What is the best and cheapest way to lower a 66 C10?

Hey looking to lower a 66 C-10, I want to put drop spindles on but I really dont want to spend the exrta money to do disc brakes, then I need different wheels and tires, then I have to change the rear bolt pattern to match the front...and the list goes on and on. Has anybody seen drop spindles that will work with the factory brakes and wheels???

 

cut the front 1 coil & put early chevelle coils under the back

 

Ok would it still ride half decent?

 

Cheaper and easier to find rear coils are Jeep TJ rear coils.
I get them from 4x4 shops who've lifted Jeeps. free to 20 a pr.

As for fronts, Ive gone as much as 2 coils but thats pushing it.
Or have your front lower A-arm stepped at balljoint. That will give ya 2" additional drop.
I just did that to a 63 C10 recently

 

Perfect that's what I will do, does cutting one coil throw off geometry and make them steer weird and wear the tires?

 

One shouldnt hurt ya too bad. Ive done it and hasnt affected anything

 

Thanks guys

 

Yes, you will have it aligned. And later add shorter quality shocks to the rig. Nothing is cheap. Add a sway bar from a later model Chevy truck if yours does not have one.

 

http://www.low69cst.freeservers.com/CamaroBar.htm

 

Are the tj coils shorter , than the factory ones one the truck?

 

Yes. Shorter and slightly softer.
About equivalent to a 3" drop coil
Ive used them on 3 C10s and get around 3-4" drop in back. Rides well, but you loose load capicity, so keep that in mind if you plan to haul or tow anything.

Heres my old 60 C10 with jeep coils out back and torsion bars turned in front

 

Cut coils, not heated coils. Remove the coil and cut 1-1.5 coils off the spring. It will be fine for tire life and will ride nice. You should get alignment after the drop. The rear coils best to replace, they are pigtailed so can't be cut down easy like fronts.

You can swap the whole front crossmember and suspension from a 73-87 1/2 ton GM pickup and get disc brakes, P/S, sway bar and easy cheap drop spindles and springs. But then you need to deal with the bolt pattern change and other issues, so for real cheap the orig idea to cut the coils is your best option.

 

Hey just to let you guys know I did lower the front today, it went so smooth and took no time. I cut 1.5 coils but I still wish it was just a little lower. I suppose two is not a good idea? Maybe it will look better when I find the jeep springs to put in the rear. Now I need an opi ion on tire size...is 235/75/15 a good idea or are they a little too tall? I do t want really small tires, I think they look kind if funny on trucks. Any size recommendations? Thanks again.

 

I have 30" x 9.50" x 15s on my 64. I'd throw you a link but I'm using a tablet that is a pain in the +++. Look up my build thread for reference, or go to the c10 thread and ask for tire sizes on trucks you like. In my opinion, my tires are nearly perfect. 235s aren't much smaller, and if you intend to go much lower, they may be dead on.

 

Same tire size I'm running on my daily. Stock spindles. Drop coils, 3" blocks and drop coils in the back. Minor c notch.

 

That looks awesome, what drop are the front coils? If those are 235/75/15 tires I will stick with that size! Thanks

 

Sorry, 4" drop front coils and 6" drop rear with 2" blocks. I'm probably going to drop the rear arms a tad more and go to 2" drop front spindles just to get a little lower..

 

And yes they are 235 75 15"

And thanks!

 

What brand springs do you have up front? I guess I will leave the cut coils up front for now but I should order a set like yours, I was not aware that I could get that much of a drop coil and don't want to change spindles, thanks again.

 

CPP has lowering springs, not too expensive.