upgrade 63 valiant suspension and brakes

[jcb5362]

I'm new to the forum and am having difficulty finding answers. I have a 63 valiant signet with 170 slant six and I want to upgrade suspension and engine. I've found a 79 duster with disk brakes and 225 super six engine. Will the front suspension swap into my 63? if not, can the duster disk brake fit on my 63 stock suspension? Lastly, I've found online that the 79 duster axel is about 3" wider than my 63. I'm afraid i'm not measuring accurately enough to be sure...it looks close.

 

[omahamoparguy]

a '79 duster is an "F" body, a '63 valiant is an "A" body (of course). You can use the spindle's of the '79 on the Valiant but there will be some issues. You will need some special adapters for the upper ball joints (or some '73-'76 A-body upper A-arms ). You may need different lower ball joints also. Also the '79 has a larger bolt pattern wheel used on it than the '63 which uses a small bolt pattern (4"). Yes you are correct that the rear end is wider by about 3 inches (NOT EXACTLY But I cant recall the exact specs for now) if you can get the rear to fit it would work maybe with the stock narrow rims. The suspension of the 2 cars is different but some of the parts can be made to work.

 

[omahamoparguy]

"Dr. Diff" has the ball joint adapters. Youll need the lower ball joints from a 73 dart/duster. I don't think the 79 lower ball joints will work. the orientation of the tie-rods is different. (this is all from memory so I am not all 100% sure on the lower ball joint). It will all bolt up when all the parts are acquired.

 

[mcnoople]

There is some debate as to whether or not the F-body spindle as correct for use on an A-body. Many people have done it without any problems, but you should do research and make your own choice.

I seem to recall that 63 and older a-bodies had a different front suspension than the later (64-66)cars.