objective:rocker on pavement.....how do i get there?

[83c10wit454]

so i have a 72 sb body on a 68 gmc frame. i want to be able to have the rockers touch the ground. i would like to stay away from a drop member at this time. for the front i have plates and two inch cups and have slam ss-7 bags. i have not decided what spindles to get yet (some suggestions would be appreciated.) what im really curious about is if i have to do any cab modifications? as for the back i have a pb crossmember and trailing arms and wanting to run bags over axle. i hope im heading in the right direction with things. sorry no progress picture worthy yet. thanks for the help guys

[lolife99]

In my opinion,... the Dropmember is the BEST way to get the front down with the least issues.
Plus you get rack steering and it centers the wheels in the wheel opening.
(and it narrows the front track width)

[broey]

drop member is not going to put rockers on the pavement.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by broey

drop member is not going to put rockers on the pavement.

But a Dropmember is the fastest/easiest way to put the rockers as close to the pavement as possible for those that have to ask 'how to do it'. For a 72 body on a 68 frame, the diff is approx .750".

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by broey

drop member is not going to put rockers on the pavement.

While its very true a lowered crossmeber will not "lay rocker", it will get you very close. A lot closer and quicker than trying to work with a stock crossmember.

Yes you can Z the frame, section the crossmember, or do a stock floor B/D, but if you have to ask how to do it, you probably shouldn't be doing it.

Unless you have the skills to dramatically alter your front suspension with one of the many alternative methods, a lowered crossmember is the most logical route to take.

[83c10wit454]

well i guess drop member it is. thanks for the motivation n2trux

[broey]

IMO if you want to lay rocker, a dropmember is not the best option. you are still going to have to either z the frame of do a traditional body drop to get al low as you want. and since you are going to have to do either of those options anyways, why spend the ridiculous amount on a dropmember?

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by broey

IMO if you want to lay rocker, a dropmember is not the best option. you are still going to have to either z the frame of do a traditional body drop to get al low as you want. and since you are going to have to do either of those options anyways, why spend the ridiculous amount on a dropmember?

Paying someone to do the work to 'lay out' isn't cheap either....
83c10wit454, do you plan on doing the req'd fab work or do you intend to farm the work out?

[chapster]

I am curious why we are so quick to assume that he cannot or is not willing to tackle the work that is required to do the modifications. All I read from his post was that he did not want to do the dropmember.
Was he not asking what his options are. He may have all the skills needed but does not have the procedures.

[83c10wit454]

im not much for having someone else work on my own truck, i like to be the one to take the credit, so yes all the work will be done in home. as for the truck i will be running 15s but possibly 20s down the road. and ya i actually just saw the bolt on body drop today ill have to look into it some more.

so the drop member is still up in the air. but i for sure want to do a body drop, this would be more my cup of tea compared to doing a zee. a crash coarse in doing a body drop would be appreciated, unfortunately were i went to school that wasnt on the coarse requirements. so if i still wanted to use my stock crossmember and arms what exactly do i need to do? i am not familiar with the CPP modulars. and i dont want the wheels to be all toed in when layed out like i see on some trucks.

i also have already purchased the slam ss-7 bags for the back, they are not a sleeve type bag, will that be an issue?

also thanks for the reply chapster, you couldnt have said it any better

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by chapster

I am curious why we are so quick to assume that he cannot or is not willing to tackle the work that is required to do the modifications. All I read from his post was that he did not want to do the dropmember.
Was he not asking what his options are. He may have all the skills needed but does not have the procedures.

I didn't assume. I asked....

Originally Posted by SCOTI

83c10wit454, do you plan on doing the req'd fab work or do you intend to farm the work out?

[VA72C10]

will the new bolt on body drop allow you to lay rocker? And wheel/tire combo make a difference too....what are you running/planning to run?

[gringoloco]

No matter the route, a body drop of some kind will be necessary, be it stock floor or otherwise. The rockers will not lay without either dropping the cab or sawing off the bottom of the frame.

