8 Lug disc brake conversion

[Stepside65]

I know for the half tons you can swap out parts from a 73-87 but does the same hold true for the 3/4 and 1 tons? Does anyone make an 8 lug disc brake conversion kit?

[66 lwb cs]

subscribing

[creep]

My classicparts.com catalogue has an 8 lug disc brake kit listed for 63-70 trucks. It's pretty expensive but comes with everything but a booster. Their part # is 71-978S8.

[lolife99]

http://www.performanceonline.com/196...LUXE-COMPLETE/

[Q.8]

i convert mine (front disc brake only) ,PB AND PS

80s trucks and burbs will work with u

i think a clean salvage parts will be better and cheap

good luck

[Captainfab]

Yes you can use the factory parts from a '73-87 C20 just like is commonly done with the C10's. The one exception is the lower control arms. You will likely need to keep your original lower control arms, as the shafts mount differently than the newer ones. I haven't confirmed it, but I'm fairly certain that the '73-'87 lower ball joints will fit the '63-'66 lower control arms.

Originally Posted by Stepside65

I know for the half tons you can swap out parts from a 73-87 but does the same hold true for the 3/4 and 1 tons? Does anyone make an 8 lug disc brake conversion kit?

[Chevy Fleetside]

Just look at this thread and all your quesitions will be answered. http://www.chevytalk.org/fusionbb/sh.../fromsearch/1/ Gee did I forget to mention I helped him out with this swap.

[Surfdaddy]

What is the diference between 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton spindles? larger diameter?

[cheyenne shortstep]

Can anyone confirm the '65 lower control arm accepting '73-'87 3/4 ton balljoint.

[66 lwb cs]

It's one of those word perfect kinda files I think that's what it is called. This guy has the drop spindles and everything or an economy kit as well scroll way down to the bottome for the 8 lug kit will have to call for price he doesn't have them listed but he has some good stuff. Hope this helps.

http://www.jimschevroletparts.com/up...55-66Truck.pdf

[Captainfab]

If you could provide a measurement of either the bore of the '65 C20 LCA or the OD of the '65 ball joint, I have a NIB '73-'87 C20 lower ball joint I could measure to compare.

Originally Posted by cheyenne shortstep

Can anyone confirm the '65 lower control arm accepting '73-'87 3/4 ton balljoint.

[LostMy65]

Originally Posted by Chevy Fleetside

Just look at this thread and all your quesitions will be answered. http://www.chevytalk.org/fusionbb/sh.../fromsearch/1/ Gee did I forget to mention I helped him out with this swap.

Great Thread!
Posted via Mobile Device

[HEI451]

CaptainFab, I have a question about my 1964 C30 1 ton. It still has its drum brakes, non-power. I have two boosters, one from a late 1980's S10, the other looks the same, from a 1988 Astro van. I also have those two master's, as well, but that will be another question when we get to the disk brakes later.

If I adapt one of these boosters to my truck, using the stock larger non-power master, will it work OK?? It will be basically, adding a power unit to the stock drum brakes. Will it work OK, or...more problems that it is worth? Eventually, the later master for the front disks will be put back onto the booster for the disk conversion, but until then, power drums...OK??

Also found a nice Cadillac power steering pump, can make lines, but, which steering box for power steering?

I know, seems like I am hijacking this post, but it should be part of it. Hope nobody gets upset with it.

Oh, yeah, the 305E V6 I installed had a cylinder issue recently, and if I hadn't been contemplating the power booster, and swapped the valve covers side to side to get the filler on the pass side, to clear the booster, I'd have never seen the two intake push rods on the pass side OFF THEIR ROCKERS. No bent valves, just sticking in the guides. I freed them up with solvent down the guides, and the valves are free once again (this engine sat outside for a year in the snow, uncovered. One push rod was bent, so I straightened it and put it on the other side, but I needs a new, or good, straight used one. It still didn't run bad for being a V4, though.

[Captainfab]

My brake booster brackets will accept either of those boosters. The one from the S10 may be a dual diaphram booster. And yes that should work just fine as power drum brakes. That is basically what I have been running on my '66 Suburban for 120,000+ miles. The brakes aren't as good as power discs, but a bit better than manual drums. I recommend using a master for the '67-'70 pickups, but that requires splitting the lines. If you don't want to do that just yet, I believe you can use your existing master on the booster. I have not done so, but I have heard of it being done.

As for a power steering box. You will need a box from a '69-'87 2wd truck. The '69-'80 boxes used the SAE inverted flare fitting, and the '81-'87 use a metric with an O-ring fitting.

Originally Posted by HEI451

CaptainFab, I have a question about my 1964 C30 1 ton. It still has its drum brakes, non-power. I have two boosters, one from a late 1980's S10, the other looks the same, from a 1988 Astro van. I also have those two master's, as well, but that will be another question when we get to the disk brakes later.

