'68 mod's

['68 longbed]

hello!

I've aquired a nice little '68 c10 longbed stepside that's straight and solid. my usual vehicle is tri-five chevy cars so I'm a little out of my element so far. so my questions to the wise ones are....

is there a newer style truck/car that i could swap a-arms , spindles,etc. with disc brakes...without major surgery?

this thing is geared like a tractor, will a four speed replace the three speed without having to chop crossmembers 'n stuff up? i'm sure a five speed will be an involved swap so I'm avoiding that in the short term!

thanks for any help! ya'll have a good fourth!

[krue]

Welcome to the board from South Mississippi! Where in Mississippi are you? If you're close to Hattiesburg holler at me. For disc brakes the entire crossmember from 73-87 truck (91 burb/blazer/1 ton) will bolt in place with little trouble.

['68 longbed]

I hadn't even considered replacing the crossmember. how "not much trouble " are we talkin'?

I'm trying to keep it simple. it's a daily driver and i've learned my lesson (finally) to not try to tear everything apart with big dreams and small wallet!


i'm in perkinston so not too far away!

[kyull67]

I think you only have to drill one hole for a bolt on each frame rail. The rest line up. You should be able to get the whole crossmember for around $250 at a junk yard.

[CG]

Originally Posted by krue

Welcome to the board from South Mississippi! Where in Mississippi are you? If you're close to Hattiesburg holler at me. For disc brakes the entire crossmember from 73-87 truck (91 burb/blazer/1 ton) will bolt in place with little trouble.

You forgot 71 and 72's...both five lug and disks.

[krue]

You can get a crossmember a lot cheaper than that around here, I know of two that are about to be hauled to the scrap yard.
We'll have to have another south Mississippi get together soon, I'm in the north end of Perry county and there're a couple of good guys in Gulfport.
I've not actually done the crossmember swap but there are a lot of guys on here who have and they'll be more than willing to offer info.

['68 longbed]

eeeexcellant! I'll have to see what i can find. i'm used to drums but for some reason i just can't make this truck grab well . and it's nice to actually stop within a mile or two!

my last '57 belair would stop on a dime with manual drums...... the first time anyway. get 'em hot, get 'em soft lol

[krue]

, but they're harder to find, and parts cost more, so sue me.

['68 longbed]

lol, cheap is good!!!

[krue]

[PanelDeland]

There will be comprehensive write ups in the FAQ's section on this crossmember swap and on other swaps for disc's.Good info to help you decide.Also if you want to lower it some there are drop spindles designed to accept disc's.To do the crossmember swap ,it's easier with the engine out I think.
A 4-speed can replace the 3-speed easily but you should look under the truck.The crossmember for the tranny on the standard shift trucks is at the firewall.The whole tranny hangs from the bellhousing,which is attached to the crossmember and the bellhousing.The real problem is that you probably have 3:73/1 rear gears.The 1 to 1 ratio of a 4-sp will be the same as a 3 -sp. in high.

['68 longbed]

hmmm i hadn't thought of that , i was avoiding the gear change since it's a little involved for a daily, gotta' get to work, driver and getting it done means a logistic pain.

looks like i'll have grin and bear it. though. I put waaaay to many miles on a vehicle to be wound so high at highway speeds. this thing will be much more "car" than "truck". so I don't need the stump pullin' gears

[MrShelley]

As far as the front suspension swap is concerned, you don't have to replace the crossmember. You can leave the motor in and swap just the A-arms and spindles from the aforementioned later model trucks. That's the way I did the swap on my 68, original crossmember with 76 model a-arms. In addition to the disc brakes, you also get a rubber-bushed suspension instead of the factory metal. Either way, the swap is really straightforward. You shouldn't have any trouble, but if you do this is THE place to find answers.

Welcome to the board!

[mvfd70]

It's even easier than that really. I'm putting spindles from a 72 on my 68. I'm keeping the original crossmember and control arms. Only change I have to make is ball joints for a 72 since they are different sizes than 68. Of course then you have to get a master cylinder and a proportioning valve.

['68 longbed]

that was my original thought, but I didn't have any idea if they are directly compatible.

[krue]

I did mine with the 72 spindles, just added the booster/master cylinder and hard lines off the 83 my brother is about to scrap. I also used the entire tie rod assembly off the 72.

[ETsC10]

Hey '68, I swapped my drum to disc years ago with a ’71 front end (missing the brake lines and swaybar/idler arm) but had to go junk yardin’ and parts shopping for what I was missing…. ** I ended up driving for a few years with International brake lines.!!!

No regrets, stayed in the era and now she's fine after the learning curve.

I've got a 373 (stock posi) and she travels the freeways fine. It's not a off-the-line-tire-burner though...
Changing your dif's a cakewalk, if that's what ya need and want... do some gear shopping. Don't forget that of these buggers were designed for 70 MPH freeways and there are many freeway-savy rearends out there to be had cheap.

**......But then again, I didn’t have this Great Board and it’s knowledge to lean on... cuda save me lotsa time & effort!

Good Luck, Have Fun and Welcome from Washington!
ET

[68GMC454]

from utah...this is the place to find the naswers you seek..

['68 longbed]

So to use the newer spindles i'll have to change the ball joints, would I HAVE to change the steering assembly? or was that a "while you're at it" thing?

i think i could manage the gear change but i'm lacking resources, tools, a shop, and somebody to help when I do somthing stupid ;-). I'm faaaar from home down here. I'd hate to destroy somthing just cuz i didn't index the the thing right.

so right now certain things are relagated to figuring out a way to get it to a shop and then figuring out how I'm getting to work to pay for the labor! arrrrgh!

[mvfd70]

Sorry. I forgot to mention that the tie rod ends will need changed as well to match the year of spindle you use. If you change to power steering, you may have to change the pitman arm to match up to the gearbox. Mostly all you have to change is little parts that probably need to be replaced on a 40 year old truck anyway.

['68 longbed]

I've actually lucked out and it's been converted to power stearing!! I was shocked. one of the few things that was done that adds a little creature comfort on the ole girl.

['68 longbed]

is cab noise a common thing on these trucks? I have plenty of air leaks with the lack of window felts and stuff but even with that I am surprised at how loud it is in the cab. forget about taking cell phone calls!

[krue]

Mine is pretty loud, but I'm hoping new weather stripping and some insulation on the firewall and floor will quieten it down some.