What should I do with this truck

[LT1 Burb]

I am considering changing up this truck, was thinking 5 lug conversion and 17" torque thrust 2"s with drop spindles and coils. Also swapping over to disc brakes and dual master. I also may change over to a 4 barrel with high rise but will paint it grey. It just is not fun to drive with bias ply skinny tires. My other thought is just doing a 2-4 drop with coils, running 17" wheel vintiques and running the caps with white walls and beauty rings, what say you guys.

[The Rocknrod]

I'd go 16" and 17''s, lower it as you suggested. Disc, Dual. 4 barrel and mid-rise.
Or send it to me and I'll do it, then you can refer to it fondly from the internet.

[oem4me]

It's your truck and you should do whatever you want, but I find it curious that you would have gone to the lengths you did staying true to a factory correct restoration, while not really enjoying the finished product.
I get it if you are a hot rodder at heart, it's just hard to mentally justify your efforts if the factory thing never floated your boat. Maybe you learned that along the way? Or the build was more of a personal challenge to test your restoration abilities? Either way, what you have now is a distinctly well executed example of a stock truck from the era, which is kind of rare.
I my opinion, if you begin to modify this truck, it will start to melt into the sea of other resto-mods out there. The deeper you go, the more it melts.
I'm not sure if the dollar investment would balance out if you sold and started over, but it seems a shame to lose what you have accomplished.
Again, this is just my own humble opinion.

[The Rocknrod]

Even better - Chop it
Ahhh I crack myself up.

[Southcity]

I personally love your truck just as it is. I have a lowered 66 Suburban and have run it with 18's and 20's over the years but I always end up going back to stock steelies/radials (which I love) and am considering bringing it back to stock height. What about trying a small change first like putting some radial tires on those stock rims and then driving it for a while? It's a small change but would improve driving experience and let you enjoy your truck while you contemplate lowering it and putting different wheels on it.

[LT1 Burb]

Originally Posted by Southcity

I personally love your truck just as it is. I have a lowered 66 Suburban and have run it with 18's and 20's over the years but I always end up going back to stock steelies/radials (which I love) and am considering bringing it back to stock height. What about trying a small change first like putting some radial tires on those stock rims and then driving it for a while? It's a small change but would improve driving experience and let you enjoy your truck while you contemplate lowering it and putting different wheels on it.

That is a good thought because it is the Bias Ply pizza cutters that suck, maybe a whitewall radial will make it better.

[Southcity]

Originally Posted by LT1 Burb

That is a good thought because it is the Bias Ply pizza cutters that suck, maybe a whitewall radial will make it better.

Yes sir, a much nicer ride, better road manners and with a whitewall radial you also change the look up just slightly, pretty good bang for the buck. Now to determine - thin stripe whitewall (which I think is closest to stock for this year) or a medium stripe?

[Getter-Done]

That is a nice truck as is.
If the tires are the biggest issue,
I would swap them for radial tires.
If the single master cylinder is a concern of safety to you,
I would probably put disc brakes and dual master cylinder on it also.
I would only use drop springs on the back to bring it down
(to level or just under level).

Just my opinion.











.

[VictoriaHardware]

Stick to the bolt-on mods. They can always be reversed.

[65truckowner]

A set of rallies with some 275/60/15 radials. Lower the back just enough to level it. Do the brake upgrade and 4 barrel with some nice exhaust Done and done. Great looking truck I like the color dont see it everyday

[AcampoDave]

Did they really sit that high in the rear or does the pic make it look like that? I personally would get it down to a more level ride. Not just for how it would look, but they "feel" better when your not looking downhill from the seat. The view from the winshield improves, as does the angle of the seat. Then I'd get some 225/35/15 radials as they fit the skinny oem 6 lug rims quite well. (Thats what I roll). I had a rake like that on my shortbed for a while and being a tall guy, I was always looking thru the top quadrant of my windhield. After I leveled it out a bit my field of view came down and the rear view mirror was not so "in my face" all the time.

[LT1 Burb]

It is high but not as high as it seems in first picture.

