1960 Chevy Apache Upgrades

[rilos61]

My 61 apache is torsion bar suspension i.e. ifs. in the front when i swaped my drums out i ordered the cpp kit with drop spindles and springs for the rear. it just lowers the truck retains stock or better ride. it actually stops. Do you not have independent suspension in the front? Or is it 4x4. if so you need to find out what your front axle is.

[markeb01]

Hi guys, a few more bits of information regarding the 60-62 front suspension swap - as long as you're dealing with a 2wd truck, any 73-87 with disc brakes with fit. At least two of the 1960 frame holes line up with the later crossmember. The other mounting holes are easily drilled. By replacing the entire crossmember all of the early (expensive) control arm bushings are eliminated. I swapped a 1978 suspension into my 60. Once the 60 crossmember was removed and the frame stripped, I made manila file folder templates from the 78 frame rails and drilled for the later idler arm/steering linkage along with the holes for the later rubber brake hoses. This puts the later steering linkage in the correct orientation and eliminates the need for the expensive early parts and custom tie rod adapters.
The 1960-62 upper shock mounts will also have to be moved back to a different angle. On mine, the mounting welds were easily cut with a Dremel tool and cutoff wheel. I leveled the suspension, moved the shocks through their full travel and mounted the upper brackets midway through their travel. My brackets had mounting holes predrilled from the factory, so I simply mounted them on with grade 8 bolts.
One more point, somewhere between 1978 and 1983 the spindles were changed. The 78 spindles/rotors are longer and the 1983 spindles are shorter (they don't stick out as far). This was a problem in my initial swap since I was running rally wheels with the police caps and they wouldn't fit without flattening the dust caps. Had I used the 83 spindles this wouldn't have been a problem. (I happened to own an 83 at the time for comparison and was disappointed I hadn't just bought the later spindles). Just something to consider if this matters to your installation.
One last thought, if you have a GMC check your rear axle before swapping it out as most were Dana 44's. I had my axles plugged and redrilled since the Dana 44 remains very popular with many axle ratios available. I simply used later Chevy 5x5 bolt pattern finned drums which bolted right up.
Regards, M.

[markeb01]

One last follow up - to clarify regarding the midway travel of the front shocks - I'm talking about movement from front to rear of the vehicle, not the up and down travel of the shock. There is quite a bit of play from the lower bushing and the shock needs to be aligned in the center of the range to eliminate binding.

[bigrichard]

I know this entry is rather late. I have a 1960 and swapped out the front end with a 75. In my research, I discovered I won't be able to use the 75 booster unless I adapt my clutch pedal and install a separate slave cylinder. I have the SM420 with a hydrolic clutch. This means I'll have to cut a new hole in the firewall. If anyone knows a simpler way, I'm open to suggestions. I am going to open a new thread on this problem.