Ride Height

[tttjump]

Are these trucks normally this high off of the ground?
It is 2wd C20 with 285/75/16,
I can lay on a creeper and still work on it with out having to lift the vehicle.


thanks

[77 350 Shorty Wide]

Looks a bit high even for a 3/4 ton. It looks like it has a 4X4 C-20 stance.
God Bless, Terry I think I mean K20

[tttjump]

That is what I was thinking. It looks more like a K20 then C20.
I will take some pictures of the suspension and post.

[75shortysocal]

tires look bigger then stock size... heres my old truck pretty sure it was stock hight with bigger tires..
i was told the front coils lose tension after so many years.

[Ivan D.]

Here's mine how I bought it last October, tires are stock size:


And here it is with the new tires, but before the stakes:


And the "big woody" version, like it sits now:


Tires are 32" fronts and 33" rears, actual size measured to 30.5" fronts and 31" rears. Truck curently has a 350 engine and 350 tranny and I believe still rides on stock coils meant for the 250 I6 and "three on the tree" it left the factory with. At least 195k miles on the frame, so whatever could sag and/or settle has already sagged and settle long time ago.

[knightlife]

its the tires...my 76 was the same way...

[Ivan D.]

Originally Posted by knightlife

its the tires...my 76 was the same way...

Nope, it ain't the tires - the larger they are the smaller the gap between the tire and the fender's edge, and he has some huge gaps there. Also look at the front wheels hubs, they are well below the level of the cab's lower edge, whereas trucks with old tired coils usually have the front hubs on the same line as the cab's lower edge, and some even higher.

[D-Day]

Added leaf springs?

[bigblock73]

Looks fine to me, here is a C20 I saw on eBay (and almost bought), looks to be just like yours.

[Billy81]

My brother use to have a 1974 3/4 ton 2wd that was a camper special model and it had a big block 454 in it. It sat pretty high in the air just like that and it was bone stock. His friend has a 1977 3/4 ton 2wd that is a custom deluxe model and has a small block 350 in it and it sits much lower. I am not sure what the tire sizes were but both trucks were pretty much stock.

[tttjump]

Here are some photos of the leaf springs and coil springs.

[Ghost Rider 77]

Here is my 77 Chevy C-20. It has 285/75/16 tires and it looks lower than yours. See what you think.. This is a camper special model.

[bb1979]

Thats factory for sure. The rear spring count is factory 3/4 and the distance between the bump stop and the crossmember is correct as well, this is exactly how my truck sat when I bought it. The way the lower a-arms point down is factory. 75shortysocal that truck has had at least one coil cut off because thats exactly how my dad's truck sits the fact that the lower a-arms are level tells me this.

Getting the upper and lower a-arms level looking is a big key to making these trucks handle real well. I have to fix mine this summer when i swap out the 350 and put in the 454 i'm still running round with cut six cylinder springs and 3" drop spindles when i took the photo below 3 months ago I had ample room to put a jack under it. Its so low now that the jack doesn't fit under. Oh looks like its got a front sway bar on it but if it doesn't get one its a huge improvement.

Next step lower the rear end 6" should just about cover it

[D13]

my 82 L6 manual C20 sits that way, high GVW with low options. Check your VIN to see if you're over 6800 lb GVW and if you are, the front will be about 1" higher than not. My strippo 82 3/4 sits at least 3" higher than my loaded 87 c-10 w/6.2. Just as a reference, I drove the 82 across the scales at 11470# one day, blew the rear shockes but no other issues. That would break my 87 in half.

[randyjohn]

my 74 gmc c25 sits the same as yours in the back. mine might be an inch lower in the front than yours. it has 350/350 with 14 bolt 8 lug rear with 10 1/2" ring gear. can't tell what yours is. you also have 7 leafs, mine 9. stock wheels and tires. if that helps.

[tttjump]

Also have 14 bolt 8 lug rear and 10 1/2 gear.
GVWR is 6400