Re: Make it handle
 

AWESOME !.....what you are saying is dont do it like MIKE LOSH did !! LOL, 9 years and countless amounts of parts put on and taken off ...never to have been used other then mock-up !! LISTEN guys these are great points to keep you build from dragging out like mine did !!

Re: Make it handle
 

Thanks Nate. You are so right. If you were building a house, you start with a contractor or architect, you don't just run down and buy lumber (OK, well I do that sometimes) Now that some of these trucks cost as much as houses, maybe a little more planning is needed. "If you fail to plan, your planning to fail" (from Yosh, one of my mentors).

Brush it off Mike, your truck is turning out great!

Nate, mark your calender for Saturday, sept 8th. The next So Cal Challenge at AMP in riverside

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Interesting idea I just thought of... An 09+ Dodge truck has a 4 link rear end, find a rear end, brackets, and bars and you'd have a pretty decent start to a 4 link. Not to mention discs and 5on 5.5... Pictures and measurements in a bit.

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I have drivin one, pretty nice - how wide is it?

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That was my thought they are a nice riding truck that handles pretty well out of the box. Steal some technology from Dodge and apply it to the old truck.

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If you want the perfect oportunity to put your truck through the paces, come out to the So Cal Challenge on sept 8. This event is at Adams Motorsports Park (AMP) in Riverside. A full day on the track, time-attack and shootout, 5 classes, show and shine, vendors... $10 gate entry, $20 show and shine (gets two in), $60 competitor (gets two in) always a great day, more track time than anywhere. www.socalchallenge.com

Re: Make it handle
 

Hey Rob
I am glad you posted this I was going to call you guys today to see if this was going to happen but i got busy now I dont have to bug you with a phone call
thanks for the info

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Question for ROB:
Do you really need to have an offset between the upper and lower ball joints on your spindle(king pin inclination)?

If so what is a good range to be in?

Thank You

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Rob,at the moment my truck has tubular bottom A arms(unkown make).
Do i need to buy both top and bottom as a set or is it OK to buy a set of tubular top arms from say CPP or the like ?

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Hey Rob - have you gotten the rear anti-roll kits ready to go yet? Also, back on the shock thing.... What about us daily drivers that don't wanna spend a nut on shocks? What's the best commercial grade combo in your opinion? I'm leaning towards the Monroe Magnum, but is that the best choice for front and rear?

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Finally on the way. you'd be happy with the monroe shocks.

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There have been a lot of spring questions lately, so here is some info. There are two ends of the 'spring' range when it comes to suspending a vehicle. You can use a stiff spring, it will have very little "static compression" (the amount of spring compression from it's free height to the comressed height at ride height), or a soft spring with a lot of static comression. You have to be carefull when you talk about static compression, becausethere are two kinds in play here. 1: Static SPRING compression, and 2: Static SUSPENSION compression. The difference has to do with the leverage ratio on the spring. I try to shoot for 5" of total static suspension compression as a starting point. With a coil spring, this would be 5" of suspension travel from a full droop position with no spring load to ride height. If the spring is compressed some at full droop, this must be added in.
This will give a nice smooth ride and good performance. Now here's the tuning rule. If your truck has a push (understeer), the general rule is to go softer springs and shocks with firmer compression. This may seam backwards, but it works. If the truck turns in great, and you have no tire slip, then you can go firmer on the springs, or a bigger sway bar.
If the leverage ratio on a C10 arm is 2-1, which is pretty close, and the truck has 3025 lbs on the front end (4000 lb total, with 55% front weight). That would be 1512 lb per side in front. With a 2 to 1 ratio on the A-arm, that puts 3025 lbs of pressure on the spring at ride height. If you were shooting for 5" of suspension compression, that would be 2 1/2" of spring compression (2 to 1 ), you would need a 1210 lb spring. (3025 divided by 2 1/2).

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Hey Rob, I'm real interested in the shock talk. I have your fat bars and Romic coilovers on the back (90 chevrolet) and want to do something just as good for the front. I have considered doing a coilover on the front, with some fab work of coarse.

Would the extra work of putting a coil over up front be worth it or do you think I would be just as good with a stock style spring and a good shock?

I'm also real anxious to see what shock reccomendations you and some other members may have!!!!! Also if you think the coilover is the way to go on the front, is the Romic a good choice for that?

Thanks, Matt

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Check out www.socalchallenge.com if your in the area come join the fun.

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Hey guys, I have a question regarding the rear trailing arms mounts. I recently purchased the ECE rear drop kit (6'' springs, shocks + relocate and a track bar kit). I also purchased some trailing arm bushings, front shocks, 2.5'' drop spindles and NAPA replacement parts for the rest of the front end. I already owned 2'' drop springs. 4.5/6 drop.

So to my question. I recently flipped the trailing arm mounts on the crossmember over (upside down) as I saw on this thread a while back. I did this with the intention of regaining some of the stock geometry in the trailing arms with the 6'' springs in the back. My concern is that the trackbar will be set up/ designed for the trailing arms to be mounted in their stock manor and that my truck will track crooked down the road... Should I flip these trailing arm mounts back over to run this track bar? or am i worrying about nothing?

Ps... good sway bar info on hear thank you.

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I would leave them flipped. Not sure what concern you you have with the panhard rod? The trailing arm mount flip should help with pinion angle and alignment after that drop.
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If it is the ECE track bar you can adjust the end to set your center on the rearend. Put the mounts on, set the truck at ride height, and adjust the bar until it fits in the brackets.
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Sounds like we need stiffer springs
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Rob, thanks for the spring tutorial, I recently had to figure all this stuff out for myself but your numbers come up real close to what I came up with so I feel way happeir with the springs I chose for my front coilovers. Im stuck with 7" springs in my application so I ended up with 1300# springs. The total travel of the spring is around 4" so Im hoping for 2-2.25 of compression at ride height. The arm ratio is 2:1 and I figured about 2600-2800 #s on the front axle.

Anyways, the number seem to add up but I have a couple of questions I wonder if you could help me with. I dont have scales so the method i used for determining the weight on the front axle was less than precise, does 2600-2800 #s sound right to you? Also, what do you think the ride will be like with those springs? Thanks for any input.

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may be a little heavy. if the truck is 4000 lb total which is still a bit heavy, and 55% on the nose, thats 2200 lbs on the front, 1100 per side. ?? thats my base guess for most C10's. The Olds motor is a bit heavier, but only around 50 lbs as far as I know. With the short springs, 1300 lb may be needed. We won't have scales at the So Cal Challenge, but you can call and check our shop for a saturday, most times we have time to scale a car/truck in the a.m.

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thank you, it is the ECE kit.

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Is there a certain amount of swaybar link angle that is acceptable? I know that many say that the link should be 90 degrees to the bar or bar arm. Is there any variation that would still perform?

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Curious, too. Any other relational angles important (ground, frame,etc)?
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The goal is to get the links parallel to the line of travel. In these trucks, thats basically straight up and down. If your within 10* you'll be OK. If you have bigger angles, the forces start to push/pull the sway bar either forward/backward or sideways, this is a loss of sway bar efficiency. Also, baig bars will tend to snap the end links if the alaignment of the links is too far off.

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Hello, are we not talking about shocks anymore? :fb: ;) Anyone!!!