To those who have clipped and lowered ther truck..

[b00sted]

This truck I have is way up there.. i think the front clip was done wrong and any hopes of getting this thing lowered is going to be next to impossible without re clipping the truck.

With that said here are a few pics of the truck. the rear is no big deal as it is on some heavy duty springs.. I can 4 link it and get it down, the fron on the other hand has me worried.. It has a 77 camaro setup under it.. but I don't think it was done right to start with and the location of the springs and a arms is what has me worried.

Your thoughts and opinions on this please.. I really don't have the $$$ to fork over or the skills to clip one... What would be my best route to take to get it down.. I know 2" spindles would make a diffrence but I stil don't see the body being over the tires even with that... Ther is not a very tall spring int there so I don't see it getting low without some modifications to the spring area..


What would it take to get it down? Thanks for any input and thoughts..

[Houston54]

That front suspension is NOT from a camaro. It appears to be a 73-86 truck suspension and if I am correct in that regard you can forget about getting it any lower. It just cannot happen. If you do figure a way to lower that suspension your tires will be rubbing the fender openings as it is too wide.

The camaro sub-frame is also too wide but not as wide as what you now have. If you are planning to go to the extent of installing a four link you should look at getting an IFS kit for the front.

If you have to use a sub-frame you need to use a rear steer early Nova sub-frame. The AD trucks are better off with an IFS kit. That is coming from someone who subbed their 54. Do it right.

Haven't you asked this question before?

Edit: Looking at some of the other pics you have posted of your truck it appears it is not sitting on the original frame. It may be one of those projects where the previous owner tried to fit the old sheet metal to a newer frame. If that is the case you may be in the position where any work/money you do on this may just result in polishing a turd. There will be lots of work to get that cab and bed to fit correctly. I hope I am wrong on this.

[b00sted]

Well this is what I know as of right now.. I can see where the front clip area was welding into the stock frame. All mounting holes and all is inline for the body parts as the bed is just siting on the frame and not bolted on. I spoke to the previous owner and had said again the clip came from a 77 camaro. The rear end was from a 1/2 truck 10 bolt... 5 lug chevy pattern. As is the front..

The wheels and tires do have a bit of offset and my plan was to just use an inset whel like off a front wheel drive vehicle..

Here is a pic before it was taken apart..

[blackdiesel]

Well, I think if the rearend is a 5 lug chevy truck it should be 5 on 5". If the front is a camaro it should be 5 on 4.75". Check the pattern on the front and see if it's a truck or car.

[Houston54]

If the previous owner is telling you that front suspension is camaro then he is flat wrong.

Check this link out. It shows the 73 1/2 ton suspension on an AD truck. Compare the control arms to what you have.

http://www.chevytrucks.org/tech/1963...%20UPGRADE.htm

If you did some searches on this site and some others you will find lots of information on the camaro subframe modification. It works well on some trucks but the AD series is not one of them in my opinion.

[Lextech]

The first thought I had was mid 70s to mid 80s GM truck---Which is WAY TOO WIDE. I don't think you could lower it without the tires sticking out. I say cut that mess out and start over. Get a 78 to 84ish Malibu/Cutlass/Regal and clip it. If you looked around, you could get one for next to nothing.

Jeff

[Marty Gable]

yes this is obvious that it is a truck clip, most of the gm pickup clips were bolt in to the frame rails. Camaro 67-69 is the same clip as the Nova 68-74 they are narrower then the 70-80's Camaro clips and they are a front steer sub, where the early Camaro/Nova are rear steer units. I would suggest another frame and start over. 47/48 are 3 point cab mounts where the 49-early 55 are 4 point mounts such as yours. Here in Colo there are several.

[b00sted]

what about using an s10 frpnt clip? Will they work or are they just to anrrow?

[Houston54]

The S-10 front suspension is the same as the G-body (78-86 Monte Carlo, Cutlass, Grand Prix, etc). The track width is perfect for the AD but it is not an easy modification either. It has a high degree of fabrication envolved. You can see this on my picturetrail album http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/...ame=houston-54

The S-10 frame swap is another option but it is as expensive as an IFS kit and the ones I have seen still sit very high.

To do it right without any second guess would be an IFS kit. They start at about $1,600 with free shipping from some vendors.

It does not sound like you have fully researched your build. There are alot of options out there and some work better than others. I do not know what you have into your truck so far or how much you are planning to spend but these projects are not cheap in terms of time or money.

You might want to find another truck that is almost fully built. It could save you money in the long run and you can drive it now.

[b00sted]

Houston54... Thank you for all the information.. I bought this truck as I thought it was a runner.. Well it is to some extent as the drivetrain is good... I was under the impression of it being a camro clip so I bought it... Thinking thi swould save me a good bit of work...

What a terrible thing...LOL.. I guess it is going to be the IFS way to go... 1600 is not to bad but now I have to pull the motor and trans and start over... Oh what some fun....

[b00sted]

Wife talked me into keeping it... She just does not have a clue on how much this is going to cost...

..

[jeffs51chevy]

Here's my two centavos . . . by the looks of it (and by your own admission), you are in for: (1) a 4 link rear suspension (2) some sort of new front clip or (3) a new stock AD frame. More than likely, you are in for a combination of the three. What it really boils down to is how much work you are willing to do and how fast do you want to be on the road. If the budget can handle it, the clear winner is a new stock frame with a IFS. If you are like me, labor is cheap and parts are expensive. I went the s10 frame swap route. As of today, and a little over a year, my total costs are at $920.93 (minus the AD truck and I already owned the s10). People have all sorts of ideas and solutions. That's what makes this formum so great. My advise to you would be to do a little more research with your specific skill set in mind. Figure out what you can spend and how long it will take you. Once you have all of that information, double it. Projects like these are at least two times what you think when you begin. Just my opinion. Now lets hear from the more experienced.

