Front suspension; control arms or drop spindle

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Shields

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Hey all, just about to start building this 86 shortbox now. Had a few questions about lowering the front and maintaining good handling. There are a few options but I have it boiled down to the 3" drop DJM tubular upper and lower control arms with belltech 2" lowering springs , the lower arm has a deeper spring pocket to bring the front down the additional 3". Or 3" DJM drop spindles and 2" belltech coils, with just the DJM upper control arm, I retain the stamped lower arm but maintain the stock height spring pocket. Which combo will offer the best handling? Both routes are within $150 of each other so pricing is not a breaking factor. I'll be doing s flip kit in the rear after. Thanks
 
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SkinnyG

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Spindles should always be your first choice.

Dropped control arms make an already problem area worse. Factory arms hang pretty low as it is. Plus, they don't really "correct" any geometry - they have all the detriment of cutting coils, except you pay money for arms.

If you are handy with a drill, drill your lower control arm mounting pin socket in the cross shaft 3/4" rearward - this moves the lower control arm forward, increasing caster (more caster is a good thing). This with equal shims on the control arms should net you around 4° to 5° total caster. You could shim for more. 7° might be as far as I'd want to go. But testing will reveal what works best.

Aftermarket upper control arms should move the upper ball joint rearward, increasing caster. You could buy these if you feel you had to. The upper arm isn't really stressed, so don't freak out wondering if what you buy will be strong enough. If it looks more robust than factory, it is.

Just buy Moog 1-ton coil springs, and lop them until it sits where you want it. I cut about 1.5" coils off mine to sit right. These are plenty stiff (not brutally so), and the cool thing about cutting them is you can make the ride height exactly what you want. There is nothing wrong with cutting coils on these trucks.

Camber should be around -1° for a mainly street-driven vehicle. Set your toe to either 0" or maybe 1/16" in.

If you don't have a front sway bar, get one. The biggest you can find. It reduces roll, camber change, and keeps the inside rear wheel planted.

You ~may~ want a rear sway bar. I don't run one, and I don't think I'd want one. You'd get better corner exit without one (and it keeps the inside wheel planted).

Poly bushings may be a good idea.

The frames are not really all that rigid on these trucks, and that might be the limiting factor.
 
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Shields

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Wow, that was the absolute most perfectly detailed answer I was looking for. I will steer clear of the DJM lower control arm and I'll go with a spindle and coil setup. Thank you
 

74 Shortbed

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I will steer clear of the DJM lower control arm
Stay clear from any lower control arms that has a drop pocket for the springs..
 

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