...drives really well, but the front spring rate is a little softer than I’d like, you do have to watch the sharp bumps...

[carbon69]

I see what your saying abomb. BTW, I'm diggin the red white and blue!

Heres a pick with the coils installed. Still need to add shims and align.

[Andy4639]

My 71 gets drove plenty of miles all the time and my tires go 40,50 000 miles with no problems. I taken it on the Hot Rod Power Tour 6 times now, that 3000 miles round trip in 7 days and I've never had a issue.

On another note, I added helper air bags in all 4 coils and man does it ride great. No more bottoming out even when I have all the stuff in the bed for the tour.

[Abomb]

Originally Posted by Andy4639

On another note, I added helper air bags in all 4 coils and man does it ride great. No more bottoming out even when I have all the stuff in the bed for the tour.

Can I ask what you used for helper bags, and where you got them?

[3757chevy]

Looks good Abomb.

[Andy4639]

Originally Posted by Abomb

Can I ask what you used for helper bags, and where you got them?

Air Lift is the company.


Front bags are part # Part Number: 81560

Rear bags part # 60811

[Abomb]

Originally Posted by Andy4639

Air Lift is the company.


Front bags are part # Part Number: 81560

Rear bags part # 60811

Thank you...should be just the ticket to adjust spring rate and ride quality...

[demian5]

3" front and rear, no issues aligning after replacing the other worn parts.