The Super Duper's '73-87 C10...
The Super Duper's '73-87 C10 shortbed F44 chassis features a full air-ride suspension with a KP Components bolt-on urethane-bushed cantilever system on the rear and KP Components upper and lower tubular control arms with polished stainless steel clamps up front.
Loyal Custom Classic Trucks readers might recollect in the January 2010 issue I promised in my resignation editorial that I'd continue on as a contributing editor with at least one story in each edition. The following tech feature on installing Chris Alston's Chassisworks new gStreet 16-inch disc brake kit for '63-87 C10 Chevrolets is the first in a series of stories where I'm able to focus entirely on producing an in-depth story without worrying about the administrative duties that come with editing a magazine - that's Ryan's new job.
Speaking of my editorial column, it was in March 2009's Zero Clearance where I announced the debut of the Super Duper Cheyenne and included a concept illustration done by Jon Bell. Well it's been exactly a year and everything is finally coming together. The bench racing Chris Alston and I did during the last couple of years regarding the build of an outrageous G-machine C10 series of Chevrolet for both street and competition has finally become a reality. The direct-fit front brake kit seen here is the very first one made, but there's been two more custom orders sold since. Although the Alston/Wilwood gStreet 16 is a "high zoot" item intended for only the most fanatical of Chevy guys with some bucks to spend, the following story contains many basic tips that apply to any disc brake install. Instead of the usual story where space limitations dictate not every step is illustrated we have focused on producing a thorough guide for your future reference.
Not in the next issue, but most likely the May issue I'll return with an update on the Super Duper Cheyenne project. There's a whole series of tech features to be published in the future. In May we'll finish up the truck's rolling chassis and then move onto bodywork and paint including how to do a mild top chop on a '73-87 C10 roof. By the time it's all said and done thanks to LMC Truck, Dakota Digital, Gearstar Performance Transmissions, and the crew at Sonoma County Street Rodz in Petaluma, California, just to mention a few, the Super Duper Cheyenne will be ready to chew up some hot muscle cars and spit 'em out.
 The first step was to set...  The first step was to set the KP Components 21/2-inch drop spindle onto the lower ball joint and screw the castle nut on by hand, and then torque it to factory specs. If after torqueing, the cotter pin will not align with the cross-hole in the ball joint, always loosen the castle nut to align instead of tightening further. |  There are two schools of thought...  There are two schools of thought on how to affix a cotter pin. One says to fold the ends over as shown, or to fold the ends over vertically trapping the bottom end in the slot on the castle nut and top end bent over the top of the ball joint stud. |  Next, we lowered the upper...  Next, we lowered the upper control arm down onto the upper ball joint stud and secured it with a castle nut and cotter pin. |
 Notice how clean the KP Components...  Notice how clean the KP Components bag plate mounts flush over the coil spring pocket. Additional features include KP fully polished billet stainless steel A-arm clamps and damping by VariShock fully adjustable shock absorbers. |  This aerial view reveals the...  This aerial view reveals the extra heavy-duty KP Components top shock absorber mount that eliminates the stock C10 shock mount famous for tearing out of the frame, and repositions the shocks at a better angle. |  The 16-inch Wilwood brake...  The 16-inch Wilwood brake rotors are directional; indicated by an arrow facing the direction of travel. These brakes require at least a 20-inch wheel. On any brake application inspect to verify that you have at least a 1/4-inch wheel clearance from any brake component. |