The fastest and most effective way to get the "stock stink" off a '73-87 square-body late C10, or Big 10 is to give it an old-school drop. By old school we mean a lowered traditional stance, not with every nut and bolt dragging on the ground and having to come almost to a complete stop for little bumps, but rather a modification that will enhance ride quality. Of course, back in the day when trucks and cars were dropped into the weeds it wasn't anything to do with practicality, it was all about the "look"-and whatever it took to get the vehicle slammed was okay. Usually, the first place a person would head off to with their new ride was to the local muffler shop to get a new set of duals and their springs heated. When it came to determining how low was low enough, a good rule of thumb was a cigarette pack should just be able to pass through the ground and the fram- erails. The oxymoron "heating the springs properly" meant the moron holding the oxyacetylene torch had to know exactly when to stop blasting with the torch, or after a few days the vehicle would continue to settle until the framerails were on the ground. This sagging condition was caused by the springs losing their temper, hence the ability to suspend the vehicle.
For those who were just a little smarter, the proper way to lower a vehicle right was to slap in a set of lowering blocks and cut the front coil springs. The guys who took this route were able to get the look they wanted and still be able to drive. However, the downside, more times than not, was sacrificing ride quality. Not to get off on a tangent, but legend has it the bobblehead doll was invented by a lowrider in search of a measuring device to detect just how bumpy his ride was. A bumpy ride was the downside, but, as the clich goes, every dark cloud has a silver lining. The silver lining: by lowering a vehicle the center of gravity drops-and the ability to go around a corner faster increases. We don't have to tell you guys what that means, because anyone who enjoys driving knows that faster means more fun.
Since we're a playful bunch, we thought it would be fun to do a basic old-school slam on our '75 Chevy Big 10. Not much has changed since back in the day, except that the aftermarket has made leaps and bounds designing lowering kits that are engineered to provide the cool lowered look-while maintaining ride quality, safety, and dependability. In the case of our'75 Chevy C10 Big 10 subject vehicle, we found that once we tore into it there was a lot of brake and suspension parts that needed to be replaced. This is typical of an older truck with a lot of miles on it. In an upcoming issue we'll address some of the problems at hand with the '75 and drop the rear 4 inches with McGaughy's shackle kit. In the meantime, here's a quick look at what has to be done to lower the front end 4-inches.
 The very first step to any...  The very first step to any procedure is to read the manufacturer's directions. |  McGaughy's 4-inch drop-kit...  McGaughy's 4-inch drop-kit consists of their in-house manufactured Classic Drop spindles with 4010 chromemoly spuds, and beautifully powdercoated coil springs. |  Don't even think about working...  Don't even think about working on your truck, let alone climbing under it, until it's on jackstands and you've given it the shake test to ensure that it will not budge. |