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Centerlinks, Ect.
Before generalizing, it's necessary to point out the oddball. The 67 idler arm. This one-year-only part must have been deemed either too weak, or too expensive to make and was replaced in 68. The centerlink side is the same as 68-72 arms, but the K-frame mounting is unique, making the 67 K-frame a one-year-only part as well.
 
Above are the 67 parts.
Since this idler is so rare, it's usually more than double the cost of the 68-up arm. If you're building a non-original car and need to rebuild the nose, it may be in your best interest to find a 68-up K and suspension to start with. Actually, there are a number of beefier parts in the 73-up suspensions that would make this a better starting point if you're changing parts anyway.
Aside from the idler arm and mounting point, all 67 parts are the same as 68-72, including the K. |
67-72 Linkage
 
Pictured are the 68-72 Pitman arm, Idler and Centerlink. Notice the different mounting on the K side of the idler.
One other note here about this idler. This arm is indeed used from 68-72, but for some reason, the bushing in the K side was changed for 71/72. Those two years use the 73-76 bushing. This matters not to you, since they'll both fit your K, but you can bet the parts store will ask you for a specific year car because of this.
Also notice the pitman and idler fit into the centerlink from the bottom, and the tie rod ends are positioned more horizontally.
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73-76 Linkage
| In 73, A-body front suspension was upgraded in a few ways. The bigger b-body balljoints were now employed. A heavier spindle now used b-body sized bearings as well. The pitman and idler arms were also changed to enter the centerlink from the top. The pitman arm is the same as the 73-up b-body item. |
 
Note that the pitman and idler pictured are fast ratio items. These were simply longer than the standard parts, and otherwise equal.
Notice the top-down mounting of the idler and pitman and the now vertical mounting of the inner tie rod ends.
Below, is a comparison. Bottom is a 68-72 dropped centerlink and on top is a 73-76 straight centerlink.
Notice the approximate inch of extra drop in the lower link. You can also see that the bend on the idler side is sharper, which is an attempt to clear the oil pan due to the OEM engine offset.
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Another item of interest is the difference in the lower balljoints. You can see the obvious increase in size of the 73-up balljoint. Also note the addition of the cast-in steering stop. You might notice that the casting is different, but stud itself is the same. This is why, although the late balljoint is needed for a brake conversion, the early lower control arm can stay.
 
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This is a comparison between the early and late
upper balljoints....Major difference.
To tell which one you have, the early balljoint has wrench flats
that measure 1 3/4". The late balljoint wrench flats measure
1 7/8.
You can also measure the studs to know what you have. Early ones are 7/16" threads and late ones are 9/16" threads.
The early upper balljoint can only be used in early applications, so for instance, if you know you have the early upper joint, then to do the late disk conversion, you'll know you need all the parts from a late car. If you find you already have the late upper balljoint, then all you need is a disk spindle. |
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