Ride hieght pics and info 50 chevy pickup

[coupe33]

Guys my self and my neighbor are building AD pickups on s10 frames. wanting to ask how many are running drop spindles , lowerring springs,etc and what ride quality , turning ability you are getting. looking for as low as i can get but still not tire rub. running 25" tall tires on front and we widened are front crossmembers to get away from spacers. this was easy and gave steering clearance, exhaust room , were not having to do much butchering to inner fenders,etc. would like some feed back on what you guys are running on the s10s and have had success with as far as static drop but still drivable. if their is a thread please post it i havent had much success infact ive been on this site for 2years and this is the first time the site would let me post.

[joedoh]

it is important to consider WHERE you are mounting the body in relation to the frame. some mount kits place the body 6" off the frame and make the bottom of the frame even with the bottom of the running boards. this gives enough room under the cab that a homeless couple could live under there, and when you lower the s10 frame you have to be aware of its toe out tendencies at a lot of drop, and be careful of bottoming out the crossmember on speedbumps. with these types of mounts the engine is very low in the body and you dont usually need to modify the floor to clear the trans.

there are also mounts out there that mount the body 3-3.5" off the frame, tucking up inside the running boards. usually you need a small trans tunnel to cover the trans.

the difference between the two in ride height is dramatic, the 3" body mount is like running a 3" drop with all the suspension travel intact. if you add 2" drop spindles or springs, the truck is very low but still has a lot of travel. with a 6" body mount, you will need a 5" drop to have the same ride height. if you build strong running board mounts, there is no detriment to this extra "free" drop.

I like using the 3" mounts. the truck looks very low even with stock springs.

with a static drop you will need to be aware of your chosen wheel offset to insure they wont rub. my 47 gmc only rubbed on a section of the fender that was bent in towards the wheel, even though the top two inches of the tire were tucked in the fender. also, you need to be sure you can untuck the rear enough to change a flat without removing the fender! that would be embarrassing, to need to pull the bed to change a flat!




that is with 2" drop spindles.



that is with 2" springs.

[coupe33]

Thank you for the reply been having problems with this site not allowing me to post. I have set the cab at 5" off the frame. yes thier is alot of room under thier, but we still had to install a small tranny hump to allow clearance for the 4L65. I have been told that i can set the lower a arms level during mock up to simulate ride hieght, much as you would a Mll setup. do you or does any one have pics of the trucks finished showing the lower a arms angle when they were finished with thier build. I was told by another hot rodder that s10s always have a down ward angle to thier lower a arms unless you use 1" drop springs. can you or any one give insight to this? Thanks

[mr48chev]

Looks like you are at the point where you finish putting it together, pull it outside, stand back and look at it and maybe even take a few photos and then decide if you need dropped spindles or what not before running it to the alignment shop. It probably takes an hour a side to swap spindles and be ready to head to the alignment rack (maybe a bit more if you are slow) so it isn't worth getting in an uproar over now. Better to do it after you get that stand back and look time rather than spending the bux and then deciding you don't need the dropped spindles too.

[joedoh]

are you measuring to the top of the body bushing? or the height of the mount? I guess I should correct my earlier statement, I said it incorrectly, my mounts are 3" tall, then the body bushing on top of that, so a little over 4" between the top of the frame and the mount on the bottom of the cab.

[coupe33]

bottom of cab. actually the back of these cabs have a channell that gave strength to the old shackle mount we put 11 gauge plates across that to create i nice flat spot for the s10 mount.thats wear i took the measurement from. Do to hieght of radiator we couldnt bring the cab down any lower,ie steering box hieght, we wanted to keep the look of an origanal (polished aluminum top tank looks like the stock one) by the way stock 57 chevrolet fits nicely and is short wich is the problem most run into when doing these swaps.