question about control arms - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

snipescastle2 · 07-01-2016, 06:42 PM

Hello everyone! I just got back from the alignment shop, and I got quite a surprise....they told me they couldn't change the caster because I have "K" upper and lower control arms, they said they won't center the wheel in the wheel well, and if they were to try and change the caster, they would have needed a two inch thick stack of shims and longer studs, they ended up leaving the caster at 10 degrees. the passenger side looks worse than the drivers side.
A little info on the parts I used with the build....the chassis is a '67 and the upper A arms are off of a '69 C10, the lower control arms are off of a '71 C10, I used 2 1/2" drop spindles with 2" drop springs. the upper control arms are
Identical in appearance, right and left and appear to be straight, no hit parts, same for the lowers, only they are '71 lowers with the spindle stops and different bump stops. they tell me that I probably have control arms off of a suburban, but I somehow doubt this. here are a few pictures of my truck as it sets on the ground.....

as you can see, the passenger side tire/wheel is canted towards the rear of the fender/wheel opening, where as, the drivers side is centered in the wheel well. seems to me, if I had the wrong control arms, both sides would be the same issue.
I used all new ball joints, upper and lower for a '71, spindles for a '71 and new cross shaft bushing seals everything put back together as in the factory assembly manual.
Now, I doubt it could happen, but if I had the r/h upper control arm on the L/H side and -vs. Versa, would that do something similar to what I have here? I can't believe the left side isn't off as much as the right side, doesn't make and sense. here are the pictures;

If anyone has had a similar issue, please tell me what you did to correct it, might save me a lot of head scratching......

If there is a difference between 67' and 71'-72' lower control arms (besides the ball joints) please show me the difference, I know the '71-'72 lowers are different, that much I do know, not sure about the uppers.....
Thanks everyone!
Ben Smith

07-01-2016, 06:42 PM	#1
snipescastle2 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: WARRENSBURG,MISSOURI,64093 Posts: 1,518	question about control arms Hello everyone! I just got back from the alignment shop, and I got quite a surprise....they told me they couldn't change the caster because I have "K" upper and lower control arms, they said they won't center the wheel in the wheel well, and if they were to try and change the caster, they would have needed a two inch thick stack of shims and longer studs, they ended up leaving the caster at 10 degrees. the passenger side looks worse than the drivers side. A little info on the parts I used with the build....the chassis is a '67 and the upper A arms are off of a '69 C10, the lower control arms are off of a '71 C10, I used 2 1/2" drop spindles with 2" drop springs. the upper control arms are Identical in appearance, right and left and appear to be straight, no hit parts, same for the lowers, only they are '71 lowers with the spindle stops and different bump stops. they tell me that I probably have control arms off of a suburban, but I somehow doubt this. here are a few pictures of my truck as it sets on the ground..... as you can see, the passenger side tire/wheel is canted towards the rear of the fender/wheel opening, where as, the drivers side is centered in the wheel well. seems to me, if I had the wrong control arms, both sides would be the same issue. I used all new ball joints, upper and lower for a '71, spindles for a '71 and new cross shaft bushing seals everything put back together as in the factory assembly manual. Now, I doubt it could happen, but if I had the r/h upper control arm on the L/H side and -vs. Versa, would that do something similar to what I have here? I can't believe the left side isn't off as much as the right side, doesn't make and sense. here are the pictures; If anyone has had a similar issue, please tell me what you did to correct it, might save me a lot of head scratching...... If there is a difference between 67' and 71'-72' lower control arms (besides the ball joints) please show me the difference, I know the '71-'72 lowers are different, that much I do know, not sure about the uppers..... Thanks everyone! Ben Smith Attached Images __________________ "Persistence is the twin sister of Excellence.one is a matter of quality,the other, a matter of time" “Serious Black” my 1971 Short Bed Fleetside Sold to an outstanding man in Lees Summit,Mo. “Gone, but by no means,Forgotten” Last edited by snipescastle2; 07-01-2016 at 07:06 PM.



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