mzungusam

Hey all,

I have a 1972 Cutlass Supreme and the suspension is pretty warn down so I thought I would just buy a tubular upper \ lower assembly from Jegs. I got all the new equipment installed only to find the spindle does not fit properly over the new LOWER ball joint. I found a casting number on the spindle is "329353"

Anyone know what type of vehicle these are from or know how I can hunt this info down (if possible)?

I tried Moog k5103 ball joint but that did not work either. It is about the right length but is a little too thick and would not protrude out enough to get the castle nut all the way down. I am at a loss as to what ball joint I am going to use with these spindles, possibly going to purchase new spindle \ calipers \ rotors if I need to but would prefer to use what I have. The old ball joints are not an option at this point.

Thanks!

joe_padavano

329353 is a 1970-up Camaro and 1973-up A-body spindle. Someone incorrectly converted your car to disc brakes using these spindles. The ball joint taper is different, which is why they don't fit. I'm assuming your current ball joints were ordered for a 1972 Cutlass.

These later model spindles have integral steering arms and caliper mounts. The steering arms are in the wrong place for your car and will cause bump steer. The proper solution is to get the correct 1964-72 spindles, steering arms, and caliper brackets.

Note that the late model spindles have different tapers in all three holes (lower ball joint, upper ball joint, and tie rod end). Using these spindles requires swapping to the matching later model ball joints and outer tie rod end. Failure to do so is a big safety risk; using the non-matching ball joints or tie rod ends will overload the improperly fitting taper and can lead to breakage. Of course, this still doesn't fix the bump steer problem.

mzungusam

Spot on for my spindle description. Thanks Joe that helps a bunch.

Do you have any idea if a 1973-up A-body lower \ upper a arm setup would bolt in my 72 and work with these spindles? Probably a ludicrous question...

joe_padavano

Sorry, not even close. Even that won't fix the bump steer, which is a function of where the center link, steering box, and idler arm are in relation to the steering arms.