Front springs 1966 vs. 1977

[1966SWB]

Hello,
I have recently registered, but I've lurked here for a long time. I am starting to rebuild my 1966 1/2T that I've owned for 20 years. It was a long fleet, but it will now be a short fleetside.

I'm going to put in a complete front end from a '77 Chev 1/2T. I have some lowering springs that I had bought some time ago for the '66. Will they fit the '77 front end?

Additionally, is there any difference between the cross members? Should I use the '77 vs the '66?

Thanks for your help. I'll post pics as I get them organized.

[chevy_mike]

Yep, they will fit no problem. I recommend you leave the actual crossmember in and swap ALL of the part over to your current '66. The arms, steering, spindles, etc. will all bolt on. Saves a lot of work, unless there is some major damage to the main crossmember part.

[1966SWB]

Thanks.
So there isn't any difference in the cross members?

[Captainfab]

Aside from being 11 years newer, the only difference is that the holes for the lower control arm U-bolts are larger to accommodate the larger U-bolts. Which I would recommend upgrading to. When installing a '73-'87 suspension crossmember under a '63-'66 frame, you will have to drill 1 hole on each side and elongate 1 hole on each side. In the past when I have upgraded a truck to front disc brakes, the engine was out and the entire suspension was installed without a complete rebuild to get the truck rolling ASAP. Then what needed to be replaced was done later.

Originally Posted by 1966SWB

Thanks.
So there isn't any difference in the cross members?

[1966SWB]

I was going to snag the power brake booster/mc. Does your PB bracket work with the earlier boosters, or just the later ones?

[siggyfreud]

I swapped the entire crossmember from an 85 on to my 66. Seemed like quite a bit less work than swapping all the components individually. I too thought the thicker ubolt upgrade was worth it.

Drilling the new holes and elongating the other two wasn't too hard.

[chevy_mike]

Originally Posted by siggyfreud

I swapped the entire crossmember from an 85 on to my 66. Seemed like quite a bit less work than swapping all the components individually. I too thought the thicker ubolt upgrade was worth it.

Drilling the new holes and elongating the other two wasn't too hard.

Really depends if you have the ability to support the engine while swapping crossmembers and/or you need to rebuild all the bushing, ball joints, etc. If rebuilding everything, swapping them over is cake.

You can upgrade the u-bolts by drilling the holes bigger on the early one.

[siggyfreud]

Yeah my engine was out already, so for me it was a quicker just to slide the new one under and do it that way.

[1966SWB]

It's going to be a frame off rebuild, so swapping the cross members is not a problem.

[chevy_mike]

In that case, if you're not rebuilding all the bushings, ball joints, etc. swapping the whole thing is the quicker method. Actually you can do most of that rebuild before swapping over.