Disc brakes. 73-87 on 60-66

[bagged69c10]

Can you just take the front suspension off of a 73-87 and bolt it up to a 66 like you can on a 67-70? I have a 76 longbed donor I would like to take the disc brakes and power steering off of it.

[wild one]

Absolutely. I just completed this very swap on my 1966 c10 panel and used parts off a donor 75 longbed GMC 1/2 ton. You can unbolt the upper and lower control arms with the spindles attatched and bolt these pieces into your 1966 OR......., you can re-use your 1966 upper and lower control arms and replace the upper and lower ball joints with new pieces spec'd for the donor truck. This NEEDS to be done since the older ball joint have a totally different taper to them and will not allow the newer spindles to fully seat.

Now, the steering linkage is slightly different for the 1966 to 1973/1987
models ( specifically the tie rod diameters ). There are a few different ways one can approach this situation, 1: purchase the adapter sleeve that mates your original inner tie rod to the later model outer tie rod - cost for adapters about 50 bucks , 2: remove the threads from the larger, newer model tie rod and retap the tie rod with a left hand die to match the original older tie rod - cost for die about 30+ bucks plus the cost of the newer style tie rods , OR - drumroll please - 3: you can re-use the steering linkage from the donor truck, drill two new holes to mount the idler arm to the frame and bolt the whole assembley into your truck! I did this since the steering linkage in the donor truck had been recently replaced and it is MUCH beefier than the original 1966 parts. It will bolt to the existing pitman arm ( disclaimer: this works for a 1966 model year I am unsure if this will work on other years ), once completed you will need to have the alignment re-done .

Finally, the brakes........this is where the fun starts. In my case I used a booster and bracket from a 1969 chevy C30 (1ton) truck found at my local pick n' pull - cost 35 bucks, a new master cylinder for a 1971/1972 chevy C10 with disc brakes-cost 40 bucks @ my local parts store, and the proportioning valve off of the donor truck. I needed to use the adjustable push rod from the donor truck (the part that connects the brake pedal to the brake linkage), this required drilling and re-tapping the push rod to fit the older linkage - cost for drill bit and tap about 15 bucks. This was done to re-establish proper pedal hieght while allowing for a full pedal stroke - If this is not done your brake pedal will be approx 1 1/2 inches off of the floor board. Now, I have the proper tools to cut, double flare and bend brake lines - if this is something that you haven't done don't worry it's really not that difficult. Practice on a scrap piece of hard line and after a couple of tries you should have it down. The bender itself cost about 10 bucks at harbor frieght tools, the double flare kit was another 25 bucks while the mini tube cutter only cost 4 bucks. All the hard lines/fittings needed cost another 25 bucks.

You can re-use the rear brake hard line and extend it from where it originally attatched to the three way brass block by using a coupler then run the line to the proportioning valve. Remove and set aside the remaining originall front brake lines, you can use the line that crosses the K member as a template to help you bend that new line for the rear brakes. Pick a location to mount the proportioning valve ( I mounted mine on a bracket I bent up below the master cylinder, like the first gen camaros ), mount it then bend/route your the new lines accordingly. You can use some heavy gauge wire or old coat hangers help in determining the path for your brake lines. Remember to keep them as far as possible from any source of heat ie: manifolds, headers, exhaust pipe etc... After all is bent up/intsalled you can bleed the brakes, hook up the booster to manifold vacum and enjoy the new found stopping ability of your truck!

P.S. - You did remember the alignment, right?