i got control arm swap issues

[66coffin]

ok, in the disc brake swap thread many guys said i could use 73-87 front Lower Control Arms and related brake parts to get a 5lug with disc brakes on my 66 c20. i got 74 donor LCA's but am having a problem figuring out what to do now. Today i removed the stock brake parts and when i went to remove the stock LCA's i realized they are drastically different than the donors. the donors have U bolts and a round shaft, the stock ones on my truck are attached with a large square shaped shaft with bolts not U bolts. how do i mount the donors to my truck? is there another option?

[Chevy Fleetside]

YOu must have missed the post on this. The 3/4 tons bolt up differntly then the 1/2 tons. You will have to remove the whole crossmember and replace it. Well that is probably the easiest and what I would and are doing on my 66 3/4.

[66coffin]

dang!!!

[Chevy Fleetside]

It is also easier if you have the front sheet metal off.

[Slammed66]

Hey man, I had to do the same thing while converting my grain truck, into a slammed half ton.

I used a 71-71 crossmember, cause I had one out but grab any thing for 63+ or the 73-87 will bolt in with some hole oblonging.

but for speed, and ease of install, if you are doing this with the engine still in the truck. stay with the 63-72 half ton crossmember.

[66coffin]

i may have to bite the bullet on this one and drop $$$ on the c20 conversion spindles... ouch. i don't have the time or space to do a crossmember swap.

[Slammed66]

I did mine in an afternoon in the driveway. took me 2 days to get everything bolted up and brakes etc tho.

[Captainfab]

Isn't there some place closer than a 1 1/2 hour drive where you could get a crossmember?

[panelrodder81]

How about a follow up question? Can you still add the later year ball joints to the 3/4 ton control arms and then just use the later spindles? I'm in the same boat as 66Coffin in that I can't handle the xmember swap with my current situation.

[Captainfab]

The C10 lower ball joints are smaller than the holes in the C20 LCA's. I believe that the C10 upper ball joints will bolt into the C20 UCA's. The only way that I know of that you could use the C20 LCA's and add discs on a budget is to use the '88-'98 spindles, calipers, etc from a 1500 or the light duty 2500. The 1500 would have the 5 x 5 wheel bolt pattern and the light duty 2500 wouldhave the 6 x 5.5 wheel bolt pattern. There is more info on this in the "Disc Brake Reference thread"

[panelrodder81]

Originally Posted by Captainfab

The only way that I know of that you could use the C20 LCA's and add discs on a budget is to use the '88-'98 spindles, calipers, etc from a 1500 or the light duty 2500. The 1500 would have the 5 x 5 wheel bolt pattern and the light duty 2500 wouldhave the 6 x 5.5 wheel bolt pattern. There is more info on this in the "Disc Brake Reference thread"

I must have missed all of this in that thread as I have been over it a couple times, will revisit. So just to recap, if I use the spindles and associated brake parts from the later, 88-98, trucks then I can do this for cheap... cheaper? I'm assuming I need the ball joints from the same year as the donor truck... obviously.

[Captainfab]

Yes you can use the spindles, rotors, calipers, outer tie rods, etc as well as the upper and lower ball joints from the '88-'98 trucks with the C20 control arms on your truck. I'm not positive the upper ball joint will fit the control arms but about 90% sure. Would need to verify it.

Here is another thread with some info on this swap. This one is mainly focused on the 6 lug rotors, but the 5 lug rotors fit the same spindle.

http://www.67-72chevytrucks.com/vboa...ad.php?t=35042

Originally Posted by panelrodder81

I must have missed all of this in that thread as I have been over it a couple times, will revisit. So just to recap, if I use the spindles and associated brake parts from the later, 88-98, trucks then I can do this for cheap... cheaper? I'm assuming I need the ball joints from the same year as the donor truck... obviously.