Lower control arm cross shaft compatibility
 

I'm in the process of rebuilding/upgrading the suspension on my '68 c20 right now and I have a question about the lower control arm cross shafts. I bought a complete subframe from a 73-87 squarebody to do a disc brake swap/5 lug conversion, but damaged the lower control arm cross shafts while trying to remove them for a bushing replacement.

The question - do the 67-72 cross shafts with metal bushings fit into the squarebody control arms that previously had rubber bushings? For some reason new 67-72 cross shafts are astronomically cheaper than the squarebody equivalent.

If they don't fit, I'll have to hunt down another set of 1/2 ton lower control arms since new cross shafts for 73-87 are just as expensive as an entire control arm.

Any help would appreciated!

Re: Lower control arm cross shaft compatibility
 

TRW Automotive JRK1013 Suspension Control Arm Shaft Kit for Chevrolet C10: 1975-1986 and other applications Front Lower $70.35 on Amazon

Re: Lower control arm cross shaft compatibility
 

While either application can be swapped for one another w/the right parts combo, these shafts do not interchange. The 63-72 shafts utilize threaded/screw-on rubber-lined steel bushings & the 73-87 utilize press in rubber-bushed shells. Two different shafts are used for the two different style set-ups.

Re: Lower control arm cross shaft compatibility
 

Thanks for the reply, I did suspect this was the case after finally getting the 73-87 lowers torn down and seeing that the outer bushing sleeve is definitely different than the 63-72 threaded ones.
After doing a little more digging I was able to find cross shaft assemblies on LMC for around $45 a piece instead of the $75+ I was seeing everywhere else.

Another lesson learned, the ol BFH is not always the proper tool for the job. Especially when the replacement parts aren't as cheap as I thought haha