disk brake question??

[bowtieguy61]

hello. im brand new here, and let me start by saying that just by browsing the messages, it seems that you all have a lot of experience and knowledge. i have a 63 swb fleetside and a 61 swb stepside. my 63 is in running condition (needs resto), but it is my daily driver. my 61 i just bought last week for parts to restore my 63. after i got it home, i realized about the tortion bars. ive decided to restore the 61 and want to upgrade to coils and disk brakes. now ive read all the posts i can find about swapping the 73-87 front crossmember with a-arms and spindles. correct me if im wrong that a 73-87 front member will bolt up except for drilling a few holes that i understand to be for the tie rod idler? now my question. i already have wheels and tires that are 6 lug, but every 73-87 1/2 ton ive seen are 5 lug. 3/4 tons are 8 lug. i really want to stay 6 lug, so are there any rotors that will work on the 73-87 spindles that are 6 lug?? and do all 73-87 spindles have the same bearing dimensions? thanks for any help with this.

[Chevy Fleetside]

There are some vendors that sell disc brake kits that have 6 lug rotors and they should work on GM spindles.. Just let them know what you are doing.. They might tell you that they won't work on anything but their spindles just to sell you theirs for profit.. Maybe someone on here has done this and knows for sure...I converted to 5 lug... You also might be able to find the answer at www.chevytalk.com ...

[zenish]

your best bet is to buy dropped spindles for a 61.then you can use brake parts for an 80s c10.several companies sell six lug rotors.be SURE what kind of wheel you are going to run.i bought six lug rotors and later had to change them because a wanted five spoke wheel.

[slepysal]

CCP sells a 6 lug spindle kit for 699.00 But as Zenish stated make sure you want to stay with the six lug wheel.

[bowtieguy61]

the purpose of using the 73-87 crossmember was to limit the cost of the whole set up. paying $700 for a spindle and rotor kit doesnt sound like saving money. i wanted to go to to newer crossmember and a-arms and spindles to save the major cost of rebuilding the 61 suspension which costs drastically more than the 63-66. what about the 67-72 trucks, were they 6 lug or 5. i already have the wheels and tires, thats why i NEED to stay 6 lug. i'll put it this way. i want coil springs, disk brakes, and 6 lug. if there were rotors that work on the 73-87 spindles that are 6 lug, that would be the cheapest way to go. thanks for the responses.

[slepysal]

Originally Posted by bowtieguy61

the purpose of using the 73-87 crossmember was to limit the cost of the whole set up. paying $700 for a spindle and rotor kit doesnt sound like saving money. i wanted to go to to newer crossmember and a-arms and spindles to save the major cost of rebuilding the 61 suspension which costs drastically more than the 63-66. what about the 67-72 trucks, were they 6 lug or 5. i already have the wheels and tires, thats why i NEED to stay 6 lug. i'll put it this way. i want coil springs, disk brakes, and 6 lug. if there were rotors that work on the 73-87 spindles that are 6 lug, that would be the cheapest way to go. thanks for the responses.

no not cheep, but the 73-87 crossmebers are ---as you know 5 lug , the older are 6 lug and drums.I think Some 2 wd blazers came with 6 lug disc, but they are hard to find, and not cheep.All I can say is welcome to the world of 60-62.I have ran into a lot of " if only mine was a 63-66...... ". The fact is that parts for our years are not always CHEEP, or as easy to find.
Now I 'm not trying to piss on your cereal, but sometimes what we want comes at a price, Maybe you can sell or trade your wheels for some 5 lugs, and then just swap in the cross member? Or have some one machine the spindles to fit 6 lug disc, and calipers, or buy a wheel adapter , but that all cost money.The adapters are about 75.00 each ( not cheep)
Were there's a will there's a way, but it can be expensive. If there is a cheep way to swap in 6 lug disc and coils for the 60-62 I would like to know too. You didnt mention if yours was an auto or stick. If it is a stick you will also run into the fun of finding a disc master cylinder ( you'll need to swap that too) that will work with the hyraulic clutch . Keep us posted .

[bowtieguy61]

no its an auto. im puting in a v8 and 700r4. slepysal mentioned a $700 kit from cpp. i didnt know who cpp was, so i did dome investigating and found them. and the kit he was talking about i believe was this.

http://www.classicperform.com/Store/...6370SWBK5S.htm

now i was thinking the $700 kit he was talking about was going to be disks and spindles. but i now see that its much much more. it has calipers, ball joints, tierods, bearings and rubber lines. be it not cheap, i believe i can justify the price. would i be right to assume that 2" drop spindles would give a better ride than 2" drop coils?

