looking to do a 4/6 on an 86 c10 lwb

[lownslow87]

Hey everyone,

I've been looking at kits for my truck for some time now but I have a few questions.

1) which spindles can I buy that wont require a larger wheel? I currently have 15x8 rally wheels with beauty rings and I really like the look. I'd like to keep them.

2) how much coil do you usually cut in the front? is it just to taste, or is there a general rule of thumb here? I'll probably cut the originals untill i get the height i want then buy new springs and cut them to length, is this advisable?

3) I'm a fairly experienced fabricator, is it worth buying a flip kit or should I just fab it up myself? It seems pretty simple as long as I keep the axle centered and square.

4) will I need to modify the drive shaft at all with a 6" drop in the rear? I obviously don't want the yoke to lose travel in the trans and I want the wheels tp stay centered in the wheel arch.

5) what shocks would you suggest for this drop? I'm not going to do any hauling with this truck (maybe a moto every now and again) so I don't think i'll need anything heavy duty. Can anyone suggest a cheap alternative to gimmicky "lowering shocks"? I'd imagine there must be a passenger car shock with a shorter stroke that would fit my needs.

 

[RThiel]

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I have 2.5" drop spindles and 1" drop springs on the front, and a flip kit on the rear. I'm getting away with 15" wheels, after grinding the lip off my lower control arms, a little grinding on the knuckle where the tie rod ends rubbed, and tweaking my brake lines a bit. Most guys cut one coil to get 2" of drop, but if you're going to buy new springs anyway, you might as well get springs that have a progressive rate (drop springs) as they will ride better.

Yes, buy a flip kit. They already have pinion angle figured out, and it's a 1.5 hour job to finish. Don't need to do anything with driveshaft. Totally worth the $70ish bucks. Don't worry about notching your frame, it's not necessary. Just torch your bump stops off. torch 'em off the front too. Your inner wheel wells are your new front bump stops.

Run your original front shocks, unless you try to use more than 3" of drop spring (don't. It's a hack way to lower, use a drop spindle or bags or both. It also makes alignments a PITA). On the rear I use mid '90's Nissan Hardbody shocks. Have the parts store look 'em up. Monroes are usually about $25 each. They ride nice and they're cheap.

I'm no expert, but I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last nite....

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[RThiel]

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This is with the 2.5" spindle and 2" drop spring in the front. I never measured prior to installing to see how much drop it gave me, but the tires were always rubbing in the inner fender wells (255/60 15). It didn't sit level and the front crossmember and headers dragged on everything. It pissed me off so I put the 1" springs in and all problems went away.

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[smoothandlow84]

1) 2 " or less drop spindle if you want to keep the 15" rims and not need to shave down the lower control arms. If you shave them down its best to weld a gusset to maintain the integrity. You could start with a drop coil (3") first. Cutting the oem springs will get the stance, but progressive drop coils will ride much better.

If you want to maintain the best ride quality, without using the tires as bumpstops, the only way to get 4-5 inches up front is to swap out the 15" wheels for a larger diameter. You will run into clearance issues up front. Dont use a grinder to make clearance. Do it right and do it safely. Looks are nothing if you end up ripping up a classic truck in the process by hacking components.
As far as the rear, buying a flip kit is the easiest way to go instead of fabbing your own. They are turnkey and in a few hours can be installed easily. You can fabricate lower shock mount extensions easily as well. I made a pair of my own in a few hours out of steel stock. If you like, I can post pics of them.
My 84 -87 square has a 5front and 7 rear drop. No modifications were needed to the driveshaft. I did remove and fab my own front fenderwells. I also ditched the 15" rallys for 20x8 fronts and 20x10 rears so that I could tuck the wheels prior to my 4 link and bag setup. I plan on bagging the truck by next season.

 

[Macdaddy11]

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I have 2.5" drop spindles and 1" drop springs on the front, and a flip kit on the rear. I'm getting away with 15" wheels, after grinding the lip off my lower control arms, a little grinding on the knuckle where the tie rod ends rubbed, and tweaking my brake lines a bit. Most guys cut one coil to get 2" of drop, but if you're going to buy new springs anyway, you might as well get springs that have a progressive rate (drop springs) as they will ride better.

Yes, buy a flip kit. They already have pinion angle figured out, and it's a 1.5 hour job to finish. Don't need to do anything with driveshaft. Totally worth the $70ish bucks. Don't worry about notching your frame, it's not necessary. Just torch your bump stops off. torch 'em off the front too. Your inner wheel wells are your new front bump stops.

Run your original front shocks, unless you try to use more than 3" of drop spring (don't. It's a hack way to lower, use a drop spindle or bags or both. It also makes alignments a PITA). On the rear I use mid '90's Nissan Hardbody shocks. Have the parts store look 'em up. Monroes are usually about $25 each. They ride nice and they're cheap.

I'm no expert, but I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last nite....

From the mid 90s Nissan do you use the front or the rears?

 

[RThiel]

From the mid 90s Nissan do you use the front or the rears?

Rear. The front shocks won't work.

 

[16slt6.2]

I have an 84 c20. It sits quite high. Fenders are all at 34.5 inches. I want to do a 3 inch drop spindle in the front and flip kit in the rear. Will this get me close to a c10 height? I want to run 275/60r15 on 15x10 all around. Thanks

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