front cross member

[bmacneal]

hello, all. I have a 66 c10 that I'm changing over to disc brakes. I acquired a complete front cross member/a arms/spindles/etc etc from a 81 chevy pickup. Is there any difference in the cross members from the 81 and my 66 besides the obvious ( ubolts are different - 66 has tang for brake lines welded on )? I'm trying to decide whether to swap in the entire crossmember or just bolt the a-arms onto the stock crossmember. any experience out there?

thanks

[1965Project]

I did this about a year ago and it is pretty straight forward. I replaced the entire crossmember with an 81 model. You will have to drill a few holes out but that is about it. I would suggest getting the power steering adapter plate from Captainfab. Do a search and there is alot of info in here on this topic.

[Ta2Don]

I put an '85 crossmember in mine, just elongate 2holes and drill 2 holes…
Then you can sell the original crossmember for scrap, or try to find someone in need...

[Captainfab]

If your engine is out, a complete suspension swap, crossmember and all is quite easy. As mentioned above , aside from R&Ring the bolts, you just have to drill 1 hole each side and elongate 1 hole each side. I also recommend changing the entire steering linkage along with the power steering box. You will just have to drill the holes for the idler arm. This way, all the steering and suspension is of the same vintage, which makes remembering what year replacement parts to get much easier. Plus you don't have to buy the $$ aftermarket tierod adapters.

[bmacneal]

I installed power steering two weeks ago. I got all the 1981steering linkage with the cross member which will go in when the discs are installed. replacing all the ball joints and bushings on the a-arms.

I guess I wasn't specific enough with my question. What I would like to know is if the 81 cross member is structurally stronger than my 66 cross member. thicker metal, better ( more ) spot welds ?? the engine is still in the truck so I would have to suspend the engine to change the entire cross member, but I would do it if it results in a stronger front end.

[Captainfab]

I don't know of any strength advantage of the '81 crossmember over the '66 crossmember.

Typically when I have installed the entire suspension, crossmember included is when there is no engine, and the suspension is going to be driven for a while as it is.

[tincan1966]

There is not structural advantage to changing the crossmember. Most only do it complete to save some time.
My opinion, if you are going to disassemble and properly rebuild/refurbish the components, there is no need to change the cross member. Just unbolt the old parts and replace with the new ones. Once everything is rebuild, it's an easy one day job to swap everything out.

[bmacneal]

I would like to thank everyone for their insight/advice. I have decided just to bolt the rebuilt a-arms to my stock cross member. thanks again