Need some help on '64 Galaxie front suspension '

[billtroth]

I got a good deal on a set of tubular control arms for my '64 Galaxie but the holes in the stock upper arm cross shaft are 5.5" C to C and so the holes in the frame are 5.5" C to C. and the tubular shaft is 6" C to C.   The 6" dimension on tubular shafts seems to be the most common .  The person I bought them from told me this and said he planned to just grind the frame holes out to fit but I am a little leery of doing this.  On the stock system the bolts are a press fit into the frame and I think they have to be pretty accurate to maintain from alignment. Does anyone know if anybody makes shaft with the correct stock 5.5" spacing?   Another option is to weld over the holes in the frame and re-drill them but that is a lot of work and tricky to keep exact.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Bill

[Katz427]

I had to think about this Bill..the bolts should be pressed into the cross shaft not the frame. I was on the crew for a 64 Ford oval track car and remember the bolts were a little loose going into the frame holes so one could shim the upper A frame to the desired alignment. There was a Holman Moody A frame on the right front with more caster built in. I would slot the holes to just fit the new bolt spacing then check the caster and shim from there to dial the alignment in.

[billtroth]

[Thanks for your reply.  On my stock '64 Galaxie there is a stamped steel ( about 1/8" thick) riveted to the frame.  Attached is a picture of the stock flange.  1/2" shoulder bolts are pressed into the flange from the motor side and the stock, cast cross shaft is slip fit to the bolts.  Shims are inserted between the flange and the shaft to adjust alignment.  A picture of the stock and the new tubular cross shafts is attached.

Since my first post, I have discovered that, not only is the center to center distance a problem, but the bottom of the tubular cross shaft hits the bulge in the flange because the stock cross shaft is "bowed" to clear it.

Thanks again and I hope this makes my problem a little clearer.

[Katz427]

Hi Bill...is that arm from Gearhead? I know they were making them before they closed shop. They had their problems but I never knew anyone who used the control arms to tell if the geometry was correct. I guess that you could get a machine shop to make new cross shafts to your specs. I remember those old galaxies were pretty damn tough.

[Nightmist66]

How about slotting the new control arm shaft to original c-c distance?  Would it take much to clearance the new arm for the bump in the frame, without making the new control arm shaft too thin?