New Crossmember

[DWright]

i've noticed that a few guys on here have swapped their front cross-members with one from a newer ('70s) model truck. other than brakes and better spindles, what other advantages are there?

[joe231]

cheaper and more plentiful parts on the '73-up stuff

[DWright]

i think i might have to do some looking around for a donor now

[joe231]

oh and rubber A-frame bushings, and front sway bars, and.......

[Tx Firefighter]

For me, the rubber control arm bushings made it more sensible. Replacing the old type screw in metal bushings is very expensive.

I got all of my polyurethane bushings for 60 dollars from Summit.

[protrash64]

I re-did my front end with the old type screw-in bushings and I dont even know why....they look just about indestructible!! There was nothing really wrong with the old ones, either.

[DWright]

and the cross member just bolts in?

[Captainfab]

Originally Posted by DWright

and the cross member just bolts in?

Pretty much. You will have to drill one hole each side and elongate one hole each side. When it comes to the power steering box and the power brakes, that's a little more involved....nothing overwhelming though. It is all very much worth it in the end.

[DWright]

invovled is no big deal; i once crammed a 350 into a chevette.

[DWright]

just spoke to a guy i know that usually has tons of chevy trucks and parts and he said he has an early 80s 3/4 ton frame sittin around. he said its 2wd with 6-lug wheels. correct me if im wrong, but doesnt the 3/4 & 1 ton truck have 8-lug wheels? if it is 6-lug, will a 3/4 ton crossmember work under my '66 1/2 ton without putting it a mile in the air?

[Captainfab]

Originally Posted by DWright

just spoke to a guy i know that usually has tons of chevy trucks and parts and he said he has an early 80s 3/4 ton frame sittin around. he said its 2wd with 6-lug wheels. correct me if im wrong, but doesnt the 3/4 & 1 ton truck have 8-lug wheels? if it is 6-lug, will a 3/4 ton crossmember work under my '66 1/2 ton without putting it a mile in the air?

If it is an early to mid 80's C20, then yes it will have 8 lugs. Starting is '88 there was a light duty (7200GVW) C20 that had 6 lugs. But those are a totally different frame. You could use a "73-'87 C20 crossmember but you would need to change the spindles if you didn't want 8 lugs. If you want to stay 6 lug, there is a way of doing that with combining factory parts from the above mentioned light duty C20's. Here is the link to the writeup
http://www.67-72chevytrucks.com/vboa...ad.php?t=35042

[DWright]

Sounds to be more trouble than its worth, i guess i'll just keep looking for a better donor. thanks for the info.

[SCOTI]

You can have all the benefits of the later model suspension w/the original crossmember. The newer a-arms will swap right over (as will the rest).

[DWright]

i know, i just liked the idea of a complete bolt in package.

[joe231]

Originally Posted by Captainfab

If it is an early to mid 80's C20, then yes it will have 8 lugs. Starting is '88 there was a light duty (7200GVW) C20 that had 6 lugs. But those are a totally different frame. You could use a "73-'87 C20 crossmember but you would need to change the spindles if you didn't want 8 lugs. If you want to stay 6 lug, there is a way of doing that with combining factory parts from the above mentioned light duty C20's. Here is the link to the writeup
http://www.67-72chevytrucks.com/vboa...ad.php?t=35042

Hey John, will the c-10 spindle mount to the c-20 lower ball joint?

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by DWright

i know, i just liked the idea of a complete bolt in package.

Just making sure you were aware (some people aren't). I guess I've never been lucky enough to run across a truck that had the front end already rebuilt making it worth the effort to swap the whole thing as a unit.

[Captainfab]

Originally Posted by joe231

Hey John, will the c-10 spindle mount to the c-20 lower ball joint?

Joe, If you are referring to the '73-'87 spindle, then no it won't. However when doing the factory 6 lug swap, you can use either the 5 lug 1500 spindle or the LD2500 spindle (same spindle) and then the lower ball joint for that spindle will fit into a pre '87 C20 lower control arm.

[joe231]

Ok, that is what I thought...thanks John

[sams60gmc]

[QUOTE=Tx Firefighter;3297305]For me, the rubber control arm bushings made it more sensible. Replacing the old type screw in metal bushings is very expensive.

I got all of my polyurethane bushings for 60 dollars from Summit.

hey man I just picked up a cross member today and I want to change all the bushings. Do you have a part number for the kit that you bought? thanks

[Tx Firefighter]

You have two choices, red or black.

Red.....CLICK HERE

Black...CLICK HERE

Both are in stock and ready to ship today.