Whether you're planning a new chassis for your '60-72 Chevy or GMC truck or upgrading the old stock suspension with a new IFS, now's the time to do your homework, find out your options, and make a new map of how you're going to get there. One avenue that makes things much easier is Jim Meyer Racing Products' new Heavy Duty '60-72 GM direct-replacement chassis. Jim will build a chassis for any truck with any options, but he'd rather build it the way you like it with the right options and stance for you.
Jim really put the beef in the new Heavy Duty pickup chassis. The chassis' 2x4x.120-inch-wall front and rear sections can be optionally stepped any height over the suspension with either a mandrel-bent or fabricated section. This step in the rear will require modifications to the bed floor by covering the rear frame that will come up into the bed area. The chassis' rugged center section is 2x5x.120-inch-wall box tube with a crossmember toward the rear to add strength to the four-link forward frame mount. The outboard-mounted four-link has forward-mounted J-tubes (on the outside of the frame) to support the front four-link bracket, which adds plenty of strength to take on all the torque any monster motor can throw down!
The Ford 9-inch rearend is available in any width with Dutchman alloy axles, while the third members are available at an additional cost. A rear Panhard bar is also a standard item. The drop-out tranny crossmember features predrilled frame brackets that will accept any GM or aftermarket transmission.
This jig-built chassis comes with many standard features like mounts for the core support, cab mounts, front bed mounts, and engine and trans mounts, all in their stock location. Installing the new chassis under your truck allows you to move the fuel tank out of the cab to the rear of the framerails. The standard package includes QA1 coilover shocks with adjustable mounting brackets front and rear. This is the Jim Meyer difference compared to most other chassis manufacturers' fixed suspension ideas, and only Jim Meyer's chassis can adjust the stance 3 to 4 inches (front and rear) without airbags. Check out the photos for the chassis' front and rear adjustable brackets. Even with the optional Air Ride Technologies ShockWave units on the front and rear, you still have this adjustable stance capability.
The same adjustable-stance IFS that comes with the Jim Meyer chassis is available separately as a bolt-in or weld-in unit. The stock factory '60-87 GM IFS unbolts, and the new Jim Meyer IFS bolts to the existing factory holes. Options include a 1-inch-diameter sway bar, 12-inch GM or larger Baer/Wilwood disc brakes, air suspension, a power rack, and different track widths.
Mounted to the 2x4x.188-inch-wall box tube front crossmember is the manual ('79-93 Mustang) or optional ('83-87 T-bird) power rack-and-pinion steering, 11-inch GM disc brakes (5-on 4 3/4 bolt pattern) on GM spindles with 1x.156-inch D.O.M. (drawn over mandrel) tubular upper A-arms, and 1 1/4x.156-inch D.O.M. tubular lower A-arms, complete with upper and lower ball joints. For a 5-on-5 bolt pattern, Jim offers a larger 12-inch GM disc brake package. Jim will also change the wheel bolt pattern to whatever you'd like at an additional cost. Any track width front or rear with any wheelbase is also available.
As you'll notice in the photos, he also builds an identical bolt-in IFS for '60-87 Chevy/GMC pickups that has the same adjustable stance features as the complete chassis IFS. The upper A-arm tower has the chassis' identical four-hole pattern for upper coilover shock mount adjustment (see photos). Using the stock factory holes to bolt it in, this easy-to-install IFS kit featuring '78-88 Impala spindles, calipers, ball joints, and 12-inch-diameter Impala rotors will give you a 5-on-5-inch-diameter wheel bolt pattern. The stock crossmember will unbolt and is replaced with a new 2x4x.188-inch-wall box tube crossmember that holds an '83-87 T-bird power rack-and-pinion steering unit. Either a stock power GM gearbox pump or GM rack pump is compatible to operate the rack. This beefy IFS kit includes doubler plates that bolt inside the stock framerails, and a pair of dog-leg braces between the frame and crossmember for additional support. Modifications to the bottom of the steering column will be necessary to connect to the rack-spline or replace it with an ididit column on either the new chassis or the IFS.
Jim recommends a couple of Air Ride Technologies systems that are very compatible with '60-72 GM pickups. His '65 Chevy shop truck has his '60-87 bolt-in IFS installed using #SKW1003 ShockWave units and 24-inch-tall tires. It measures 21 inches from the ground to the top of the wheelwell opening when all the way down (as shown), and 25 1/4 inches all the way up. This system offers 4 1/2 inches of movement. However, without modifying the stock inner fender panel, this is as low as any '60-72 pickup will go.
Other chassis options include frame horns for use with stock bumpers and brackets, 1-inch-diameter sway bars front and/or rear, different track widths front/rear (the stock front track width is 64 1/2 inches), Baer or Wilwood disc brake packages front/rear, or Ford's Explorer rear disc brake package. All optional disc brake packages include a rear parking brake. Another option is the Air Ride Technologies air suspension system front and rear using either their ShockWave units or airbags complete with an onboard pump, tank, gauges/switches, solenoid pack, suspension bump stops, and optional remote operating system. A rear-mounted lower roll-center Panhard bar is also available. All removable parts can be optionally nickel-plated before shipping. Basically, get it any way you like it! For a complete look at the Jim Meyer product line or to download their catalog or any of their 16 sets of installation instructions free, see them on the Web at www.jimmeyerracing.com.