If I adapt one of these boosters to my truck, using the stock larger non-power master, will it work OK?? It will be basically, adding a power unit to the stock drum brakes. Will it work OK, or...more problems that it is worth? Eventually, the later master for the front disks will be put back onto the booster for the disk conversion, but until then, power drums...OK??

Also found a nice Cadillac power steering pump, can make lines, but, which steering box for power steering?

I know, seems like I am hijacking this post, but it should be part of it. Hope nobody gets upset with it.

Oh, yeah, the 305E V6 I installed had a cylinder issue recently, and if I hadn't been contemplating the power booster, and swapped the valve covers side to side to get the filler on the pass side, to clear the booster, I'd have never seen the two intake push rods on the pass side OFF THEIR ROCKERS. No bent valves, just sticking in the guides. I freed them up with solvent down the guides, and the valves are free once again (this engine sat outside for a year in the snow, uncovered. One push rod was bent, so I straightened it and put it on the other side, but I needs a new, or good, straight used one. It still didn't run bad for being a V4, though.

[HEI451]

Thanks for the info, when I get the fundage, I'll get a bracket from you for the brake booster to firewall, it is a giant thing, unlike the pancake ones I am used to, but, I get this stuff for free, so I can't complain.

As you know, I am a better than fair machinist, and will adapt the 64 master in the interim, I have the master, factory combo valve and lines form the S10 and Astro stuff, and will go with disc brakes later. Power for the drums HAS to be better than doing the Flintstone "Drag Yur Feet, Fred" Stopping Drill I do now. I haven't taken the front drums off yet, but, I have done a lot of fitting of stuff from this and that, onto one of those, and I figure my lathe and mill can whittle out caliper adapters, and machine the hubs for some sort of disk to use. It all just comes down to how insane one is, and where that demented mind takes them.

The power steering pump was also a freebie, have a full Caddie 472 engine here to pick stuff off of, will locate the correct box later. I still have to replace that one push rod that bent, and build an exhaust system, then, I can register and license it, and go have fun. I have rummaged around here the last weeks, for stuff I knew I had, with NO project to use it on, and it is like a treasure hunt, stuff just keeps popping up, and I fit it to the truck.

It's just like the GMC 305E V6 to the Chevy bell and flywheel, I have only a small amount of machine and personal time into getting the stuff to fit between them, and less than 10 bucks in the longer bolts for the flywheel. Works great, went right together. Amazing.

Thanks for your help/info, sir.

Also, I turned off the P/M feature in my account, so, I can't receive/send them.

[HEI451]

I know this is an old thread, but yesterday, my Fed-Ex driver brought me a fairly complete brake wise front end he wasn't going to use, 8 lug disk brakes, calipers, spindles, A arms, springs, lines, and steering linkage. The guy that had all this before him, killed the truck in the rear, and just parted it out. The frame section is still there, but it is cut off way you short to use. This is supposed to be a late 1970's 1 ton C30 8 lug front end, but the driver and I aren't sure.

I'm going to take the entire thing apart, and clean it all up, and start to piece it together on my 1964 C30 1 ton 8 lugger.

I am doing as much as I can with no money, because I have to now pay for the days in the hospital getting better from my gall bladder almost exploding.

I have an early S10 booster and dual master, with valve from an S10 to use, and will get a Captainfab bracket in the future, but, it should work with his right stuff.

This piece was particularly attractive, because it was free, delivered for free, has new (under 1,000 miles on the donor truck) disks, bushings, calipers and pads, ball joints, steering ball joints, hoses and steel lines for the brakes, brackets, and all the steering linkage is in place, except the power steering box (drat). It is all still assembled on the old cut off frame section, and shows dirty for the 1K miles.

I hope all that stuff fits easily, I won't be ready to get into this until summer. I hope I finally lucked into something I can use most, if not all of on my truck.

Even if this stuff doesn't fit, it is so nice, it would make for good E-Bay sale parts.

[Captainfab]

Those parts will work just fine to convert your '64 C30 to front disc brakes. You will notice that the lower control arm shafts on your '64 are different than those on your donor. They are flat versus round. The '63-'66 C20 and C30 front suspension crossmembers do not have the saddles necessary to accomodate the round lower control arm shafts. This needs to be taken into consideration when switching parts.

[tincan1966]

I have a set of 1972 3/4T 8 lug with single rear wheels front disc spindles,rotors and calipers. You'd have to change the upper and lower ball joints and outer tie rod ends to the PS type for the 1972. Dorman makes new control arms with balljoints and bushings. When I converted my 1970 C-30 dually to disc I used all 1976 C-30 parts, control arms included and bolted everything up. Should be pretty straight forward deal.

[Budman56]

Originally Posted by Stepside65

I know for the half tons you can swap out parts from a 73-87 but does the same hold true for the 3/4 and 1 tons? Does anyone make an 8 lug disc brake conversion kit?

For my money if I had to do it all over again I would have just went out and got a 3/4 ton front end from a doner truck and just swapped the whole thing, and it would have been a lot cheaper, as is was I got mine from cpp and it cost be 900.00 dollars. later I found a doner front end on craigs list for 150.00 that really piss me off.

