LevelSet™ 1967-87 C10 Lowering Front Suspension 5 Inch Drop Kit

• Fits both ’67-’72 and ’73-’87 Chevy and GMC truck generations
• Provides a 5-inch drop over stock ride height with improved geometry 
• Adds over 1-1/4” ground clearance when compared to the stock crossmember
• Precise rack and pinion steering replaces old steering box
• Features forged 4140 steel spindles with modern hubs in 5 x 5” or 6 x 5.5” bolt circles
• Splined sway bar for flatter cornering
• Utilizes the stock motor mounts located in the stock location
• Can be installed without removing the engine  
• Powder coated satin black

Lower Your Chevy or GMC Truck the Right Way with a LevelSet™ Suspension

The classic truck world figured out a long time ago that GM’s ’67-’72 “Action Line” trucks and ’73-’87 “Square Bodys” look great when they’re slammed on the ground. And the aftermarket is full of ways to lower these trucks, but one thing that many of these solutions have in common is a reliance on stock geometry. The control arms pivot where the GM engineers put them decades ago, but their angles are dramatically changed by dropped or cut coils, coilovers spun all the way down, or airbags. Even trick tubular control arms are subject to many of the same pitfalls of the stamped stockers. These dramatic angles can cause bad ride and handling characteristics, alignment issues, bump steer, shorten the life of the ball joints, and those short dropped springs are famous for rattling around in the spring pockets. When combined with dropped spindles, trucks that are lowered around the stock geometry are also famous for dragging the center crossmember over crowned or rutted roads. For years, the consensus was that these struggles were the price that needed to be paid in order to have a truck that sat right. 

The engineers at Speedway Motors hit the drawing board looking for a way to counter some of these age-old gremlins associated with lowered GM pickups, and the result is the LevelSet™ Suspension system.  These C10 front suspension kits ditch the stock geometry and create a suspension solution with an engineered ride height that’s 5-inches lower than stock. To get the job done, the stock crossmember was replaced with a fresh, fabricated unit that moves the stock pickup points up where they should be on a lowered truck. Tubular control arms add strength and rigidity to the revised geometry and are designed specifically for coilovers, eliminating the compromises associated with adapting coilovers to stock arms. These arms paired with the revised crossmember not only correct the sketchy ball joint angles and bump steer associated with lowered trucks on stock arms, they add a camber curve optimized for performance driving on modern tires. 

The crossmember itself is a lower profile design. In addition to moving the pickup points up to correct the geometry, they also offer over 1.25” inches of ground clearance to help avoid the dragging and bottoming often associated with lowered trucks. All of the kit components are powdercoated in satin black, which means it’s all ready to install in your truck as soon as it hits your shop. 

Stock motor mounts are retained in this design. In fact, the engine doesn’t even need to be removed to install the new LevelSet™ suspension kit (as long as it’s supported). That also means that the engine and transmission don’t need to move, allowing existing components like mounts and driveshafts to be reused. 

A Modern Take on the Dropped Spindle

Dropped spindles are one of the oldest tricks in the book to bring a C10 truck closer to the ground. LevelSet™ C10 suspensions feature a 2.5” dropped spindle, but with a modern twist. Instead of the traditional “candlestick” pin where the wheel bearings ride, these spindles use a more modern cartridge style hub, similar to what’s used on modern trucks and sports cars. This design offers increased strength when compared to the old school candlestick design thanks in part to bigger bearings that are positioned closer to the hub. The result is greater resistance to side loading since the forces are not cantilevered out to the tiny end of the pin as well as lower bearing speeds thanks to the larger bearing diameter. On top of that, the spindle itself is forged from 4140 steel for even more strength and durability. The spindles are black powdercoated to match the rest of the suspension for a clean look and added corrosion protection. Hubs are available in both the ’71-up 5 x 5” bolt pattern as well as the earlier 6 x 5.5” pattern. 

Rack-and-Pinion Steering for Precise Control

In addition to the greatly improved geometry, LevelSet™ C10 Suspension Kits also allow builders to ditch that old, heavy, sloppy stock steering box and associated tie rods in favor of the included power rack-and-pinion setup. The OE’s have been using rack-and-pinions for decades and they’re renowned for simplicity, reliability, and a precise feeling from behind the wheel that’s more like a late model and less like an antique pickup. The rack is paired with billet aluminum steering arms that are engineered to provide the proper steering ratio with none of the bump steer that’s often a side effect of standalone rack and pinion kits. The modern rack and pinion steering combines with the improved geometry to make classic trucks feel precise and predictable around corners and at speed on the freeway. 

This rack and pinion is specifically designed for the LevelSet™ front suspension kit. It features 2-3/4 turns lock-to-lock for quick, responsive handling. The input for the steering shaft is 3/4" DD and the pressure and return power are O-ring style with M18x1.50 and M16x1.50 threads. 

LevelSet™ suspensions are designed and built in Lincoln, Nebraska to provide the ultimate solution to seriously lower your ’67-’72 or Squarebody pickup without having to live with the poor performance of old-fashioned lowering solutions.

Add Coilovers and Brakes that Suit Your Truck

Shocks, springs, and brakes are not included in this kit. That means you can tailor the setup to perfectly suit your truck. Coilovers add another level of adjustability and allow the builder to precisely dial in the perfect ride height and tailor valving and spring rates to their exact application. We recommend AFCO 1340CT Pro Touring Fixed Valve Coilover Shocks as a good starting point for a street truck or AFCO Eliminator Single Adjustable Coilovers that offer adjustable valving to fine tune the ride and handling. Pair with 1000 lb. Eibach 8-inch Springs for small block/LS applications and 1200 lb. Eibach Springs for big-blocks or other heavy applications to complete the package. 

Brake options are available from mild to high performance. For 5-lug kits, the Speedway Motors 63-87 GM C10/C15 Front Disc Brake Kit utilizes single piston calipers and makes a great budget kit to get your truck rolling without breaking the bank. For those with big 5-lug wheels looking for a high-performance brake kit, the Wilwood Superlite 6R Front Brake Kit for C10/15 offers 6-piston calipers and 12-inch rotors.