Help with lowering my 72 c10

[bakerboys]

thanks in advance for any help
I have 72 with coil springs i currently have 4 inch drop springs for the rear and 1 inch drop springs for the front would you use 2 or 2.5 inch drop spindles i dont mind a little rake but do not want it to look foolish

[HO455]

Your thread title is a bit confusing.
I wouldn't worry about the 1/2" height difference but I would look closely at any differences in the brakes and the ball joints or tie rods used. Some aftermarket spindles may require you to change other components to install their spindles.

[bakerboys]

ok thanks

[pjmoreland]

I think it will end up being fairly raked with drop spindles and springs in the front, and with only 4" rear springs. You might want to consider going with stock front springs and drop spindles. I have 1" front springs, 2-1/2" spindles and 6" rear springs, and it is still slightly raked.

[sfont66]

Is your truck long or short? It will make a difference in how the rake looks.
Years ago when my truck was a long bed, I cut 1 coil off the front springs and installed 2.5” Cpp drop spindles in front. I used Cpp 4” springs in the rear. It had a bit of rake , but not that bad, I used the truck then to haul lumber, tools, 4 wheeler, dirt bikes, etc. The extra bit of spring helped with those loads.
Now my truck is short and I will likely lower the rear more, as I don’t use the truck to haul anything anymore, and it is more of a Hotrod now.
This pic shows 2.5” drop spindles,1 cut coil in front, 4” springs in rear

[1970 CST Short Wide]

Originally Posted by pjmoreland

I think it will end up being fairly raked with drop spindles and springs in the front, and with only 4" rear springs. You might want to consider going with stock front springs and drop spindles. I have 1" front springs, 2-1/2" spindles and 6" rear springs, and it is still slightly raked.

Nice Truck.
Same 2 1/2 spindles with coil overs. Put it where you want it

[bakerboys]

thanks alot nice trucks by the way
so my truck i have has heated springs
so i need to replace them guess ill buy regular front springs now i already have 1 inch lower springs for the front
actually i have everything but drop spindles which im about to order
what do yall think about those lowering blocks foe coil trucka
in yalls opinion would 2.5 frint and 4 in back look good

[geunther]

I just did 2.5/4 and the front is about one inch lower, measured at the upper trim. Front is 2.5" spindles with stock springs. Rear is 4" springs. Looks fairly level.

[Already Gone]

Originally Posted by geunther

I just did 2.5/4 and the front is about one inch lower, measured at the upper trim. Front is 2.5" spindles with stock springs. Rear is 4" springs. Looks fairly level.

I have all the parts to do the same drop on my truck, but its a long bed. Curious as to what size tires on your truck.

[lolife99]

Just my opinion,… but a 1” drop spring will probably be the same height as your sagging 40+ year old stock springs.
Start with drop spindles for sure and change coil springs accordingly.

[geunther]

Originally Posted by Already Gone

Curious as to what size tires on your truck.

235/70 15 front and rear.

[Boog]

Looks good Geunther. 15x8" rims?

[geunther]

Yes, sorry 15 x 8 wheels. I have to put on the bumper and inner wheelhouses yet so that will add a little bit more weight to the front. Initially I was worried about the back squatting but all indications are that it will be the look I was going for though slightly lower than I wanted.

[bowtie72]

What size wheels are you going to run? If you run 15” wheels and use 2.5 drop spindles your wheels may hit the control arms. If you plan on larger wheels then the 2.5 spindles will give you a good drop keeping everything in the stock geometry. If your using 15” wheels I would use the 2” spindles.

[bakerboys]

can i just use drop springs and not drop spindles
what would be the difference in ride etc....

[pjmoreland]

The main reason I went with drop springs on my '68 was for the disc brake conversion aspect of them. Since you already have front disc brakes on your '72, that is not a consideration. Seems like 2" front drop springs would be the simplest way for you to go if that meets your drop goals. A previous owner of my truck had installed 3" front drop springs, and they were so short that they'd come loose when jacking the front wheels off the ground. If I wasn't careful to realign them when lowering the truck down, they'd make a horrible "sproing" sound as they'd re-seat the first time I hit a rough patch in the road.

[HO455]

I have 1 inch drop springs on my Burban with factory 71/72 spindles. It's not as low as I would like but I am planning to cut some off of the spring. I will start with 1/2 of a coil. I've just been waiting for a time when I have the front end jacked up for another project.
The tires are 245-60-15's.
With the 1 inch drop the ride is pretty good. Definitely better than the air bags they replaced.

[Ironangel]

Originally Posted by bakerboys

can i just use drop springs and not drop spindles
what would be the difference in ride etc....

Get and use the drop spindles first. Drop spindles wont change the steering/suspension geometry where drop coils will. If the front coils were heated they're trash, I'd replace them with a set of new factory coils and go from there. I have the 2-1/2" drop spindles on my 72 and had 2" drop coils and it was to low for the BFG 275/60's. So I replaced the (spongy) 2" drop coils with the factory coils with 1/2 coil cut off the bottom. That lowered it 1" instead of 2" and stiffened the ride back up. Go with the 2-1/2" drop spindles first and if you dont have a sway bar up front yet get one! That sway bar makes the biggest positive change in handling money can buy. Heres a pic from about 10 years ago with the 2-1/2" drop spindles and factory coils with 4" drop coils in the rear. I painted the sway bar red as you can see. 72 LWB with a 350 SBC...