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By Matt Emery
Courtesy of
Classic Trucks Magazine
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The El
Camino Store
Drops and Stops a Classic El
Camino
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| Part 1 Lowering the front end and
installing disc brakes. |
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While there are many companies
out there that supply trick suspension hardware for
enthusiasts of mid-fifties Fords and Chevys, you
might think that the classic El Camino owner has been
forgotten. Wrong! The El Camino Store of Goleta,
California, can give the Elky owner that
down-in-the-dumps feeling and the reliable stopping
power of disc brakes with their two-inch lowered
spindle and disc brake combination kit. In addition,
The El Camino Store has the brake booster/master
cylinder to match.
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For those who feel their Elkys could
benefit from new bushings, ball joints and tie rod
ends, The El Camino Store also carries urethane
bushings that fit the stock sway bar Installing this
hardware is the same for most Chevy trucks. The fact
that the control arms and cross shafts are designed
to fit one way is not unique, but it is best to note
how they are constructed before you disassemble them
(a Polaroid camera works well), because this will aid
with re-assembly later. In part one, we will follow
along as the crew disassembles
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the front end and installs the
new bushings and ball joints, the drop
spindle/disc brakes and the new coil
springs. Next month we will get into the disassembly
of the rearend and the installation of the tailing
arm bushings, drop springs and Panhard bar. With that
done, the final step will be installing the
booster/master cylinder and brake line kit. These
kits, whether used together or individually, are a
must for the classic El Camino owner, especially
those who want the added safety factor provided by
the disc brake kit.
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The disc brake/drop spindle kit
from The El Camino Store comes with adapters and
brake lines.
All the bushings, ball joints
and tie rod ends come straight from the The El Camino
Store catalog.
The El Camino Store also carries
the urethane bushings for the stock sway
bar.
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With the truck sitting securely
on jack stands, the shocks and brake lines have been
disconnected and removed. The tie rod ends have also
been disconnected.
A floor jack has been placed under the
lower arm and raised enough so there is slight
pressure on the spring. The nuts on the ball joints
are loosened to the last few threads but not
removed.
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The lower nut is removed and the
floor jack is lowered just enough to remove the
spindle from the lower ball
joint. Do not lower the floor jack too much at this
point, or you might eat the spring. Remove the upper
nut and then the spindle. The only piece that will be
re-used is the steering arm, which is bolted
to the spindle. It will be
removed, cleaned and inspected before going back on
the new drop spindles.
With the jack lowered slightly to take
pressure off the spring, a few sharp blows to the
spindle are usually all that is required to separate
the spindle from the ball joints.
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With the spindle removed, gently
lower the floor jack and remove the
spring.
There is a definite "front and
back" and "side to side" when it comes to the upper
and lower arms on the El Camino, so note the location
prior to removing them. Better yet, take a Polaroid
of the setup before you disassemble
it.
An air chisel is used to remove the
pressed-in bushings, but the old fashioned hammer and
chisel will also work. These shells are not going to be
re-used, so it is not necessary to be too careful with
them. However, be careful not to damage the cross
shaft.
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If the ball joints on the upper
arm are riveted in place, it means they are stock.
The chisel is used to remove the heads, and a grinder
and a punch will drive out the rest of the
rivet.
The process of stripping the lower arm
is the same as that for the upper, except that the ball
joint is bolted in. Once the arms are stripped, they will
be sandblasted and checked for cracks or other damage
before being painted and readied for the new
parts.
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Installing the new bushings is
fairly straight-forward. (A) They are first
disassembled, and then the shells are heavily
greased. (8) They are then driven in with a bushing
attachment on the air hammer. A socket and hammer
will work, but the shell has to be completely seated
in the arm.
The insert is made of a poly
graphite, so it must be greased with the supplied
silicone-based lubricant. It is inserted into the
shell along with the inner sleeve.
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When installing the cross shaft in
the lower control arm, be sure it is facing the correct
way. There is definitely a right and wrong way to install
it. The cross shaft has a flat side that
must be installed against the frame; the
two mounting holes go to the front.
(A) The ball joint is installed with
two side bolts and a nut on the main shaft. (B) One of
the bolts acts as a steering
stop, and it goes to the rear of the arm. A new
polyurethane bump stop replaced the old rubber unit, so
it was necessary to drill an additional hole in the
arm.