[LT1 Burb]

Originally Posted by oem4me

It's your truck and you should do whatever you want, but I find it curious that you would have gone to the lengths you did staying true to a factory correct restoration, while not really enjoying the finished product.
I get it if you are a hot rodder at heart, it's just hard to mentally justify your efforts if the factory thing never floated your boat. Maybe you learned that along the way? Or the build was more of a personal challenge to test your restoration abilities? Either way, what you have now is a distinctly well executed example of a stock truck from the era, which is kind of rare.
I my opinion, if you begin to modify this truck, it will start to melt into the sea of other resto-mods out there. The deeper you go, the more it melts.
I'm not sure if the dollar investment would balance out if you sold and started over, but it seems a shame to lose what you have accomplished.
Again, this is just my own humble opinion.

I did go through a ton of effort to stay as close to original as possible, the truck has won numerous first place awards but is not fun to drive. My 66 ragtop maybe turned me, with the huge sway bars and coil overs it is a joy to drive. Plus I realized I like lowered trucks better, I think a 2-4 drop on springs, brake upgrades and wheels would not really alter value as they are easily removed. I do have a standing offer and can sell it at any moment, maybe its time.

[Chevy Fleetside]

And here I thought he was joking about this. I think if it just sat down about 2" it would look better and with some whitewall tires. My green truck is original (somewhat now) except I did upgrade the brake to power disc and I lowered the front 3" and the rear 3", well I'm working on it anyway. It will be my work/hauling truck so I don't want any problems stopping. If you decide to drop 2" up front and you want to do springs talk to me. I might have a pair laying around. I take it you have brought it to a few shows?

[Clyde65]

A 2/3” spring drop and sway bars will help the driveability.
You have drums right?
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[cwcarpenter98]

I concur with some of what's been said before. Some good, radial tires to start with, then some sway bars, then go drop springs if you want that lowered look. All of that is bolt on stuff that could be fairly easy to remove if the 100% stock look is desired.

I would also recommend a dual line master cylinder for safety's sake. Yeah, it's not completely original, but I'd rather have that extra bit of engineered-in safety rather than running into someone else and having to redo the truck again. A 67 master is a good option if you don't plan on going to discs

Edit to add: I put a front sway bar from a 3/4 ton square on my truck. It improved the driveability so much and still looks stock since the same bar design was used from these trucks to the squares. It's a 1.25" bar

[AcampoDave]

I have a mostly stock longbed with a 2/4 spring drop, some kind of KYB shocks that came with the spring kit, a front squarebody sway bar, and the 225/75/15 radials and it drives quite nicely. It will hit the front snubbers on a good size bump, but not badly. I did split the brakes, but they are still manual drums and they work fine. I re-did them with all new stuff, used upgraded shoes, and had the drums turned. It will lay a skid if I slam them down.

[G8rN@te61]

lower it with 4" springs and do 18-20" wheels. I did 3" static drop with 15" wheel vintiques with wide stripes and wished I did 4" with thin whitewall with larger wheels.

What engine is in it?

[LT1 Burb]

Originally Posted by G8rN@te61

lower it with 4" springs and do 18-20" wheels. I did 3" static drop with 15" wheel vintiques with wide stripes and wished I did 4" with thin whitewall with larger wheels.

What engine is in it?

Nice, mine is a bone stock 283

[G8rN@te61]

that truck is so nice my man! Go on instagram and check out the various c10 folks. lots of ideas for your truck from mild to extreme bagged with 700hp LS engines in them.

[65truckowner]

Still way to nice to change much. Sell it to someone like you who wants original. Then buy another one and build it custom

[spudder]

You have one of the nicest trucks there is. I've always been a fan of original cars and trucks but like these trucks with a mild drop and lower stance. Here is a picture of the project we are doing now. It has 2 1/2 drop spindles up front and 3 inch lowering springs and 3/4 inch lowering blocks in the rear. I think the stance is just right.

[LT1 Burb]

Originally Posted by spudder

You have one of the nicest trucks there is. I've always been a fan of original cars and trucks but like these trucks with a mild drop and lower stance. Here is a picture of the project we are doing now. It has 2 1/2 drop spindles up front and 3 inch lowering springs and 3/4 inch lowering blocks in the rear. I think the stance is just right.

Thx, that truck looks great, love it.

[1971 GMC SHORTY]

You Have the Sweetest Truck, I Watched You BuildMost of It Pain Staking Putting it Factory Correct. I Love The Way it Looks

[caseyjones]

Since you asked

I vote for lowering springs, front sway bar and a modern wheel/tire combo. Relatively small investment for big returns. If it still doesn't make you happy, unload it and find a new project.