66 front brake up grade from drum to disk how to?

[gostranger]

is there a how to ? or is there a best route to take hopefully a cheap way any suggestions or help would be great thanks

also want the 5 lug what years will work???

[slammed64]

i did this upgrade, as do alot of people. get all the front end parts off a newer chev 1/2 ton. i took the upper and lower a arms, discs,spindles,and calipers off a 78. i sand blasted the a arms and painted them, then put in new poly bushings in them. look like new. i got new belltech 3 inch drop spindles instead of stock, and use the callipers for a core charge if they are no good. if they are still good use those. i know you can buy aftermarket kits with both 5 and 6 lug disc replacements, but they get pricey. this to me is the cheapest way to go. and the old chev trucks are easy to find. alot of times, people will give you the parts for nothing they are so readily avalible. hope this helps a bit.

[slammed64]

actually, i forgot to mention that you will have a bit of trouble with the inner tie rod ends. if you change your tie rod ends, you put in the year of outer that matches your spindle, then the connecting sleeve that matches to that, but then the fun part, getting a inner that matches the sleeve and the hole that it slides into in the centerlink. it might be different for 66 then for 64, i don't know. the guys at my local napa don't even know what mine is off of, and that's where i bought it. they just did soe measuring for me.

[gostranger]

thanks that is a start is there any newer you can go or is 78 the newest?thanks for the help

[chevy283]

i use a 91 sub crossmember everthing went great i had no tie rod probs drilled 4 holes and used the power steering box. good luck

[zenish]

use the parts from a 73-87 c10.

[gostranger]

thanks for the help !!!!!

[jamiew]

I agree with above, but I would recommend the entire front crossmember swap over just changing components. I did it myself and spent around 200 bucks. Most of which I spent on rebuilding the donor front suspension to new. Replaced tie rod ends, etc. I would recommend buying an entire front half of the frame from the donor vehicle. I cut mine just in front of the cab. I used the frame as a template for all of the measurements that I took. One word of warning, this will convert you over to the 5 lug wheel pattern. Do not do this type of swap unless that is your intention. The 5 lug patter is more readily available for parts. I used a 5 lug 3.07 rear end from a 72 chevy to complete the transition.


The entire crossmember or (cradle as I like to call it) from a 70 through 72 (I think, someone correct me if I'm wrong) will bolt directly to your frame and give you front disc brakes with no drilling or cutting. On years higher than that (I used a 76 front suspension) you will have to "egg" the front holes in the side of frame. The bolt pattern is slightly wider by about 1/8 inch or so. The good news is that most holes will line up with no interference.

I first mounted up the front end using the holes that will line up, then marked the other holes with a black sharpie. I then unbolted the cradle and used a die grinder to open up the holes. Then, you will need to mount the new idler arm in place. I simply measured the old frame and drilled based on those measurements.

For power steering, I built a bracket using the old frame cut out as a template. It is fairly easy if you can weld, but if you can't you can buy an adapter plate kit for about 50 bucks from chevy duty or another source. But, I guarantee that they are not as sturdy as the one I built at home.

For the power steering pump an gear, you can use just about any year, just make sure that you get a matched pair so that you can use the stock style fluid lines. GM changed to metric sometime in the 80's and if you mix and match years, you will have to have custom fluid lines made. Good luck and happy wrenching.

Jamie

[gostranger]

hey thanks alot guys for all of the info that is alot of help!!!!

[our64]

I too did this conversion on my 64, using a front end from a 71 with disc brakes. It was a while ago, but I did have some grief with the tie rod ends. But was all worked out in the end.After doing it I would deffineately consider swaping the whole crossmember from a doner truck it would seem easier in the long run... Also consider the power steering swap. As said many times , what a dream to drive once its done

[64fleetside]

Classic Performance Products sells tie rod sleeves to mate the old drag link w/later tie rods. Brian

[rodnok1]

I used the kit spindle/disc kit from GMCPauls, since I already had power steering and had replaced all the tie rods already. My drum spindles were worn out. I kept it 6 lug since I had decent rims.

[u2slow]

Nobody mentioned how to do the rear

Ford 9" from a 78ish Lincoln Mark V. Same width, discs, 5-on-5" just like the Chevy front. Just need to make some spring perches.

[zenish]

early classics sells the perches and a track bar kit.