The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop '64 C10 front suspension pivot advice please

When changing a wheel recently on my '64 C10 I noticed that the front suspension upper arm is worn at the pivot (front edge) and can be moved by hand with the truck jacked up.

I don't have space to strip it and then wait for parts (from US to England!) but I guess I'll need a new 'control arm shaft and bushing' (eg Chevy Duty # 74-311) but I can't really tell whether the bush has gone or the mounting point has worn away. The truck has hard a hard life with minimal maintenance before I got it.

I'd appreciate any advice on:
* The likely cause of the problem (is it common?)
* How to remove/refit the suspension arm & bushes

I don't have a workshop manual so any advice at all will be appreciated.
Many thanks
Simon

The shop manual will be a big help on this and other repairs. I highly recommend getting one.

On your control arm shaft. I doubt if it has worn into the A frame. On the ends of the control arm shaft, there are bushings that screw into the A frame and are what wears. But you never know until you tear into things.

This is one of the jobs where I recommend a lot of part replacement. If you haven't considered, look into going to a disc brake setup. You can buy all new, or replace the entire front crossmember with one from a 73 to 80(?) truck. Jack up the engine, unbolt and replace the crossmember. The hard part for you would be getting a crossmember.

If you want to just fix what's there, I would replace all 4 control arm shafts, ball joints, tie rod ends, pittman and idler arms. also new rubber bump stops and the lower control arm shaft u-bolts, they rust a lot and become prone to break.

On my 69 I went with drop spindles and disc brakes from Early Classic, bought all of the suspension parts locally. I won't trust the made in Taiwan suspension parts, shelled out a few more bucks for Moog.

to do the 73 to 80 swap all you need to do is change out the control arms(A frames)to do this you will have to drill out the holes for the U bolts that hold the lower control arms on as the later ones are slightly larger diameter also you will need to install the later idler arm.the geometry is slightly different on the idler arms if you dont use the later one it can cam over and lock the steering all the way to one side.I learned all this the hard way.

Thanks for the advice. Finding a later model front isn't a viable option for me and its a working vehicle (not show) so I need to make good what's there.
I'll order a shop manual when I next get parts in from the US. Sounds like I need to spend some time under there checking the condition of the rest of the parts before I order.

Is there an exploded view of the front suspension on the internet anywhere??
Thanks Simon

Hello,
You might want to go to LMC trucks website and order their 60-66 catalog. Their prices are high but the illustrations are great and will give you a general idea of how things go together. There is no need to change the suspension or go to disc brakes on your 64 the susp. is basically the same as the 73-87 models. The drum brakes will stop you just fine as long as they are properly adjusted and you use common sense while driving. I have driven these trucks for 30 yrs and hauled some very heavy loads,often on bad roads and have never felt the brakes were dangerous. Just my 2 cents worth...Mike

My local parts store had them in stock for around $20, shaft & bushings. Have you someone here to mail you stuff? I mail my Dad coffee all the time, he lives in Cairo, can't stand the "Turkish" coffee there. Brian

Thanks for that I'll check out LMC.

Any advice on safe ways to dismantle the front end? Thanks

Set jackstands under the frame, just aft of the front end. If you're replacing the ball joints, unscrew the nuts most of the way and use a pickle fork. A jack under the lower A arm will help stabilize things. Books say to secure the spring with a chain down the center through both a arms. Two ways to remove the springs. If you replace the ball joints you can remove the coils that way. If you don't take the ball joints apart put a jack under the lower control shaft and undo the u-bolts. Slowly lower the jack.

Go ahead and inspect your a-arms before you order parts. If there are any large dings or nicks, you need to replace the a-arm. Small nicks can be smoothed out. The steel is a medium strength, and more prone to cracking than the frame.