The reason so many will point you toward the Dropmember is that it is a simple (relatively) solution to putting the truck on the ground the right way. There is more than one way to skin this cat, however. By the time you spend the time, effort, and money putting it on the ground by a 'z' or other method, the DM would likely have you ahead of the game, despite the initial buy-in. Nothing wrong with wanting to do a traditional method- just have to weigh your options and choose what's right for you, your truck, and your budget

[gringoloco]

Originally Posted by 83c10wit454

so i have a 72 sb body on a 68 gmc frame. i want to be able to have the rockers touch the ground. i would like to stay away from a drop member at this time. for the front i have plates and two inch cups and have slam ss-7 bags. i have not decided what spindles to get yet (some suggestions would be appreciated.) what im really curious about is if i have to do any cab modifications? as for the back i have a pb crossmember and trailing arms and wanting to run bags over axle. i hope im heading in the right direction with things. sorry no progress picture worthy yet. thanks for the help guys

...and back to your OP:

Just plates and cups won't get the rockers down. You will be able to put the front a-arms on the ground with them and use of a drop spindle. A 'Z' or raised crossmember will tuck the arms up outta the way. I would grab the Belltech spindles, since they buy you another half inch of drop vs other companies', but any should work. If NOT going the Dropmember route, the CPP modulars would help tuck the wheels in for steering clearance, but are only 2" drop...

Your rear setup should work with a step notch available from KP, Suicidedoors, and Porterbuilt, amongst others. Sleeves will be your best option over-axle and should be relatively easy to mount with pre-fabbed brackets from many vendors.

Sounds like you have the start of something cool. Show us some pics once you get the ball rollin'.

...and welcome!

[broey]

the bolt on body drop still wouldn't put the rockers on the ground.

so I guess here are your options

you could do:
1. a dropmember and a traditional body drop
2. a dropmember paired with a z'd frame and cut 2 inches off the bottom of the frame and box it in.
3. a z'd frame with drop spindles and control arms, and a traditional body drop
4. a z'd frame with drop spindles and control arms, and cut 2 inches off the bottom of the frame and box it in
5. a straight full body drop (not a good idea)


from my experience I would say route number 4 is your best route. here is my reasoning:

If you z the frame, you can make your cuts at an angle to get your wheels moved forward. plus when you raise everything up its also going to solve the problem of your oil and transmission pan clearance.

you can get tubular control arms that are 1 inch shorter that will help with your wheels clearance against the inner fender.

plus you can z the frame high enough to be able to cut your frame 2 inches off the bottom and box it in. thats going to give you a "stock floor style body drop" which is ideal as you would not have to move the pedals.

you will probably have to raise your transmission tunnel though

the rear is pretty simple, however, you will more than likely have to make your own notch because cutting the bottom of the frame is going to lower the whole frame down and make your rear axle sit higher.

another trick when going as low as you want to, would be to pancake your crossmember also. The reason for this is that once you pancake your crossmemeber, you will be able to lower your engine a little bit so it doesn't sit too high in your engine bay.

you are going to have to make a transmission crossmember which is pretty simple

I hope this helps, I know dropmembers are simple applications, but I don't think its the right choice for laying rocker.

[chapster]

For the record I would also recommend to start with the Dropmember and then work at customizing floor/frame but that is just me. I think this thread has now turned into some very good info/possible options and will be watching to see what direction you go.

Don't forget to give us some pics, good luck

[texastrendz]

cut the bed floor out and z the front and rear. easy! lol

[PBFAB.COM]

[QUOTE=broey;4718523]the bolt on body drop still wouldn't put the rockers on the ground.QUOTE]


The bolt on body drop will lay the pinch down... rockers is a bit more work.

It's a lot of work any way you go. Do your research, save your pennies, and pick the method that you feel most comfortable with.