[Dr. Drop]

The CCp kit is a great kit, but it does not change over to coil springs. Any 2wd crossmember 1963 to 1987 from any 1/2 , 3/4 ton Chev,GMC pickup, Blazer or Sub will fit into your 60 to 62 truck. So take your pick.

[zenish]

when you use drop springs on a c10 it puts the a arms at a bad angle and pushes the top of the wheel out.you can swap in a later crossmember,but its not just bolt in as the 63 up c10s.then you still have to buy six lug rotors which were eighty dollars apiece.the 1961 dropped spindles were 230.00 a pair.several people have installed the later crossmember.try the forums at www.chevytalk.com or www.stovebolt.com .

[stepside66]

well 73 and up 4wd c10's were 6 lug thats where I got my 15x 8 wheels from on my 66 but when I sold it I put them on the 62 and 62 stock or close to wheels on the 66

[cst70rocket]

Some 2 wd blazers came with 6 lug disc, but they are hard to find, and not cheep.


None of the 2 wheel blazers ever left the factory with 6 lug, unless you're talking about 1989 up. Everything was 6 lug til '71, and all 4x4 GM have always been 6 lug, except the 3/4-1 ton units.

[stepside66]

no some 67's through 72 were 5 lug

[cst70rocket]

Originally Posted by stepside66

no some 67's through 72 were 5 lug

NO they were never 5 lug from the factory ever, sorry.

[Chevy Fleetside]

Originally Posted by cst70rocket

NO they were never 5 lug from the factory ever, sorry.

5 lug started in 71... 71 and 72 are the only ones with 5 lug rear ends with coil springs, that I know of..

[62ChevyStep]

Originally Posted by cst70rocket

NO they were never 5 lug from the factory ever, sorry.

The 12 bolt 3.73, 5 lug I put in my 62', I pulled out of a 72'.

[stepside66]

ok yeah 71 was when they started but they were made from the factory with 5 lug

[Chevy Fleetside]

Originally Posted by stepside66

ok yeah 71 was when they started but they were made from the factory with 5 lug

Yes they were made from the factory with 5 lug.. Yes they were made from the factory with 5 lug.. I have a 72 rear in my 65..

[stepside66]

now my question is how late will the axles fit in my rear end without having modify em I know the axles till 72 BUT I have a haynes manual for 67-87 and it doesnt say anything about the axles being different I know the rear end housing is cause the later ones dont have the perch for the axle to sit straight on the control arms

[Chevy Fleetside]

You have to swap out the whole rearend.. The axles are longer in a 71-72 then a 66.. Either that or get CCP's axles for your 66 which run about $350 if I am not mistaken... You need to call some junk yards and see if you can find a rearend.. I found mine at pick and pull for $100.

[cst70rocket]

Like I said, 71 was the first year for 5 lug and disc brakes. I swear his post said some 67 blazers were 5 lug, which would be false. Sorry for the confusion. I've built 12 of these trucks, 68-71 I know what's 5 and what's not

[stepside66]

Originally Posted by Chevy Fleetside

You have to swap out the whole rearend.. The axles are longer in a 71-72 then a 66.. Either that or get CCP's axles for your 66 which run about $350 if I am not mistaken... You need to call some junk yards and see if you can find a rearend.. I found mine at pick and pull for $100.

well I guess the only way to tell is pull the axles and measure on a 71

[Chevy Fleetside]

No you don't have too.. The ones for the 71 are 3/4" wider then yours... Like cst70rocket said.. "I've built 12 of these trucks, 68-71 I know what's 5 and what's not" ... And he can tell you the later model rear ends are wider..

[zenish]

some people have claimed to put the longer axles in the earlier housing and use wider brake drums.only .75" difference both sides.of course that would only work with 1965 and later axles because 1964 and earlier are ten spline.[so im told]

[psychorodder]

I have a 65 chevy truck had 71 axles in it was too long the machined part of axle was not riding on bearing messed up bearing and axle I put in a 72 rearend now have 5 lugs more wheels to pick from.

[wynema12]

New to the board. Have you tried 1988-1989 c2500 rotors for the front.