In our previous "Totally Tubular" tech article, we visited Classic Performance Products in Anaheim, California, where we followed Jeff Wise and Danny Nix as they installed a CPP fat bar and track bar rear suspension setup.
This second suspension article will feature CPP's front-suspension tubular upper and lower control arms, shocks, springs, engine mounts, and transmission crossmember.
The tubular upper and lower control arms are designed to add 5 degrees of caster while providing full wheel travel and as little friction as possible. The tubular arms are made from 1-inch .120-wall DOM tubing, and the pivot barrels are thick 1-inch .188-wall DOM tubing to eliminate distortion from welding and hard use.
The bushings are made from self-lubricating, non-squeak, patented plastic that will outlast any rubber or urethane and work at temperatures in excess of 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The billet 4140-alloy steel cross-shafts and sleeves are zinc-plated for lasting performance. The sleeves have an interlocking design that prevents the hardware from ever working loose. The pivots carry both forward and back loads (the original cross-shaft pivot was designed to carry a forward or back load, not both).
The control arm assemblies are a simple bolt-in installation with no modification required. They work with all factory and replacement power steering systems, with or without OE bumpstops. The lower control arm's one-piece, stamped, lowered spring pocket is flush with the lower control arm tube's bottom radius for a clean appearance. The upper and lower control arms will be teamed up with a pair of 2-inch drop spindles that will be major factors in the nose's lowering equation.
When lowering your early truck's suspension, it is important to make the undercarriage as flat as possible. One of the potential hangups is the OEM transmission crossmember that rests below the lower framerail's plane. CPP designed and developed a tubular transmission mount that is a direct bolt-on OEM replacement. For custom installations, the tubular mount can be located any place along the frame by drilling holes in the framerails. The 1-inch tubing provides maximum exhaust and ground clearance. The design also allows the exhaust to run over the mount for even more ground clearance for slammed trucks.
The CPP tubular engine mounts are a direct bolt-in for either the original small-block V-8 or the LS1. When using the CPP LS1 engine mount adapters, big-block mounts are also available. The tubular engine mounts are a fully gusseted twin-tube design with heavy-gauge mounting flanges. These mounts offer extra room for brake, fuel, transmission, and air lines inside the framerails.
The CPP 3-inch-drop precision-wound coil springs are heat-treated and tempered to withstand millions of cycles without losing their strength and sagging. They provide a sporty spring rate that complements the tubular control arms. The adjustable, nitrogen-charged shocks are specifically designed for lowered trucks. The compression and rebound rates are matched to the CPP lowering coils and have an external adjustment to fine-tune the ride and driving style.
The anti-roll bar kit features a 1-inch-diameter solid roll bar with modern styling end links. The updated roll bar end links allow the bar to work better, with less binding and a longer bushing life. The extra-thick 3/16-inch low-profile mounting brackets keep the anti-roll bar geometry in the ideal working range and have an extra 4 inches of ground clearance.
We will be capturing the highlights on digital as Jeff and Danny install the CPP front suspension, transmission crossmember, and engine mount kits on the '67 Chevy C10's frame.
 This '67 Chevy 1/2-ton pickup...  This '67 Chevy 1/2-ton pickup with a 350/350 automatic transmission and frame will be receiving all-new CPP front upper and lower A-arms, 2-inch drop spindles, shortened coil springs, front gas-filled shocks, a shock reinforcement bracket, steering box, steering center link, tie rod adjuster sleeves, tie rod ends, pitman arm, idler arm, sway bar, sway-bar mounting brackets, and sway-bar poly bushings. To complete the frontend overhaul, an all-new CPP transmission crossmember, poly trans mount, a pair of new engine mount brackets, and poly engine mounts will be installed. |  The crusty front suspension...  The crusty front suspension components will be disassembled and replaced. |  Jeff Wise, CPP fab technician,...  Jeff Wise, CPP fab technician, begins disassembling the '67 Chevy front suspension. The '67 frame was actually pre-fitted using '73 up-front control arms and other suspension components. |