Aftermarket Chassis, Which one for best ride quality

[JGross]

Hi Guys,

I'm putting together a plan to refresh my 65 short fleet, that I last worked on in 2014,

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=636547

As this is most likely my last project as I'm getting older and very close to retirement I plan on doing this right. This has been my daily driver for close to 10 years and i love it, but I would like to improve the ride quality some. I've been looking at aftermarket chassis thinking that modern steering geometry and coil overs might give me a more comfortable ride.

Anyone have experience with an aftermarket chassis that they would be willing to share?

[notsolo]

Your truck looks great. No help on chassis replacement, Advance Designs is building 77 2wd blazer with an LS, front suspension looks pretty sweet." Detroit Speed Speedmax front suspension"....My 71 long bed with LS and stock suspension, rear leaf springs rides great IMO. Hopefully someone will chime in with some other options.

[SkinnyG]

There are lots of companies that make chassis for your truck. They are all pretty much the same. As long as the spring rates are selected for the ride quality and handling you want, you will probably do well.

One thing to keep in mind is "lower" almost always requires "stiffer."

[theastronaut]

Ask how much bump and droop travel those chassis have at the wheel, you'd be surprised at how little some companies build into their suspension design. The less travel they offer the stiffer it has to be to keep it off the bump stops.

"Coilovers" aren't anything special if they're not made for the application and usually offer less travel than a separate spring and shock. You can tune spring rates and shock damping without going to coilovers.

The original 63 up front suspension has pretty good geometry already, you can tweak it with taller upper ball joints to add more camber gain, a rack and pinion kit to tighten up the steering response/feel, and modern alignment specs and have a really nice riding and driving truck. The stock suspension will offer a lot more travel than most of the aftermarket frames will, even when lowered 4-5". Try a set of adjustable shocks on the stock frame first, you might be surprised by how well the stock suspension works with some tweaks.

[SkinnyG]

^^^^

Truthfully, if you're only going to drive the truck like normal people do, just keep it "original" but fix anything that is suspect.

Advantage: ANY parts catalog will list the parts you need, when you need them, by ANY counter guy at ANY parts store in the country. This is WAY smarter than some frankenstein concoction of parts that you need a duotang to keep track of.

If it were me: dropped spindles, lowering coils, good shocks. Done.

[JGross]

Thanks for the feedback

[JGross]

Thanks for the feedback

[SCOTI]

If you're just wanting a chassis, Roadster Shop SPEC or Ride series chassis would be my choice.

That being said, I 101% agree w/theastronaut & SkinnyG regarding the use of what's already under the sheet metal.

A slightly lower center of gravity provides a more modern feel. Drop spindles allows 2 -3" of drop w/o impacting the ride quality as far as spring & shock compression distances. As indicated in an earlier post, the best ride quality is easiest to achieve using the longest travel range possible. Drop spindles also allow the easy disc brake adaption.

Even the factory front A-arms work very well once a simple mod is done to achieve up to date alignment specs.

I'd personally use a stock chassis w/some quality bolt-on parts for a mild driver vs a chassis. Take all that money the chassis would cost & use it on a quality drivetrain w/an OD transmission & some ice-cold A/C to enjoy the retirement years in comfort.

[SCOTI]

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