Cpp Suspension needs or other options

[deoncollins69]

I pulled my 68 sb step side out from the shed for the first time in 10 years and decided it deserved to be rebuilt. I'm extreemly anal about my work so I am going to start from the ground up. I have been reading up on the CPP suspesion kits. Any members have any other companies to deal with? I am planning a severe slam but I will not go air ride. I hate 2 things, Poor ride quality and tearing up my tires(burn out don't count). I would like a rear trailing arm setup and either a combnation of spindles and control arms on the front. I will entertain an IFS kit if I can get one around the price of a set of spindles and the lca setup. I'll be doing the complete frame(powdercoated) soon so I'd like to lay it all out and weld it up if need be. Thanks looking forward to bringing back my old gal to life.

[jimmydean]

Look at the latest issue of Hot Rod if you think that air ride setups have poor ride quality. The ride is nicer and it will handle better than coils/shocks or coil overs.

Look at the Ride Tech tube arms for a nice front upgrade. Unless your rear arms are in bad shape, then the stock setup is great as is. You could go four link too.

[deoncollins69]

The ride is important but also I need a consistant setup. The air ride setup will not allow for a constant height and cast camber adjustment. I have looked at the cpp rear four link setup and want to make sure before I drop the $ it is worth the investment as well as dependable.

[see ten]

Air ride technologies has an air management system with height sensors. If it works the way they say it does you will be able to have a set ride height that is constant. This should allow you to have your front end aligned with no problems (aside from all the money you are going to drop on the air ride and management system) . Most people here will agree that www.earlyclassic.com are the guys to go to when dropping one of these trucks.

[72CSTC5]

go to the suspension forum and you will see that air ride is the way to go these days. I felt the same way you did since I had airbags back in 1996 on a silverado extd cab and hated it. They have come a long way. Good luck with your build and ask as many questions as you like. You should be able to get them all answered here.

[Joe67]

I think you might be suprised with the advances in the Air Ride setups.

Popular choices for suspension components here are www.EarlyClassic.com, CPP & GMCPauls

Good luck with the project

[Low68]

I don't have any experience with the CPP four link kit, but I have not been too impressed with what I have bought from them. I have had problems getting their products to fit in some cases.

As for other companies to buy from, Early Classic has been great, but I don't know if they offer four link kits. Sorry that probably isn't much help.

[thekid54]

Originally Posted by see ten

Air ride technologies has an air management system with height sensors. If it works the way they say it does you will be able to have a set ride height that is constant. This should allow you to have your front end aligned with no problems (aside from all the money you are going to drop on the air ride and management system) . Most people here will agree that www.earlyclassic.com are the guys to go to when dropping one of these trucks.

You don't even need an expensive air management system. Just use gauges in your system. Play with the bags until you find your desired ride height and note what psi each bag is at. When you go have it aligned inflate to the correct psi and you're good to go. Like others have said, air bags have come along way. If you experienced bad ride quality it was probably due to: 1. Improper installation 2. Wrong type of bag for application, i.e. wrong spring rate or 3. Inferior products. Lincolns and Caddys have been using air ride for decades.

[Tony@AirRideTech]

First off regarding CPP's stuff....... yes their rear trailing arm crossmember combo is a nice piece if you are wanting to retain coil springs. If you go that route, get their whole rear kit with arms, notches, crossmember ect. It is all designed to work together. For the front, 3" spindles and 2 or 3" springs and your set. You may also check into CPP's upper and lower control arms. I think they dialed more castor into them like we did with our Strongarms (which is a great improvement) over stock.
Now to kick a couple myths..... first off, air is consistant and as long as you return the front end to the pressure you had your front end aligned at... your alignment will be back on. An air suspension does not go through any un-natural movements that the original suspension does not go through itself. The difference with air is that it can be manipulated. Now... to the ride quality issue. Think of it this way, when you install a coil spring you have a single non adjustable spring rate. With an airspring, it is almost infinitely adjustable. Meaning that you can tune your truck to ride and drive how you want it to.

[XXL]

Originally Posted by deoncollins69

I am planning a severe slam but I will not go air ride.

Depends on what you mean by "severe," but my version of that is incongruous with static suspension. You'll be limited to 4/6 drop (you can go more but will be battling tire rub, huge turning radius, etc.).

For anything CPP sells, I'd point you to Early Classic or one of our several board vendors instead. My experiences with CPP are not good ones.

Unless you just want to spend money, the stock rear trailing arm configuration on your '68 is one of the best designs around. Just replace the bushings and you should be good to go. If you're planning lots and lots of horsepower, some have suggested reinforcing the arms (ECE has a kit for this).

For the front, you can go pretty darn low if you want to do some fab work. Porterbuilt has a "drop in" crossmember, or contact Captkaos, who build my crossmember. In either case, you'll need spindles (which generally means going to 71+ disc brakes up front, through there are kits available) to get the extra 2+ inches that help constitute "severe" drop.

Alternately (or in combination), you can Z the frame... search the Suspension forum for plenty of discussion on this topic.

[Shane]

I agree with XXL ... if you don't go air, then it's not gonna be "severe."

[deoncollins69]

I realize the factory rear suspension is a good setup but if I am going to go through the complete suspension and truck why not upgrade. I would be up for a complete full Cpp suspension w/helper bags if I want to raise it up a bit, every once in a while. The front I do not want any maybee it will be right and maybe it won't. I need a good setup for drivablility and performance. I'm realy not into draging a powder coated frame on the pavement and trashing it out. I just need a good ride and good performance. I'm leaning towards a set of Tubular control arms and a set of spindles for the front of the truck. Back in the day(late 80's early 90's) Bell Techs were the way to go. Any brand to stay away from?

[XXL]

Originally Posted by deoncollins69

I realize the factory rear suspension is a good setup but if I am going to go through the complete suspension and truck why not upgrade.

I don't believe there is a real upgrade to these trucks (except in price) unless you want to start over with a NASCAR tube chassis.

[deoncollins69]

Originally Posted by XXL

I don't believe there is a real upgrade to these trucks (except in price) unless you want to start over with a NASCAR tube chassis.

You are probably right but I would like a little bit cleaner look. Hmmm!! Nascar I could drop 100grand IF I HAD IT!!! I just like the look of the CPP setup to tell the truth. I also believe it has some adjustability in it. Thanks Deon

[RLTAutoTeacher]

I have some cpp front spindles that I would sell you, but I wouldn't be able to sleep at night. I have my own horror story to tell about cpp, and it's not over yet. Life time warranty means nothing, and my parts don't even have any miles on them. I bought ECE parts to replace the cpp parts. I will never buy cpp again. Side by side, you can see the difference in quality. The real difference came through on the alignment rack. Do yourself a favor. Buy ECE!

[deoncollins69]

Any one have a fatman kit or other ifs they used. I have been doing dome reasearch and this may end up being cheaper than swaping in a bunch of odds and end parts