3/4T suspenson under C-10

[izzy_Britton]

I have a stock height 86 C-10, she rides OKAY, but seems a bit top heavy, lots of body roll and she floats like a cady at cruising speed. yep the perfect ride... if it was indeed a cady! but it is a truck and i know it may seem odd but i prefer a little firmer ride.


So in preparations for a ride height change, I have rounded up the usual suspects, 3 inch drop spindles, and some (i think) 2 inch shackles and a pair of dropped front leaf spring hangers. All belltech from a donor rig. I just ordered my flip kit thing from a board member.

I plan to do the suspension change over in the coming weeks, but i have considered a few changes and i want to get the opinion of anyone who has done this or has done the opposite.

I want to throw a set of 3/4 ton dropped coils up front if they are available, if they are not available (i dont know how belltech does coil rates, they may be all the same, i dunno) I will cut a coil or 2 to get the ride height i want.

In the rear I am thinking that a set of 3/4 ton leaf packs with the overload leaf removed would do the trick, a flip kit and maybe the front hangers to get the height i want there too.

I also have a 1 ton front sway bar and i am trying to locate a 1 ton rear sway bar but they seem pretty illusive.

yes i know that the 1 ton sway bars are overkill but i loved my old 86 with 3/4 ton sway bars under it so bigger can only be better right?

Opinions greatly appreciated. I would love to hear what anyone thinks of this idea, and i would really love to hear from anyone who has gone the route of the 3/4 ton under a 1/2 ton before or the opposite, 1/2 ton under a 3/4 ton truck. I am sure there will be mixed reviews but i want to hear them all

-Izzy

[gchemist]

If you want a truck ride, add polygraphite bushings on the a-arms. I run polygraphite on my truck. Yea, resist roll around corners and braking will put you through the windshield. Add front and rear anti-sway bars. I run traction bars on the rear axel. I feel like a paint ball in my truck.

[INSIDIOUS '86]

The one ton sway bars are cool but I have to say going poly bushings makes them work way better almost so good that the ride is rough on a small truck. Do only the middle bushings poly and the outside ends rubber otherwise you can cause a very rough ride from a binding situation. I would even prob suggest the smaller bar if you want a little smoother ride. As for a rear swaybar, bigger is worse get especially on longbeds. Rear should be half to 3/4 the size of the front but even if you get one to big as long as you drive calmly it will still feel better in a turn and just more stable overall.

What stance are you looking for? 5-7 drop I assume? Front spring hangers and no rear shackles is good since it keeps instant center high which helps starting traction.


For the front springs the 3/4-1ton stick springs are good to cut down. If you get new ones let them settle before cutting. While you have everything apart replace the lower balljoints if your on a budget since they wear the most and make it hard to do an alignment when worn.

Rear springs will defiantly stiffen it up. How much do you have now? Depending on how low the rear is the overload may be little to no use other than extra weight.

Shocks...you'd be surprised how much the ride changes with new ones. I just got bilsteins for mine and whew my old ones were pretty bad I guess!
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[izzy_Britton]

I will likely use some USED 3/4 or 1 T coils up front until i can confirm that belltech does indeed make different spring rates for different trucks. it only makes since that they do.

as for the rear, i have 3 leafs and the overload which never gets used and has probably never been used.

I was thinking the 5/7 is cool but i do like them a little lower than what you see every day. and i want to do a frame notch to keep from bottoming out but have not found a good belltech one that bolts on yet for the amount of $$ i am wanting to spend so that will have to wait. I just want to get it out of the clouds for now with a little more comfortable ride than floaty caddy.

i installed new shocks all the way around, just the Napa brand which i think are Monroe branded for Napa, because the thing was too floaty and the install of the new shocks changed nothing, well 95% of nothing, the improvement was barely noticeable as the old shocks were also Napa.

I will replace the lower control arm bushings and ball joints, at least that is the plan, it is a budget drop so it might get shoved to the back burner as i also am moving house again now.

-Izzy

[gchemist]

Any 3/4 or 1 ton spring spring will raise your front end.

[INSIDIOUS '86]

Originally Posted by gchemist

Any 3/4 or 1 ton spring spring will raise your front end.

Yes but she will cut it I'm sure.
My truck is a 6-8 drop static and it rides like a track car. Firm and bounces and rattles over small bumps. As Jeremy clarkson would say, "a rubbish ride" but it handles real good. The swaybars definitely firm things up.