[83c10wit454]

hey thanks guys i appreciate all the feedback. i have decided to go with a drop member, i want to do things right the first time and not regret anything later on. i will most likely be doing the bolt on body drop as well and see were that gets me. might not lay rocker but she'll be as low as my wallet and know how will allow me to. and dont worry guys once things get rollin ill have a build thread asap. thanks again

[JNJchev77]

Originally Posted by 83c10wit454

hey thanks guys i appreciate all the feedback. i have decided to go with a drop member, i want to do things right the first time and not regret anything later on.

Smart move! Include the bolt on body drop once it's released for the squares. IMO layin pinch is just about right. Taking off the pinch can make the truck look a little odd at ride height. That's just my opinion.

[colin_havens]

Originally Posted by broey

the bolt on body drop still wouldn't put the rockers on the ground.

so I guess here are your options

you could do:
1. a dropmember and a traditional body drop
2. a dropmember paired with a z'd frame and cut 2 inches off the bottom of the frame and box it in.
3. a z'd frame with drop spindles and control arms, and a traditional body drop
4. a z'd frame with drop spindles and control arms, and cut 2 inches off the bottom of the frame and box it in
5. a straight full body drop (not a good idea)


from my experience I would say route number 4 is your best route. here is my reasoning:

If you z the frame, you can make your cuts at an angle to get your wheels moved forward. plus when you raise everything up its also going to solve the problem of your oil and transmission pan clearance.

you can get tubular control arms that are 1 inch shorter that will help with your wheels clearance against the inner fender.

plus you can z the frame high enough to be able to cut your frame 2 inches off the bottom and box it in. thats going to give you a "stock floor style body drop" which is ideal as you would not have to move the pedals.

you will probably have to raise your transmission tunnel though

the rear is pretty simple, however, you will more than likely have to make your own notch because cutting the bottom of the frame is going to lower the whole frame down and make your rear axle sit higher.

another trick when going as low as you want to, would be to pancake your crossmember also. The reason for this is that once you pancake your crossmemeber, you will be able to lower your engine a little bit so it doesn't sit too high in your engine bay.

you are going to have to make a transmission crossmember which is pretty simple

I hope this helps, I know dropmembers are simple applications, but I don't think its the right choice for laying rocker.

All good suggestions. I do think an aftermarket crossmember is the best base to start with, just because it corrects al the issues with the steering, track width, ect. However you would still have to Z the frame and do a stock floor body drop, channel the floor, or a traditional body drop.

If you decide to set it up to lay rocker without an aftermarket crossmember, I would talk to Nate at Porterbuilt about some custom control arms. I know he has built some in the past that will center the wheels, and I would think that combined with a Z and/or a pancaked crossmember and cutting the bottom off the frame you could lay the rockers on the pavement and have the wheels centered and track width narrowed as well for driving and turning low. Just the Z would work, but the pancaked crossmember would keep your motor down some so you dont have clearance issues, as the control arms would keep the ball joints from binding, narrow track width, and center the wheels. You will still have to do something about your steering, but not something that is impossible to do.

[jmedero]

Ok so we know broey is speaking from exp.. Just look at his truck. Either the z or the sectioned xmember will cause steering issues. Which would be the better choice? I know the DM has a rack.
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[VA72C10]

check with porterbuilt about the complete system cost shipped to you and then check out the part's board here as there is a complete PB front and rear setup for sale on there right now...

[tech@scottshotrods]

We offer a bolt in Cross member as well complete from hub to hub will lay up to a 31" tall tire and no need to notch your frame for the tie rods we have it on special right now
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=464255

along with the carrier bearing crossmember
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=467294

long with a killer weld in 4 link and notch
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=467300
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=467296

Some friends and I did a side project (not here at scotts) and had to Z the frame to lay the rocker here is a pic

[m6z]

If you're really wanting the rocker on the pavement. Why not fab the full frame. Using square tubing from the start would give you the correct frame height from the start to get the rocker on the ground. You can still use a dropmember, just order the weld in one from Nate.

It's just seem like the cleanest way to go. That way your not cutting the bottom off the factory frame or doing a typical body drop.

Here's some picts of a full frame with a dropmember.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...=doored&page=3