'Baggin' your truck and laying it on the pavement is about to get a lot easier. Gone are the days of fabricating parts and buying tools you'll only use once, just to get the job done. Chassis Tech has simplified the exercise with its Street Scraper suspension, which bolts in place of the stock suspension on a '73-'87 shortbed Chevy/GMC C10, and the Plug-'N'-Play air system that is so easy to plumb and wire that a novice could do it. To prove this point, a group of installers dropped a stock '79 C10 to the ground, using this kit during a weekend truck show. Kits are also available for the Chevy S-10, which will allow it to lay frame on 20-inch wheels. Here's how it all went down.
What's In The Box?
The setup is a complete bolt-on affair. Chassis Tech offers replacement control arms for the lowered application, double-bellow air springs, drop spindles, shorter shocks, and a new bolt-in rear frame section. The real key to the speedy installation time is the device in the lower left-hand corner of the photo. That's the Plug-'N'-Play air management system, which packages the compressor, valves, and solenoids all in one neat, pre-plumbed box.
Our test subject is a clean...
Our test subject is a clean GMC C10 with six-lug hubs and axles, and a body devoid of rust or dents. Check out the old-school chromed steel tube grille, the predecessor to modern-day billet.
1A. The rear wheelwells bolt...
1A. The rear wheelwells bolt into the bed, so they were removed first and then the bed was taken off. The new suspension will require modifications to the bed floor and wheelwells to accommodate the larger rolling stock and air suspension.
1B.
2. The scene outside of the...
2. The scene outside of the booth was pure mayhem. Put four walls and a roof around the truck, and it might as well be inside a custom shop. Parts were everywhere and the installers worked feverishly, toiling in 104-degree heat. This was hardly an ideal location to 'bag a truck, but these guys got it done, regardless.
3. Rather than shoot sparks...
3. Rather than shoot sparks on the crowd of onlookers during the show, the guys chose to cut the step-notch into the frame back home and then brace the chassis of the truck with this bolt-in jig for the trip to the show. Once it was in the booth and the bed was off, the jig was removed so the new bolt-in frame section could be installed.
4A.The leaf springs were removed...
4A.The leaf springs were removed first, and new mounts were installed to attach the four-link bars to the rear axle tubes and the chassis. The forward side of the link bars simply bolted into the stock leaf spring perch.
4B.
5A. The new frame section...
5A. The new frame section wraps around the existing framerails and attaches with no less than 18 Grade-8 hex bolts. The section offers mounts for the airbags, shocks, and the Plug-'N'-Play air system, directly atop the bridge (inset).
5B.
6A. The upper four-link bars...
6A. The upper four-link bars were triangulated and attached to the rearend housing. The inspection cover was removed and then reinstalled using longer hardware and new brackets over the four-link mounting bracket.
6B.
7. Next, the triple-bellow...
7. Next, the triple-bellow airbags were bolted in place, above the axle tubes. Normally, a 'bag-over-axle setup offers a rough ride compared to one where the 'bags are mounted further forward of the axle, directly on the link bars. But, because these are triple-bellow 'bags, they offer more air volume and require less air pressure to lift the truck to the same height as a standard double-bellow 'bag. This all works out to a smooth ride, even when pumping the 'bags up with enough air to clear 22-inch wheels.