86' C10 suspension donor questions

[encasedmetal]

if I were to buy a 86' C10 could I use the front and rear suspension to put into my 63' C10? thanks

[Turtleman]

Yes
I'm not sure whats involved for the rear end,, but the front suspension and steering is exchangeable.. just about all parts exchange as a bolt on

[forestb]

If my memory serves me correctly you will need to brill bigger holes in the 63 cross member where the u bolts hold the lower 86 control arms on. As for the rear I would just stick with the 63 trailing arms. They work great. I would by the front end parts from a junk yard rather than buying a hole truck. I think there are a couple of threads on the forum discussing this same exact thing. Do an advanced search rather than trying to use the google search window.

[encasedmetal]

for my 63' I have the body and frame but no suspension. the 86' I'm looking at is pretty cheap and already has a 5.3LS swapped in and the guy drives it everyday. I figure I can buy the 86' and drive it for a bit while finishing the body work on my 63' then swap everything over.

[Turtleman]

If my memory serves me correctly you will need to brill bigger holes in the 63 cross member where the u bolts hold the lower 86 control arms on

He has a good memory,, if you use the 86 U-Bolts you'll have to enlarge the holes in the cross member for the larger bolts to fit..(easy to do)

[jonzcustomshop]

lucky I caught this one , it was moved to the suspension forum, and there is probably more 60-66 specific info in the 60-66 forum than the suspension area....
anyway I have used a couple 80's c/10's for 63-66 swaps.

don't bother switching out all the a arms etc..., just unbolt the 86 cross member and
roll the whole unit under the 63, you will have to drill a few holes, but most line up exactly.

you can also use the sway bar and mounts off the 86.

captain fab on this board has an adapter plate (and most importantly detailed instructions for mounting) for the 86's power steering box.

the rear axle will work, but need some fabrication... captain fab also makes angled axle mounting brackets to switch the axle from leaf spring to trailing arm. you will need to order or fab up a panhard bar link.
...or you could pull the spring hangars and springs off the 86 and switch to leaf spring if you wanted...

try to save the brake booster and power steering pump.

on one build that I did, I used the entire front brake lines/booster/proportioning valve/master cylinder setup off the 86.

the rear axle is about an inch wider than a 63, but this seems to be more of a problem for the stepside guys than the fleets.

if you are going automatic, save all the linkage I was able to keep mine column shift by using the 86 linkage and frame mount.

your original motor mounts will still work with the 86 cross member, but if you want to upgrade to late model side mounts like the 86 has you need to use the mount towers off of a 73-87 3/4 ton 2 wheel drive.- the 86 1/2 ton frame is about an inch taller than the 86 3/4 ton frame in the motor mount area. if you want to try to use the 86 1/2 ton mount towers, you either need to cut them down , or put a 1 inch spacer in between them and the frame

[Captainfab]

I agree with Jon. Since this is a running and driving truck, I would just swap the entire front suspension, crossmember and all. You'll just have to drill 1 hole on each side and elongate one hole on each side. Otherwise it will simply bolt right up under your '63. You can add the power steering box and steering linkage at the same time.

The '86 8.5" 10 bolt will be 1.5" wider than the 12 bolt under your '63. You will have to cut off the leaf spring perches and shock mounts. Then weld on a set of trailing arm mounts at the correct pinion angle and a panhard bar mount. Which panhard bar mount to use will depend on your desired ride height.

I do make the power steering box adapter plate, booster bracket and trailing arm mounts. In the not to distant future I will have a panhard bar mount.

[andrewmp6]

Does your 63 have the truck arms in the back or is it leaf springs?

[encasedmetal]

Originally Posted by andrewmp6

Does your 63 have the truck arms in the back or is it leaf springs?

leafs, and I have an extra 12 bolt leaf rear from an 84' in my garage too.

[andrewmp6]

Move the spring perches and shock mounts you should be ready to go with it.