Category: 
Day 12:
The first step for today was to have the new Moog ball joints press fit into the lower control arms. $40 later and we’re ready for some assembly.
I drilled the saddle holes for larger (9/16″) u-bolts from LMC Truck and test fit all four. Note the rivet in the center of the saddle in the photo above. This rivet is a key point of positioning and alignment for the lower control arms:
The hole in the lower A-Frame shaft assembly has to be lined up to fit the rivet in the base of the saddle to fully seat the assembly. This ensures that the A-Frame shaft assembly doesn’t rotate. An elegant piece of automotive engineering if you ask me!
Lower control arms (A-Frames) installed and torqued to 80 ft/lbs.
Upper control arms (A-Frames) installed and torqued to 70 ft/lbs.
Side note: All the original alignment shims were stacked in their re-installation positions on removal. Wire brush and steel wool cleanup of all the shims and nuts added a couple of hours to my slow assembly pace, but I hate the idea of re-installing parts with rust!
Upper ball joints bolted into place.
Hotchkis drop springs and Early Classic drop spindles installed (left and right sides pictured) for about 4-1/2″ lower ride while maintaining the original suspension geometry. Early Classic was selected for their spindle and disc brake conversion because they offered the option of keeping my original 6-lug wheel configuration.
Rear springs (also from Hotchkis) will be added to provide about 6″ drop in the rear height later.
Next steps: packing the new wheel bearings and installing seals, dust shield and disc brake calipers.
Bye, bye front drums!
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