Project 1966 K20 adventure rig

[72cs20]

I did look into the possibility of using the Eaton with the newer style suspension. The spring pad width on the Eaton is 40 inches. The closest newer set up I could find would be for a 73-87 single wheel K30 which has a spring pad width of 40.5 inches. Off Road Design(ORD) sells these narrower hangers as well. So it would be a quarter inch difference on either side and could possibly work without moving the spring pads on the Eaton. But in the end, for my intended use as well as cost, the 14 bolt swap with newer style suspension made sense. The spring pad width for the 73-87 K20 14 bolt is 42.5 inches, which is what I'm using. The ORD frame hangers put the springs at the correct width for the K20 14 bolt

Also, when I was disassembling the stock rear suspension I found the rear hangers and shackles were trashed and unusable. The spring and shackle pins were frozen and would not come out. And there was a good amount of material worn away from the hanger and shackle from years of heavy loads and minimal maintenance. Funny thing though, the front spring pins came out easy and looking new. Bushings, pins and shackles are available but finding a good rear hangers could be a hassle.