Fatman Fabrications C10 IFS for 1960-87 CHEVY and GMC Trucks
Fatman Fabrications, one of the earliest developers of hot rod suspension solutions, now offers bolt-in IFS for 1960-1987 Chevy and GMC pickup trucks. These popular trucks look great lowered and have a good factory suspension that functions quite well with simple solutions such as dropped spindles and shorter/cut coil springs. Those methods work fine until you want more than the 4” drop delivered by spindles and short springs. Fatman Fabrications has your solution!
The Geometry:
Due to the fact that the lower control arms are bolted to the bottom of the original crossmember in these pickups, ground clearance under the lower control arms gets dangerously tight. A new crossmember which lowers your truck but still uses the original type control arms really doesn’t solve the problem as it will still have ground clearance issues.
There is also the issue with tire-to-fender clearance. Modern wider wheels and tires can run out of tire-to-fender clearance. Naturally, lowering the truck only makes this clearance problem worse. Attempts to narrow the original IFS with narrowed control arms or different disc brake combinations have been met with limited success.
The Solution:
The Fatman Fabrications design crew saw these problems back in 1993 and developed bolt in Hot Rod IFS kits that gains three inches of ground clearance and are one and a half inches narrower per side to help tuck your tires in the fenders. They are built on original GM frame rails, using the original IFS bolt holes so they fit directly into your own chassis. You can see the original frame rails in light grey in the accompanying photos, with the new Fatman crossmember in black. The original engine mounts can be repurposed just by adding a small spacer and a hole tapped into the top of the new Fatman 5/16” wall main crossmember. Additional left side header clearance is improved as an added benefit of the forward placement of the power rack and pinion steering.
All this advanced suspension design brings you proven Fatman IFS handling and ride, enhanced safety through greater ground clearance, and room for a 10 inch wide front wheel if you so choose. You can also choose from standard spindles for a four inch drop, or dropped units for a six inch lower ride. Fatman has also developed a one and a half inch raised spindle if you like the idea of keeping to a more conservative drop.
Optional polished stainless steel or nickel plated control arms, QA-1 coilovers, Airride, truck bolt pattern brakes, and Wilwood brake options allow you to bring your new Fatman IFS up to the quality of the rest of your build. Learn more a href=”http://www.fatmanfab.com” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>HERE.