[b00sted]

Well here is what I have been thinking about.. I am going to keep the truck so that is out of the way... I am going to start from the rear and work my way forward.. I have an 8.8 to put in it and I am going to start there.

1. Rearend
2 Bed repair and reconstruction
3 Cab Repair inside and out
4. Front sheetmetal repair and or replace.
5. remove the front c-10 stuff and replace it with a Musrang 2 setup.
6. Ad air ride to all 4 wheels
7. pait it...
8. Payoff th emortgage I am going to have to take out.. Just joking on that one because i would rather pay for it as I do it.. So with that said a realistic time frame may be 2 years...

I can handle that as I want to do as much of it as I can.. the 4 link setup is not going to be hard as I have done some of that before on our race cars.. Body work is something I am trying to learn and have a very good bodyman giving me pointers so that will probablytake the longest...

I will leave the pait to the pros and I will do the air ride... I know it is going tobe a long drawn out deal now... I was hopeing for something I could rat ride and have fun in this year... but that is out the window now...

[mr48chev]

That looks like a pretty good plan. It looks like it will take you a bit of time and a few cutting and grinding disks to clean the scabs off the front of the frame but it doesn't look like they hacked the frame up. I think once you get it cleaned up and descabbed it will go along at a reasonable pace.
You have to show us a photo of it with the front end sheet metal off and the engine out just as a "don't do it like this". photo though.

[stan3018]

as far as i know s10frame is the way for u....go to the junk jard and see what they have 4u ....s10frame with the front sus,u got the rear end thats it work with the sus and frame for know, thats my plan..

[Houston54]

Not a bad start on the plan. My suggestion would be a bit different.
I would do all the chassis and suspension work first including the brake system and fuel tank.

Then do the cab sheet metal repair, prime in epoxy primer and set on frame. Set engine and trans in place.
Hook up steering column to steering rack.
Set seat location and drill mounting holes
Install exhaust system.
Work front sheet metal and then spray on epoxy primer.
Set front sheet metal on cab/chassis and confirm fit.
Work bed sheet metal and spray with epoxy primer.
Purchase wiring harness, glass & rubber, paint supplies, gauges, bed wood, etc.
Blow it all apart for paint
Paint
Re-assemble
Drive

[blackdiesel]

If it were me, I would get a different frame. Put the IFS on it as well as the rearend. Them biuld your truck one piece at a time, putting it on the new chassis as you go. But that's just me.

[mobileortho]

Originally Posted by Houston54

That front suspension is NOT from a camaro. It appears to be a 73-86 truck suspension and if I am correct in that regard you can forget about getting it any lower. It just cannot happen.

It can lowered quite easily actually. You'd be suprised what a set of drop spindles and springs could do. The right choice in backspacing on your wheels can pull in your wheels. I have a '79 IFS in mine that was narrowed 1 1/2" with drop spindles and this is what it looks like.



I had 3" drop coils but that made it too low so I cut off a coil & a half off the originals. Tubular drop upper and lower control arms are also an option.
On my rear I have a Chevy II and I removed two leafs from the springs to lower it some. I don't want the super slammed look so it works for me.

[b00sted]

Originally Posted by mobileortho

It can lowered quite easily actually. You'd be suprised what a set of drop spindles and springs could do. The right choice in backspacing on your wheels can pull in your wheels. I have a '79 IFS in mine that was narrowed 1 1/2" with drop spindles and this is what it looks like.



I had 3" drop coils but that made it too low so I cut off a coil & a half off the originals. Tubular drop upper and lower control arms are also an option.
On my rear I have a Chevy II and I removed two leafs from the springs to lower it some. I don't want the super slammed look so it works for me.

Are you saying you cut and narrowed the IFS and added the drop spindles? I was thinking of doing the 2" drop spindles for now and 3" coils and flip and block the rear... I want to drive this thing some....I can always go back and do the front later on if I decide it just has to lay the boards...

It is allot easier for me to stay motvated if I can move this thing around under it's own power. A truck taken apart here for any length of time gets sold to easy.

I would love to see some bigger pics of yours...

[mobileortho]

Originally Posted by b00sted

Are you saying you cut and narrowed the IFS and added the drop spindles?

I would love to see some bigger pics of yours...

Yep. I took the IFS to a local shop and had them cut out an incn & a half, that eliminates the need for spacer plates on the frame. The combination of drop coils & spindles was too much for me. Here are a couple of shots with them both. While it looks good, check out the second shot and you'll see that the crossmember is way too low.



As you can see that would be down right dangereous! The scrubline is way too low. Even using my current setup I still have to be careful and watch for objects in the roadway. I plan on using slightlity taller tires and that should help. I you want to see more pics you can see them on my Webshots Account.

[MrSinister]

If you do end up keeping the truck clip I would have a suspension shop take a look at the po's work, it looks like the idler arm is facing backwards

[av8tr33337]

The idler arm is definatley faceing the wrong way(backwards)

[mobileortho]

Yep, I know. Those photos were taken early in the build and it has been changed.