The information, like the Chevelle Online Interchange Manual, has been abstracted from outside sources, and through my field experience. Some of the data might be incomplete, but send me an e-mail if there are pertinent data that would concern interchangeable parts. Note: some components and dimensions are shared by other GM vehicle production lines, like the Camaro/Firebird, X-car (Chevy II/Nova), and full size (Impala, Caprice, Bel Air, Biscayne)

Additions to the chassis page have been abstracted from "Inside '64 -- '72 A-Bodies", Car Craft, March 1998.

Note: internal components have a characteristic that is common to the housing used: 10 bolt pieces fit other 8.125" 10-bolt housings (the rearend used in Chevrolets), and 12-bolt pieces interchange with other 12-bolt housings (not the one from the Chevrolet pickup or Oldsmobile, which has a 12 bolt cover and a 10 bolt gear, which measures 8.3"). This means that a posi carrier will retrofit in place of a standard differential.

Axle shafts are common to the housing used, and due to the usual characteristics like overall length and spline count, the shafts only interchange with the housing that is used. (e.g. 12 bolt shafts fit other 12-bolts, and 10 bolt shafts fit other 10-bolts.)

Rear spring mounting pads differed, in which 1964-66 rearends used a flat pad with a hole drilled in the center. 1968-72 rearends have circular spring mounting pads, which are 3/4" higher that the early flat pad.

1967 was a transition year, in which A-cars might have a 1964-66 style rearend, a 1968-72 rearend (which is wider, and commonly available), or a "hybrid" rearend, which will have the 58.5" width, but with the early spring mounting pad and trailing arm brackets.

Rear upper control bushing eyes differ, and the positioning of the bushing eyes will differ. 1968-72 rearend housings will have a 3/8" forward positioning, which is farther that 1964-67 rearends.

1964 was the only year that the rearend bushing are small, and any upper trailing arm (from any GM division) will fit 1964 rearend housings.

1973-77 lower rear trailing arms will bolt in, if using either 1973-77 rear anti-sway bars, or 1977-96 B-car sway bars, common on vehicles like Cadillac limos and police-optioned Caprice 9C1s.

There are 201 1965 Chevelle SS 396s (RPO Z-16) had unique lower arms, which is a one-year item.

Upper trailing arms of 1964-67 vintage interchange, and they are 1" shorter, which will not fit into 1968-72 A-cars. 1968-72 A-cars have longer upper arms, and when switching upper arms, be careful here, in which the pinion nose angle might be affected. According to Inside '64 -- '72 A-Bodies, there are 10 different rear upper control arms offered. Other characteristics include clearance bulges, common with 12-bolt differentials in A-cars, and adjustable upper arms, optioned on Oldsmobile A-cars (F-85, Cutlass). 442s had boxed upper arms, and this is a sought-after item in a restoration.

On 1968-72 A-cars, like high-performance, 4-speed, and Monte Carlos/Grand Prixes, there is a triangulation brace bracket that is standard. This stiffens the chassis, and tubular versions are available from Edelbrock and Hotchkis Performance.

Note: the trailing arms fit either side, and this means that the left upper arm will fit on the right, and vice versa.

Note: the lower arms may differ, in case a replacement or factory mismatch are common when locating the correct lower arm for a restoration. The only problem with oval bushings is that the existing bushing cans will have to be reused, and aftermarket companies that use solid or Del-A-Lum (a Global West product) bushings as replacements might require locating a set of round bushing lower arms, either a 1.90" or 1.625".

FRONT SPRINGS

Note: 1964-67 front springs can be found on 1967-69 Camaros and 1968-74 Novas, but the spring rates will differ. 1968-72 A-body front springs are used on 1968-70 BOP full size cars, but the spring rates vary.

REAR SPRINGS

Another difference is that 1964-67 springs are pigtailed on one end only. 1968-72 rearends use a cup, and is flanged to hold the spring in place.

STEERING SUBSECTION (INCLUDES OEM SPINDLES)
TALL SPINDLE SUBSECTION
ENGINE MOUNTING SUBSECTION

Ford Motor Company had a frame design that was far more superior to the GM design, and the side frame rails are positioned outward. The entire frame, if looking underneath a 1960-64 Galaxie 500, is a modified ladder frame, and leaf springs were used at the rear. This design was the basis for what is to come: the perimeter frame.

The perimeter frame, an improvement of the ladder frame, which utilized an independent front suspension, was one major design of the A-car. A full, rectangular perimeter incorporated the emphasis on safety, like side impact collisions. Another design was the use of four trailing arms and coil springs, which resulted in a softer ride than a leaf springed car or truck. Imagine a Chevelle with the body off, and this is what the frame would look like. The year following the introduction of the GM A-body, other manufacturers like Ford incorporated this design, and the full size GM except the Buick Riviera used the "new" design.

Note: the rear trailing arms are different on the upper links, and they are bolted to the axleshaft. This is common with 1965-70 GM full size vehicles, and 1965-79 FoMoCo full size/1972-79 FoMoCo intermediates.

The four-link trailing arm suspension (from the GM A-car) was also incorporated on 1978-present Ford FOX-platform vehicles, and the 1985-97 Ford Aerostar minivan. Also, 1979-present Ford full-size vehicles (LTD, Crown Vic, Grand Marquis, and Town Car) had the GM-patented 4-link incorporated in their production vehicles.

Since the A-car line of General Motors was to be aimed at a different audience for car buyers not desiring a full size car or a compact, this is where the senior compact (a Buick term) or midsize came into play.

*1964-67 A-bodies used the same frame design, but different models and bodystyles utilized various body mounting, while all frames had a 115 inch wheelbase, which is similar to the 1955-57 Chevrolet.

*1968-72 frames had two different wheelbases, a 116 and 112 inch wheelbase. Sedans , station wagons, and utilities like the El Camino used a 116 inch frame, and the frame is interchangeable, except that the sedan had non-boxed rails.

7/15/99 update:  Here's a frame supplement link, recently abstracted from Chevelle Tech.

The hardtop and convertible used a 112 inch wheelbase version, and all models except for Pontiac 455 powered hardtops and convertibles interchange. The convertible utilised a boxed design, for added strength.

1969-72 Grand Prixs and 1970 Monte Carlos used a modified hardtop frame, and the only design difference is the movement of the front wheels four inches forward of the traditional front wheel position on the hardtop and convertible. The engine and tranny position remained at the same place, but the mass of the components resulted in the engine and tranny combo behind the front wheels. The frame's wheelbase dimensions measure 116 inches, and this frame design is exclusive to the Grand Prix or Monte Carlo.

The 1969-72 Grand Prix was designated as a "G" body by the Fisher Body division, but A-car suspension components are used. The Monte Carlo was designated as the "A-Special" series, and the official use of the G-car designation was in 1982.

Today, only Ford Motor Company still manufactures full perimeter framed cars, and GM has phased out production in 1996 of the traditional, full perimeter, rear wheel drive family sedans, hearses, and limosuines. It seems that everyone is drawn to the sport utility and front wheel drives, since this was a corporate decision that GM has done to boost sales.

Copyright 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 LSC Publications/LSCSETX (c/o DON SERIBUTRA). All Rights Reserved. This page will continue to evolve if any pertinent information is detrimental to the restoration of the GM A-body.