i am converting from drum to disk on a 69 delta 88.
i bought a convertion kit from ssbc, kept stock height and it said would bolt right on.
well it doesnt, the spindles are short by 2 inches, meaning the distance between the ball joints
and the size of the tapered holes are to small for my original ball joints.

now my dilema, i can ream out the new spindle to fit the old bj, but the control arms will be closer together and i dont like that idea.

so can i get longer upper bj to compensate? and are these safe?

or can i leave the control arms closer together without any major conflict.

thanks
terry

 

Send it back. You do NOT want a shorter spindle that stock. That will completely screw up the camber change over the suspension travel, not to mention reducing suspension travel. The kit that they show on line doesn't even have spindles, so what did you buy, exactly?

 

Consider a fresh cut surface on the drums (or new if out of tolerance) and new high quality shoes made with today's lining material. This along with all new hardware and proper adjustment will greatly improve braking. You may forget about trying to convert to discs...if it's even possible on a 69, 88/98s

 

joe


I bought the a123-59 kit, I just emailed them to see what the problem may be.


if I buy tall ball joints for the top to make up the difference in spindle height that should work.
proforge I read is the best for this, any concerns on your part?


thanks
terry

 

If you check their website, that kit is shown as fitting the Cutlass line, not the Delta 88 or other full size cars. That's why the spindles are the wrong ones. The bolt pattern on the wheels will also be wrong (5 x 4.75" instead of the necessary 5 x 5"). Also, I don't think the D88 steering arms will bolt to those spindles - have you checked?

This is the wrong kit. Sorry. The kit for a Delta 88 is A129-13, which is the one I posted the photo of above.

 

Hi Terry
I've got a 1970 Delta 88 parts car with factory disc brakes. It would likely be several weeks before I could get them pulled. But if you could wait on this part of your restoration I'm pretty sure these would work for you. Joe might be able to verify the interchange for sure. John

 

Yes, the 65-70 spindles will interchange.

 

thanks guys for the info

joe my steering bracket will fit the new spindles and my car already had the 5x4.75 bolt pattern, is this period correct? thats why i ordered that kit for the same bolt pattern. is the 5x5 more common?

i have an engineer friend that works at gm in oshawa and he and i are figuring out a spacer for the upper ball joint and the computer simulator will tell us if it is safe or not.

thanks guys
terry

 

Sorry, but no it doesn't, unless someone redrilled the hubs. Every single Olds Delta 88 and 98 built in the 1969 model year came with the 5 x 5" bolt circle. Have you tried to see if one of the new rotors fits on one of your original wheels? Go ahead, we'll wait.

 

joe
i got this car used after 3 owners before me so somebody must have changed all 4 drums on it because the 4.75 pattern fits both hubs and wheels.

i guess im dealing with a mix match car, good thing i dont want all original then eh. just want the thing to be safe for the road

thanks
terry

 

There is a lot more to this than just changing drums. For example, the front wheel bearings are different on the A-body than the B-body, so you can't just put the A-body drums on. The 1964-66 Jetstar 88 was the only full size Olds that used the small bolt pattern. The 65-66 spindles are unique to the J88 and MAY have been swapped to this car. If so, simply put A-body rotors on the J88 spindles (they slide right on) and mod the A-body caliper brackets to fit. Much easier and safer that what you are proposing.

If your car didn't get the J88 spindles, then I would look long and hard at how this conversion was done. Does it look like the hubs and axle flanges were re-drilled? The A-body rear brakes were only 9.5" x 2". Your heavier car came with 11" by 2" rear brakes for a reason. Your safety, so you may want to investigate further.

 

the rear are 5x5 11 inch but fronts are 4.75, wtf, the hubs dont look to be modified.

i dont know what to think. i tried to run the vin number to atleast verify the car is what it claims to be but cant find any info on it. maybe you can verify for me
354679M385236
thanks
terry

 

Sounds like a prior owner swapped J88 spindles and hubs onto your car. Are the front drums 9.5" diameter?

 

lvnfld you are so lucky you found this site and Joe P

nowhere else can you get a thing like this ironed out.

 

3 = Oldsmobile Division
54 = Delta 88
67 = Convertible
9 = 1969 model year
M = Lansing, MI assembly plant
385236 = sequential serial number