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Now to the upper control arm. The
cross shaft and bushings have already been installed, so
the next step is to install the upper ball joint
adapter. (A) The stock
holes are drilled out and (B) the
adapter is bolted in place. (C) The adapter is necessary
to properly align the caster.
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With that, it is simply a matter of
bolting the arms back up to the truck.
It is necessary to collapse the coil
spring using a spring compressor tool before you
can install it.
The spring is set in place and the
arm is raised slightly using the floor jack. The spring
tool is removed through the shock hole.
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The spindle is placed on the lower
ball joint, and the nut is threaded onto the first
few threads. (A) The floor jack
is then raised, the top of the spindle is set in place,
and the nut is applied. (B) The nuts are then tightened
down.
The stock steering arm, which has
been cleaned and inspected, is bolted onto the
spindle
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With the spindle in place, (A) the
wheel bearings in the rotor are greased up, (B) and
the rotor and caliper are
installed on the spindle.
The adjustable Doetsch Tech shocks
are set on the firmest setting and then
installed.
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Now is the time to fully grease the
ball joints and tie rod ends.
New tie rods are also part of
this rebuild/upgrade and are
bolted in place.
Because the Chevy had a stock sway
bar, the old rubber bushings were replaced with new
urethane bushings.
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Part 2 Lowering the
rear end
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Part two will concentrate on
refurbishing the rear suspension and installing one of
The El Camino Store adjustable Panhard bars, as well as
their lowered springs, new bushings and a set of Doetsch
Tech shocks. And last but certainly not least, the
addition of the front disc brakes required that a new
power assisted master cylinder be added. The stock
unit was a single reservoir design that had a hard time
with the stock drums, let alone the new
discs.
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The El Camino Store also
carries pre-bent stainless steel brake lines for a
variety of vehicles, so naturally a kit was installed
too. While there are not as
many pieces to remove and replace as with the front end,
disassembling the back half of this project possesses a
few quirks of its own. For instance, the rear suspension
on the '59 Elky is a 3-link configuration. A what, you
ask? You've heard of 4-link, and trailing arms such as on
later Chevy trucks, but what is a 3-link?
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Well, this suspension consists of
short trailing arms, and a single upper arm that is
connected to the right of the pumpkin, and runs to a
frame mount lust below the bed. The Chevy also came stock
with a non-adiustable Panhard bar (which was bent), so
the rearend was hooked up, it's just a little different
than the usual. The El
Camino Store has a complete line of parts for your
classic Elky.
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The El Camino Store offers this power
booster/master cylinder that is designed to work with the
front disc brakes installed in part 1 above. Also
available are stainless steel brake lines that are pre
bent and ready to install.
With the truck securely up on jack
stands, the dismantling began. The Panhard bar is removed
and the upper link will be next. The floor jack was used
to take pressure off, but a punch was still needed to
remove the bolts.
By gently lowering the jack, the
springs are easily removed.
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The lower shock mount
also acts as the lower
trailing arm mount. Again, a
punch may be needed to dislodge the
assembly.
In their infinite wisdom,
Chevrolet decided to
use two styles of bushings on the
trailing arms. One style is the standard
shell type, and the other
is vulcanized to the arm.
The shell type is
removed in the same
fashion as the front a-arm
bushings were: drive out the center
sleeve and use an air
chisel to drive out the
shell.
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The vulcanized type is a little more
difficult to remove. A welder's torch is used to heat the rubber bushing, which can
then be pushed out with a
screwdriver. One thing to be aware of is the odd fact
that when the torch is heating
the rubber, the metal inner sleeve will launch out of the
bushing with surprising force, so be careful with your
legs and feet. This is also a job to be done outside, or
your garage will smell really bad.
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After that it is simply a matter of
re-assembling the components. The
use of Loctite is recommended.
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A pair of adjustable Doetsch
Tech shocks are set on their
firmest setting and then
installed.
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When installing the Panhard bar,
careful measurements are taken to ensure the rearend is
centered. The bushings are also well
greased.
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The El Camino Store installed this
new power booster/master cylinder that comes
complete with the correct
valveing mated to the demands of the new disc brake
system. Vacuum was taken from the
center carb. This is not an option as the stock single
chamber master cylinder was barely able to stop
the truck when it had drum
brakes, but will have no chance with the new front discs
in place.
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The completed job.
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orders@elcaminostore.com
customerservice@elcaminostore.com
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