Monroe sensatrack are supposed to have the same valveing as bilsteins but cheaper. I used bilstein van shocks in the rear to get enough travel for a notch but when I put them on I could hardly compress them to install them haha.
I too only have three and an overload and I think it's just about right for handling. You can go ahead and add one leaf and go with a smaller swaybar. Look at the iroc camaro's the sec gen camaros firebirds and cars with ten bolts. Their swaybars will bolt on and just a little creativity to mount them to the frame

The front depending on what tire you run should have just a small amount of negative camber and about 5-7* caster. Try toe out about a 16th per side and it should feel like a g machine
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[Ziegelsteinfaust]

Have you thought about stiffer shocks?

[izzy_Britton]

Originally Posted by INSIDIOUS '86

Yes but she will cut it I'm sure.

Yes I plan to cut them to fit the agenda of my prefered ride height.

My truck is a 6-8 drop static and it rides like a track car.

This is my GOAL. I love the ride of a 'track car'. more appropriately i love the handling of a track car.

However i will need to locate a suitable c-notch kit before i finalize the ride height at what i think i want. for now i am gonna go the route of the sporty look with the track car handling.

Monroe sensatrack are supposed to have the same valveing as bilsteins but cheaper. I used bilstein van shocks in the rear to get enough travel for a notch but when I put them on I could hardly compress them to install them haha.

because this is a budget build, i will likely do something similar. I plan to remove the bed to clean up the frame and some pretty messed up brackets welded on to the frame for some unknown reason. while the bed is off I am planning to make a new shock mounting crossmember so that i can use longer shocks to keep things simple and mainstream.

I too only have three and an overload and I think it's just about right for handling. You can go ahead and add one leaf and go with a smaller swaybar. Look at the iroc camaro's the sec gen camaros firebirds and cars with ten bolts. Their swaybars will bolt on and just a little creativity to mount them to the frame

The front depending on what tire you run should have just a small amount of negative camber and about 5-7* caster. Try toe out about a 16th per side and it should feel like a g machine

in the past i have always been stuck with 15 inch wheels and low pro tires in the front and balloons in the rear. This build will be different, I am planning on 20x8 fronts and 20x10 rears and some tires that fill the fenderwells but remain within the scope of nearly OEM diameter.

Also in the past i have always set up the camber/caster/toe using the cup car gauges. I do not remember the numbers as it has been several years, but i have always ran negative camber because i cut too many coils for an extra lowered truck (like a lame teenager) and could never get the camber where it needed to be, slight caster and TOE-IN. i only ever ran the toe-in for one reason, tire scrubbage. due to the extra negative camber, running with a toe-in situation allowed for more tire on the pavement and more mileage out of the rubber. the odd side effect of the negative camber and toe-in was that the truck handled like it was on rails when driving the twisties but handled like a shopping cart controlled by a twitchy squirl on the straight aways. when traveling at cruising speed, one botts dot would hurl the truck into a different lane without any input on the steering wheel. needless to say it was a city cruiser and makeshift autocrosser, but it was no fun whatsoever on road trips down the straight freeways. Towing a trailer, the one time i did, ended in disaster, looking like a yard sale all over the center median of the interstate.

I do plan to drive this truck daily to work and home again, use it to tow the pop-up tent trailer on outings and use it as a truck, albeit a crippled truck.



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-Izzy

[INSIDIOUS '86]

I've been going on for about a year now and have only noticed slight inner tire wear with bf Goodrich g force sport comp 2s. And I don't drive nice haha.
I got 7.5 castor and 1/16th toe out either side which is prob the issue with wear but for me it's pretty even in wear. My cambers about -1* on each side. Planning to do some 18s for mine.

Porter built has some THICK bolt in c notches that are at a THICK $250 but are perfection as always.

As for the rear shocks the more angle they are at the less effective they are. I forgot to mention I'm also running shock extenders. Prob a good idea to do so on yours. I'm also not notched. No issues with that unless there are big speedbumps or big bumps on the road at 35+mph

Here's my alignment specs. I may bring the front toe in to 13* which should be perfect. It's great on the highway and driving in town. I also run a power steering box with no running powersteering so it's manual. Not hard at all and gives a goo road feel

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[INSIDIOUS '86]

I'm also under the impression that toe out helps the bad Ackerman angle also present in our trucks.
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