66 C10 Suspension Help Needed

[Afirehawk1]

Need everyones advice
I have front 2.5” drop spindles and 4” rear drop springs.
Front springs are stock HD for 72 C10 Big Block.
I stuck a 396 in the front. Fits great

Would like to narrow up the tire/fender gap.
I attached couple photos for reference.

Wheels are 245/45/20 on front and back.

Thoughts?

I dont want to screw up the geometry and still be able to have the front end aligned.

Thanks

[Afirehawk1]

Anyone?

[demian5]

Originally Posted by Afirehawk1

Anyone?

Do you have a motor in the truck right now?

[Afirehawk1]

yes sir!!

[LVPhotos]

Cut 1 coil = 2" drop or go stock non hd and it will squat a lil more

[Afirehawk1]

Hhm
What about 2 inch drop springs?

[norcalcap]

I have 2-1/2" drop spindles
1" lowered coils
235/60/18 which are about 1/4" taller than your overall height.
4" rear coil drop

[Afirehawk1]

This helps
Thanks

[Johns 66]

Originally Posted by norcalcap

I have 2-1/2" drop spindles
1" lowered coils
235/60/18 which are about 1/4" taller than your overall height.
4" rear coil drop

I like the look of this...Im using stock springs and spindles so Im wondering if I can go with a lil bigger tire?

[PGSigns]

I would put the stock springs back in it and see how it sits. It may also improve the ride over the HD springs and they will be stiffer if you cut a coil.
Jimmy

[Afirehawk1]

update from what i have figured out.

1. The Moog #6104 front coils (72 C10 with BBC) - Spring rate 1016 lbs; load 2950 lbs install height 10 inches; free height 12.94 inches. this is what i have in the truck right now.

2. The Moog #6082. this is a stock replacement for the 66 C10 regardless of the I6 or SBC V8; Spring rate 722 lbs, load 2406 lbs; install height 10 inches; free height 13.18 inches.

According to Moog, if i change to the original spring it will drop 1 inch.

I was looking at the Speedway Motors drop spring. 2 inch. Spring rate 1100 lbs; free height 11.5 inches.

So the question is if I use this Speedway Motors drop spring, does the "2 inch drop" measure from the original stock height when designed?. if so i would drop 3 inches from the current setup??? when you compare the spring rate, it is higher than the current BBC setup that i have.

i did check 1 think as per Moogs tech line suggestion. I had to be sure when i installed the control arms that they were tightened after the engine was installed not before.
i did raise the center of the front end up so both wheels were hanging; the control arms moved freely downward. However, when i raise 1 side underneath the control arm; there was barely any movement vertically upward. seems the spring is really firm in the upward direction.

would like some thought to this. thanks.

[SkinnyG]

I have the 1-ton coils in my half-ton squarebody, and I just kept trimming 2" off the pigtail of the spring until it sat where I wanted.

Advantage - when you go lower, you really should be increasing spring rate.

[Afirehawk1]

thanks but i really dont want to start cutting coils. any thoughts on what i found.

[scoot_mcgrute]

I've got 2.5" drop spindles and cut Hotchkis sport springs, 1500lb rate, for about a 5.5" drop total, maybe a touch more. I have a 5.3 in the truck so I cut the springs until I achieved the ride height I was after, tucking tire with a 275/40-18

[SkinnyG]

Originally Posted by Afirehawk1

i really dont want to start cutting coils.

Why not, if you don't mind my asking?

[Afirehawk1]

Never done that before
Just prefer buying the correct coil springs that fit the need

[SkinnyG]

It's not as hard as you might think. And instead of trying a variety of springs in hopes that you get the drop and stiffness you want, you have great success trimming 2" off the end of a coil spring at a time. Not 2" of height, but where the coil wraps around and around and around and then stops - make a mark 2" back from the end and re-cut the end there.

Most lowering springs drop too much and don't go stiff enough.

And, even if you buy the same springs as someone else, your truck might sit exactly different for a variety of reasons. That's why I trim to get what I want, and I like starting with a 1-ton coil spring (those 1000lb'ers). It's really not as stiff as you're fearing. Cutting springs is not the devil. Cutting TOO MUCH off, is.

[PGSigns]

There is no off the shelf spring that you can call the right one till you try it. There are just to many things that can change what you get from what some one else got. The lower price springs may not have the consistent spring rate from coil to coil that a high end spring like Hochkis may have. Then no two trucks are the same and that leads to sometimes having to trim a coil just a bit to get that stance you want for your truck. When you get this truck fully assembled and put some miles on it you may find that it settles in at a lower height than it is now. So making a change now may put you lower than you may want.
Jimmy

[Afirehawk1]

So it sounds like there is no difference between a 2 inch drop spring you buy off the shelf vs. cutting the coil the 2 inches off the bottom end.

[PGSigns]

Cutting 2" off the end of the wire will not give you a 2" drop. It will give you about a 1/4" When trimming it the 2" you are measuring along the wire, not cutting the height 2".
Jimmy