porterbuilt dropmember or other stuff? (pics)

Edited: 1/18/2008 12:23:58 AM by sdime2372

Ok, i've finally got some stuff i was'nt using on my s10 sold. So here's my perdicament (or however the hell you spell it, i'm about halfway thru a 30 pack), do i get a porterbuilt dropmember (will it fix my front end problems? Steering shaft hitting the upper arm making it leak power steering fluid whenever laid out, need front wheels centered in fender, want front end a little better built), or do i get the roll pan, suicide hinges to hide the ginormous stock hinges for the barn doors, and a couple of little outside goodies? Here's some pics of the crossmember/steering shaft problem.

here's the front raised up just a little:


closer shot:


steering shaft/upper control arm/bag mount (you can see the little dip where the shaft hits the arm when laid out:


laid completely out (i got 3/4" to 1" clearance laid out):


driver's control arm laid out:


as you can see, frame is laid out:


control arm from the back(almost no clearance):


steering shaft hitting upper arm when laid out:


so what do yall think? Is the crossmember/bag mount salvageable? Or do i need to scrap it for a porterbuilt? Any suggestions will help, i don't care if you hate on it (i did'nt do the work, just trying to fix it)

I have the Dropmember on my 69. It is incredible!! A little pricey but worth the time you save.

IMO I WOULD TRY TO FIX THE MECHANICAL. IT'S A BITCH TO DRIVE A BEAST LIKE THAT W/ POWER STEERING ISSUES, BEST OF LUCK

the mechanical as in the power steering i have now? as opposed to the dropmember converting to rack and pinion?

MY BAD. I WAS THINKING OF YOU JUST REPLACING WHAT YOU HAVE WITH NEW. I DIDN'T THINK ANYTHING ABOUT THE PORTERBILT HAVING THE RACK, DUMBASS(ME)!!! I'D STILL GO FOR THE MECH, DRIVING ADVANTAGE COMPARED TO THE APPERANCE, RIGHT NOW AT LEAST

so you're saying what i have on there now is salvageable? I was really wanting to just make sure everything will be safe and solid, but the upper bag mount is held on the drivers side with a bolt and a spot weld. I understand that i'm going to have to fix that, but are you saying what i've got right now is not too bad? Other than the steering shaft hitting the arm. I can fix that with some swivel joints and maybe flipping the steering box to the inside of the frame. It does'nt affect driving, except leaking all over everywhere i lay out.

Edited: 1/18/2008 7:57:37 AM by dragginsteel67

Porterbuilt Dropmember, it will fix all your front end issues, from the silly camber to the arms that don't belong on that truck, the steering clearance issues, the fact that you will have an engineered system over something that someone put together to make it lay, I'm sure you have bumpsteer issues and those will all go away. Not to mention, Porterbuilt gives you all the information for absolutely every part you will need, with model numbers for all the steering bits and even down to which shocks to run with it. I'm just getting my shopping list ready and I'm ordering it up in the next week. Having something that's safe and reliable ranks higher on my list than having some little outside stuff done, the flushed hinges and roll pan won't prevent you from being left with broken parts on the side of the road. I say mechanical before cosmetic, too many trucks out there that are cut to sh!t to make them lay and look good on the outside that are dangerous to be on the road. Just my two cents.

Originally posted by blazn



I have the Dropmember on my 69. It is incredible!! A little pricey but worth the time you save.

but would it save time since everything's already done on this truck, i just got to button it up? I can definitely understand how you save time doing it the first time (the right way, i might add), but since mine's already done, can i just fix the problems and be ok?

Sure you can fix the problems, you can fix the leaks, put some joints in your steering shaft and move on, but in the end you still don't fix the bumpsteer, (search the forums about it, there is a great thread) the wheel is still not centered, your camber is crazy for that style front end, and I'm sure the newer arms on there screw up the whole front end geometry. I have my truck bagged right now, it lays control arms and it's in good shape, (other than needing a bushing set bad) but instead of piecing together some new parts to fix the little issues that have come up because I drive a bagged truck, I'm going to go with the engineered stuff, it's been tested and it works, that's enough for me to spend the money, I have the ART arms sitting ready to go in already, just need the Dropmemer to bolt em up to now. Plus, now my truck will lay on 22's without fkn around with z'ing the frame, sectioning the stock member, messing with flipping the tie rods, having steering clearance issues and all that.

if the frame is alreaded z'd just get some u joints to fix the steering if it not get the dropmember