Just swapping the control arms

[RandyDandy]

Did i read here somewhere that i do not have to change the crossmember in my 66 to put the 73-87 control arms on, and all you have to do is drill out the u- bolt holes that hold them on because 73-87 are bigger.

[Tx Firefighter]

That is true.

The upper arms bolt straight on.
The lower arm u-bolts are larger so you must pass a drill bit through the holes in the crossmember to enlarge them. After that, they bolt on.

[RandyDandy]

Thankyou sir for the reply, i thought i read that here somewhere.

[badblu97]

You could keep your stock arms and put 73-87 balljoints in....thats what I did...

[PGSigns]

You can also reuse your old ubolts and put on the newer lowers. I used a die grinder to do mine. The holes need to be bigger but they also need to be further apart. When I tried to drill them the bit kept trying to follow the old hole.
Jimmy

[Chevy Fleetside]

I used the 65 u bolts. Just bolted in the control arms and used everything else from a 75 truck. Just have to redrill for the idler arm.

[sinnersahuayo]

i have a question why do you change the control arms on the truck. my truck is a 1965. i just want to know more info on this; the ball joint or arms.

[lil_sahara450r]

Originally Posted by sinnersahuayo

i have a question why do you change the control arms on the truck. my truck is a 1965. i just want to know more info on this; the ball joint or arms.

its a fairly common swap. instead of spending big $$$ on a kit, you can swap over the entire crossmember (or just the a arms out, or even just upgrade your ball joints and use the spindle) from a 73-87 c10. advantages are 5 lug disk brakes and beefier steering components.

[sinnersahuayo]

Originally Posted by lil_sahara450r

its a fairly common swap. instead of spending big $$$ on a kit, you can swap over the entire crossmember (or just the a arms out, or even just upgrade your ball joints and use the spindle) from a 73-87 c10. advantages are 5 lug disk brakes and beefier steering components.

thanks i didnt know that.

[RandyDandy]

I am going to be buying dropped spindles and springs but i want to change the control arms for the rubber bushings in the 73 -87 arms. Thanks for the replies.

[Captainfab]

Here is some reading for you......
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=367260

Originally Posted by sinnersahuayo

thanks i didnt know that.

There are several threads with good info listed in the '60-'66 FAQ Index at the top of the main '60-'66 page

[AKNIKLS]

hows it goin. i have a 62 c10 half ton. i bought a crossmember and front suspension from a 65 to escape the torsion bar suspension. can i just replace the a-arms on this as well? thanks-aaron

[CRGRS 66]

I have not placed my order yet, but will be buying the "expensive kit" from Scott's Hot Rods (vendor on here that is highly regarded). I don't think it is expensive at all. for somewhere around 650ish you get drop spindles, rotors, bearings, calipers w/pads, hoses, all hardware, and brake booster MC c/w prop valve. Cheaper than a brake job at the shop... Re-bush your control arms, save a few $ there too. When you go this route, you aren't creating an issue where you have a 65 truck with 73-87 this and that. Ask McMurphy, he forgot mid install that his cross member etc were not original and ordered the wrong ball joints, poor guy had a melt down that day. If you sell the truck, and that guy sells the truck, the new owner will cursing the PO when he is replacing something, and finds that the 60's parts won't fit. Just my thoughts, many ways to skin a cat (have always wanted to do that too), it is your cat, you skin it your way, cheers!

[CRGRS 66]

I plan to do a power steering swap this winter too, have heard nothing but props for captain fab's kit, so will be supporting cap in the not too distant future too. Sorry, little off topic, but wanted to plug another board vendor.

[Captainfab]

As long as the '65 front suspension is from a C10, you can upgrade that how ever you wish. You can use those control arms and just change the ball joints and add disc spindles, calipers, rotors, etc. Or you can also change the control arms to the '73-'87 arms with the rubber bushings. Either way, I always recommend changing everything from the same vintage of truck. If you use '73-'87 spindles, I recommend changing the complete steering linkage, as well as the steering box, from a '73-'87 truck. If possible stay close to the same year for all parts. This makes parts replacement easier down the road as mentioned above. When building a truck or car, that is no longer stock, it is a good idea to keep a record of the parts used and/or the part numbers for future reference.

Originally Posted by AKNIKLS

hows it goin. i have a 62 c10 half ton. i bought a crossmember and front suspension from a 65 to escape the torsion bar suspension. can i just replace the a-arms on this as well? thanks-aaron

[badriand]

I didn't drill out anything just just took upper and lowers off 87 suburban and bolted them right up to mine. Biggest issues had was digging 20+ yrs of dirt and grime away from u bolts to get to nuts.
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[Captainfab]

I always recommend upgrading to the larger diameter lower control arm U-bolts used on the '73-'87 trucks. I have had 2 of the smaller original U-bolts break on me. I was lucky and no serious damage or injury resulted.

Originally Posted by badriand

I didn't drill out anything just just took upper and lowers off 87 suburban and bolted them right up to mine. Biggest issues had was digging 20+ yrs of dirt and grime away from u bolts to get to nuts.
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[LostMy65]

Will 73-87 upper and lower arms bolt up to a 62 crossmember?

[Captainfab]

No they will not.

Originally Posted by LostMy65

Will 73-87 upper and lower arms bolt up to a 62 crossmember?

[chevy_mike]

Originally Posted by LostMy65

Will 73-87 upper and lower arms bolt up to a 62 crossmember?

60-62 are torsion bar front ends. Completely different than 63-87 coil spring setup.

[LostMy65]

Yeah, I understand they have torsion bars.
I was just wondering if the 60-62 Lower and Upper arms could be unbolted and replaced with 73+87 arms without removing the whole crossmember.
Thanks, now I know.

[LostMy65]

Originally Posted by chevy_mike

60-62 are torsion bar front ends. Completely different than 63-87 coil spring setup.

Now I remember. The 63+ crossmembers have a pocket for the coil springs.

[lowroder]

Originally Posted by Captainfab

No they will not.

Confused....
Previously mentioned.
It was said you can swap out the control arms on the 62 .
Then said you can't?
I also have a 62 looking to eliminate the torsion setup an go disc brakes an lower it .
Was also interested in just swapping out the upper and lower arms or just the lower...
From 63 to 66 or newer.

[Captainfab]

I believe what was discussed in post #15 was swapping the '73-'87 control arms onto a '65 C10 front suspension, not the '62 suspension. The '60-'62 front suspension is completely different than the '63-'87 suspension and you can not just swap control arms.