Just trying to get some simple straight answers or links in one thread about using drop spindles on a 78 pickup(and secondary newer brake assy.)

I've read the spindles are the same in 79-83 as the 76-78 just swapped left to right for the steering behind the spindle.

I've read that people have used the drop spindles from 84-..95? on the 79-83.. so why not use the drop spindles on the 76-78 pickups on opposite sides?

I understand the 79+ use the torsion bar suspension and the 76-78 use control arms so that won't swap. I glanced at the upper control arm on the 76-78 and the mounting holes (cross shaft?) are closer together than on the 84+(not sure on 79-83)so you can't use the uppers Either.

I had an 82 2wd truck that got scrapped a few years ago and I kept some of the suspension parts I collected. Now I want to put them on my new 78 project if possible. But trying to do as much research before so I don't waste limited time checking and money on maintenance parts for the stuff that won't work if someone has already tried. I still have 84+ DJM drop lower control arms, 84+ drop spindles, stock 84+ upper control arms and nib 84+ ball joints.

 

72-78 suspensions are completely different than 79+.

79-83 i think can use the newer parts flipped left to right.

 

Yea. I understand the 79-83 uses a tension rod control arm combo like but not the same as 84+, the 79-83 lower control arm is shorter than the 84+. And the 72-78 uses a one piece lower control arms.. not sure on lengths. And the upper control arms have different mounts for the bolts on the 72-78 so canmot be swapped. I believe the 79-83 has the same mounting as 84+ but different length arms so can be swapped but heavily shimmed for alignment.

But I was under the impression the spindles on 72-78 were the same as the 79-83. Just reversed for rear steering.. though It doea look like the taper for the lower ball joint is upside down between 84+ and thw 72-78. As in the ball joint bolts in from above on the 72-78 and ball joint bolts in from below on the 84+ still looking for pictures of the 79-83

the theory is to mount the ball joint upside down.. so it goes into the spindle from the bottom if i can literally flip it. Or weld the ball joint mount from my djm control arms onto my stock control arms. For the newer style ball joint. Which is in the matching orientation to the spindles.

Is that what is done for the 79-83 guys running the 84+ suspension or is that the unspokence difference is the taper/direction of the ball joint?

 

So.. finally got some time to see if this would work. Apparently the 90's spindle can bolt on the 72-28 control arms. With very little modification. Had to cut the tip of the control arm in order to do a ball joint flip. Used the 90's lower ball joint, just in case the opposing force would rip apart the 70's ball joint meant for compression.(don't know if that is a legit concern or not). I had to drill the mounting holes out to fit the larger bolts used on the newer lower ball joints, but its the same bolt pattern on the lowers for newer ball joints. Biggest issue so far is that the steering arm taper is upside down(would put the tie rod end above the arm instead of below it). I havent figured out which way I will fix this yet. I have the subframe removed from the truck so maybe it wont be an issue to run them on top, but probably will need to put them below for better angles. There are some different tie rod end flip options, rheeming, or mini heims and bolts.. I've only been googling a few minutes now. Pictures are too large to upload. I will try to check in during this process, instead of a few years later. If someone else wants to upload pictures I have so far send me an email at. .... TheDentMedics @ gmail . com

-Ben

 

There is a thread on here about it. The main concern is caster angle or something with the newer spindles flip. Could lead to catastrophic failure. I can link it if I can find it.

 

Good food for thought. Link would be awesome. I will keep that in mind to check when I get it on the truck, I would assume it would be a death wobble issue if the caster isnt right. I have one drop spindle set in place and the other side still stock waiting to cut the spring buckets for air bags. I will look a little closer while i have them side by side tomorrow.

 

well after hours of searching i cant find it. If i ever do again ill post it here.

 

You can always downgrade your pics to make them 2mbs. You should get them up. If this works it ill be a great upgrade for people to do to these trucks.

 

So I got the photos from Jackash002 and resized them but I'm still pretty new to these suspensions so if I could get help understanding them. So the first pick I'm assuming is of the stock configuration of the 76-78. The 2nd and 3rd photos are of the the flipped bottom ball-joint and how he resized the hole to mount the 84-89 ones. the fourth photo I assume is of the 84-89 spindle but I'm not sure if its stock or a drop spindles. It also looks like because the ball-joint is flipped its spreading the control arms more

 

So the upper BJ fits just fine in the spindle? This is actually really good info and much appreciated

 

Well i think he is using the original 76-78 upper control arm with the original ball-joint

 

They are drop spindles.
My ballpark caster guess was around 3° positive on the new spindles. Measuring was by leveling the subframe and an angle finder to a piece of metal held against the threads of the ball joints where I guessed my ride height would be. I think it was around 3-5.5" ground clearance, under the cab section of frame. The lower the truck, the more positive the caster was (with my sketchy measuring.. ) as the upper control arm sweeps backwards in compression.
Edit:
For now I'm planning to pocket the lower control arms instead of raising the ball joint mount. I pie cut the upper control arms. I dont know yet if I will need to do the lowers or not. With the bad angle the newer ball joints have , I might need to. I also notched the frame an inch where the subframe mounts.. because I have a problem keeping things simple or not doing a little extra when digging into stuff. Will update when its together and not just mocking stuff up.

 

I plated the bottom of the control arms to pocket them. Threw the tire on there [with the ball joint mounted on top side of the control arm(ball joint flip)]. The lower control arm has some interference with my steel 16" wheel at 3" of ground clearance and lower. Gets better the more lift there is. Could be cut some more on the bottom corner where it touches.. or maybe shaving a little off the edge of the ball joint to see if it could be mounted to the underside like stock. The newer ball joint body is a little wider then the underside of the ball joint shoulder is a little too wide. When I get the parts home again and have a measuring caliper handy, I will see how much would need to be shaved to fit the underside, to see if it would need too much material removed. Of course.. bigger wheels would help.

 

I see an airbag! Can we get some more pics of that?

 

Im thinking about doing the same with my rn28. But i am curious about the ball joint flip and opposing forces, just wondering if you have had any issues. Also its my daily driver

 

While spindles from 84-95 trucks may fit 79-83 models, applying them to 76-78 pickups is challenging due to differences in upper control arm mountings. The control arm spacing and geometry vary. Using 84+ DJM drop lower control arms, spindles, and upper control arms won't work on a 76-78 due to these differences. Stick to parts designed for your 76-78 model or explore custom fabrication options. Be cautious about compatibility, considering the specific suspension configurations in each model year. Consult truck forums or experts for firsthand experiences or tailored advice before investing time and money in your 78 project.