1966 Impala Suspension Question

[blehman]

I am in the process of doing a frame off restoration of a 66 Impala SS convertible. I am restoring the car as it was originally equipped, with one exception. I would like to install front power disc brakes. I could buy a conversion kit, but I would prefer to use GM original parts. The 66 was not available with power disc brakes, however, the 67/68 Impala's were available with front disc brakes.

Years ago I pulled the spindles, rotors, calipers and master brake cylinder from a 68 Caprice. I have found I will need to use the 68 spindles, but the 66 ball joints are the same as a 68. Also the inner tie rods have the same PN, but it appears the remaining suspension PN's are different. I have found the 68 center link and the idler arm are different from the 66 center link and idler arm. Also the 68 idler arm will not bolt up to the 66 frame.

If any knows if the 66 steering suspension can be used with the 68 disc plate spindle, I would appreciate some feed back.

Thanks you,

Sincerely,

Brian Lehman
Hales Corners (Milwaukee), WI
Home email [email protected]
Work email [email protected]

[bobss396]

The '66 idler arm passes through the frame while the '68 bolts to ther inside of it. I would just keep the '66 idler, centerlink and pitman arm as is. You should have enough adustment with either of the inner tie rod combinations.

[blehman]

Originally Posted by bobss396

The '66 idler arm passes through the frame while the '68 bolts to ther inside of it. I would just keep the '66 idler, centerlink and pitman arm as is. You should have enough adustment with either of the inner tie rod combinations.

Thanks for your reply.

Since I posted this question, I have found as you indicated I should use all of the 66 steering linkage with the 68 spindles. I am also planning on using the 66 outer tie rod bracket which bolts up to the spindle to have the complete 66 steering linkage. The only issue I see now is this bracket is shorter than the 68 bracket. I am going to dry fit of the 68 spindles with the 66 steering linkage to see if there is any interferance issues.

Thanks again for the feedabck!

[bobss396]

I think that you should be ok with anything from '65-68 fitting. I used to swap parts around from year to year myself. The front struts are the same, as are the upper and lower control arms.

If you need any tips on alignment work, just shout. I was in the business for years and have owned a lot of old Chevys like yours.

Bob

[lxndr]

I used '69 Impala discs on my '65, just bolted the '69 spindles on without any problems.

[blehman]

That is good to hear. I did a dry fit of the 68 spindles with my 66 steering linkage and it looks like there are no interferences.

Thanks for the info!!

[blehman]

Originally Posted by blehman

That is good to hear. I did a dry fit of the 68 spindles with my 66 steering linkage and it looks like there are no interferences.

Thanks for the info!!

For those who may want to do a similar conversion here is what I found out. The 68 spindles, rotors and calipers bolted up fine to the 66 steering linkage. I did have to use the 66 backet which bolts up the the spindle and outer tie rod.

However, I was disapointed to find that the 66 14" rims will not fit. I can use 15" rim, but I will not be able to use the original 66 SS hubcaps. Although I plan on having mags. I would like to have the option to put the orginal rims on with the SS hubcaps.

At this point I am going to look into 14" offset rims or go with a disc brake conversion kit which allows use of 14" rims.

[maxwedge]

Just finished a ground up resto on a 65 Imp ss Conv., 2 years of torture, tied up my shop but good, anyway a 1/4 inch wheel spacer behind the wheels may clear the calipers. Watch lug nut depth engagement though.

[bobss396]

The 14" ralleys might clear the calipers, they would know at The Paddock or Sinclairs for sure. The stock caps might fit those or look for stock Chevelle or other '68-'75 disc brake wheels. Any older junk yard should have them, or maybe a motor head buddy can loan you one for a test fit.

Bob.

[ChaceR]

General Motors has been served with a class-action lawsuit. The litigation originates from users of 2007 and 2008 Impalas. The case claims that faulty rear spindle rods are causing tires to wear too easily. In 2008 GM addressed the problem for Impalas sold as law enforcement cars, but not to consumer car owners. General Motors could hand out millions if the lawsuit works.A lawsuit claims that this company treated the police better than it did average citizens when taking care of a defective part in 2007 and 2008 Chevrolet Impalas.The lawsuit alleges that Impalas from the two model years have defective spindle rods, which connect the suspension to the rear wheels. The defect causes the wheels to misalign, which makes the tires wear out faster. The tires could also wear out unevenly, increasing the risk of a blowout. There were at least 30 drivers who have sent complaints about the issue to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.While none has reported an accident or injury related to the problem, several drivers said the rear of the car tends to swing out, especially when driving on snow or ice.I found this here: GM faces class action lawsuits over excessive tire wear

[maxwedge]

Interesting info, but this thread is a dead 5 and a 1/2 year old issue. Please look at the dates bbefore posting or start a new thread, thanks.