any way to get lower in the front?

[Stacked78]

ok so ive finally started spending some time with the 63 shortbed again. got my handles shaved, fixed front fenders and started molding the tailgate and rollpan to the bed. im startin to do some research for my suspension setup and i know the factory crossmember creates a problem up front if i want to get really really low (which is the goal of this entire project). i've looked at the porterbuilt stuff and i know its good stuff but on my budget i cant really afford to drop the money for thier crossmember.... ive heard of a couple guys z'ing the front but i honestly am not sure about what the entails? will i have to chop up my firewall and tranny hump? i dont mind reworkin those if i can get around the expensive crossmember because the cabs not pristine. ive got my notches for the back and that whole situation figured out i'm just a little leary about up front. the trucks not gonna be a show truck, just something laid out with everything shaved and some other custom bodywork (because thats what i do for a living ) any help and advice would be appreciated since this is my first time actually puttin a truck on the ground correctly, cause i guess torchin my coils in the garage isnt considered politically correct lol thanks guys

Nathan

[fleetsidelarry]

you get what you pay for when you torch coils, for sure. plus I don't think you'd get as low as you need to go if you want to "lay frame". torched springs came with my truck when I bought it, they weren't even the same side to side, what a joke.

xratt sectioned his own crossmember to make a dropmember, it's on his build thread from earlier this year, I believe. here it is look at post 22:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...ighlight=xratt

you go this low you also have to lose the inner fenders and change the hood hinges.

on the other hand, a combination of dropped spindles and drop springs'll get you down 5 inches or so.

just depends on how low you want to go

[LT1 Burb]

I have bags up front and my A-arms have taken a beating over the years from bad roads. They are the lowest point and once in awhile they hit hard, good thing is they are readily available and easy to replace.

[1Bad62Pro/Street]

Mustang II IFS Front Clip!

[Stacked78]

That's for the help guys, and I drove my 65 all through high school on torched coils cause that's all I could afford at the time. I'm def goin on air for this build and I'm gonna look into the info from fleetside larry. Thanks again guys ill keep yall posted
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[ANoodle]

I went with the drop spindles in front along with front air bags.
When I drop the front, it sits on the ground..

[Malibob]

If I am not mistaken the 63 rises already in the front (higher than a 64-66) so you will be lower if you put the crossmember in (in lieu of torsion bars) so you may be happy with that. Otherwise get an extra crossmember and cut it up. I have one and am going to put it in this winter. Plenty of people on here to help you with that. DON't GO MORE THAN 1 1/2" though.

(maybe it was the 61-62 that hooped up higher) dont remember now.

[roofingbloke]

Try This. www.capkaoscustoms.com

[vin63]

Going with an aftermarket crossmember would be ideal, but if that is not an option right now, I would think about Z-ing the frame to raise the crossmember up and clearance the inner fenders to allow the tires to extend above the fender line to get the truck lower. As an example, here's a photo of my stock location front crossmember. When the air springs are deflated, the crossmember ends up being about an inch off of the ground while the inner fenders rest on top of the tires.

[Malibob]

Originally Posted by vin63

Going with an aftermarket crossmember would be ideal, but if that is not an option right now, I would think about Z-ing the frame to raise the crossmember up and clearance the inner fenders to allow the tires to extend above the fender line to get the truck lower. As an example, here's a photo of my stock location front crossmember. When the air springs are deflated, the crossmember ends up being about an inch off of the ground while the inner fenders rest on top of the tires.

What spindles are you using? Mine are 2.5" and the crossmember hits the ground. I would love to eliminate that.

[vin63]

Originally Posted by Malibob

What spindles are you using? Mine are 2.5" and the crossmember hits the ground. I would love to eliminate that.

I'm using ECE 2.5 drop spindles. My crossmember would also rest on the ground if it were not for the inner fenders resting on top of the front tires (27" diameter).