[Chevy Fleetside]

Originally Posted by HEI451

I know this is an old thread, but yesterday, my Fed-Ex driver brought me a fairly complete brake wise front end he wasn't going to use, 8 lug disk brakes, calipers, spindles, A arms, springs, lines, and steering linkage. The guy that had all this before him, killed the truck in the rear, and just parted it out. The frame section is still there, but it is cut off way you short to use. This is supposed to be a late 1970's 1 ton C30 8 lug front end, but the driver and I aren't sure.

I'm going to take the entire thing apart, and clean it all up, and start to piece it together on my 1964 C30 1 ton 8 lugger.

I am doing as much as I can with no money, because I have to now pay for the days in the hospital getting better from my gall bladder almost exploding.

I have an early S10 booster and dual master, with valve from an S10 to use, and will get a Captainfab bracket in the future, but, it should work with his right stuff.

This piece was particularly attractive, because it was free, delivered for free, has new (under 1,000 miles on the donor truck) disks, bushings, calipers and pads, ball joints, steering ball joints, hoses and steel lines for the brakes, brackets, and all the steering linkage is in place, except the power steering box (drat). It is all still assembled on the old cut off frame section, and shows dirty for the 1K miles.

I hope all that stuff fits easily, I won't be ready to get into this until summer. I hope I finally lucked into something I can use most, if not all of on my truck.

Even if this stuff doesn't fit, it is so nice, it would make for good E-Bay sale parts.

Did you take a look at the link to the thread I posted? Here is the one on this forum. http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=357610 It is alot easier just to swap out the whole thing.

[HEI451]

Thanks all. I have taken a look at all the links, and they are very helpful.

Captain, hypothetical question, what if the 1963/1964 lower shafts were put into the later lower A arms and later (mine are new) bushings? Do you, or anyone else, know of the shafts interchange? Might make it a lot easier to fit the later arms to the early frame. If this has been covered, I missed it.

This has become a long term project due to my gall bladder problems, so, this isn't hot and heavy to get done. Please excuse me if I don't get this right off, the antibiotics I am on now are really not letting me get the picture without serious effort.

Also, the truck has manual steering as is now, but I have mounted a power steering pump on the engine, without belt, in anticipation of adding power steering. Do I leave the manual linkage on until I do the steering box, or, swap the later power stuff in place and then, go to the power box later? I used an early Cadillac 472 wide pulley power steering pump for this, with my own fabbed up brackets, just haven't fitted the belt yet, still has manual steering box. I also have a few hoses I can alter, seeing as I am the person here that O'Reilly's Auto parts calls when they need to make a hydraulic hose, they have the fittings, hose and crimp machines, I have the ability to use them correctly, good match.

I now that a couple of you have stated to just use the full later cross member, but, I really don't have much of it left to work with, and it'd be easier for me to fabricate what I need later on in the project, when I get back to it, than try to use what little of the later frame I have.

Thanks again, I really do appreciate you guys going over it in detail, helps a lot. I like fabricating stuff up that doesn't exist, but I'd like to get this project done fairly fast when I get back to being able to work with it, I am Jones'en to to drive this thing, but want it done all the way first.

[Captainfab]

I have not done so, but I don't see why you could not switch the lower control arm shafts if that is what you want to do. But before you go to that trouble, you might want to check the later model ball joints and see of they will fit the early lower control arms. I'm thinking they just might. The other option that was mentioned again, is just switch the entire front suspension, crossmember and all as one assembly. This way you could rebuild the front suspension and brakes at your leisure, and then switch the entire suspension all at once.

[Captainfab]

That's all I have ever done, is find a donor '73-'87 OEM front suspension and switch the entire thing. Often times you don't have to replace many parts on the donor either, for it to be dependable.

Originally Posted by Budman56

For my money if I had to do it all over again I would have just went out and got a 3/4 ton front end from a doner truck and just swapped the whole thing, and it would have been a lot cheaper, as is was I got mine from cpp and it cost be 900.00 dollars. later I found a doner front end on craigs list for 150.00 that really piss me off.

[HEI451]

With this latest hospital stay, and gall bladder delemma, money is so much more non-existent, it isn't funny, so, I will have to work with what I have here in the future, and there just isn't enough of the stock cross member to work with, without massive fabrication. I'll just have to see what shakes out in the near future.

I can sure take pictures and document measurements, notes as I go along, when I get all this going, and forward them to Captainfab, so that info is retained for all to have.

Thanks again.

[jcrawl]

Originally Posted by cheyenne shortstep

Can anyone confirm the '65 lower control arm accepting '73-'87 3/4 ton balljoint.

You will need to go withthe updated Ball joints from the donor i just did this on my 65 gmc they are a smallerball joint spindle will not even fit on the orginal ones good luck any questions feel free to ask. I useda set up off of an 86 chevy for mine used orig controll arms just swaped spindles and ball joints.