Ok, so last night my 85 GSL-SE took a nice bump to a front wheel.

I bent the control arm prety good and Im assuming the spindle, as the front brake rotor seems to drag as well.

Now my question is:

I know that the brake rotors are different..
But, if I strip down a control arm and strut tube from an 85 GSL,

Will all of my GSL-SE brake parts bolt up????
or does the GSL-SE have a different spindle / upper strut tube / etc?...

Thanks.

 

All 84 and 85 front strut tubes/spindles and wheel bearings are the same. Backing plates, caliper brackets, calipers and rotors are a bolt on swap between the different trim levels.

Takes a pretty hard "bump" to bend the spindle. In each of my 4 bump incidents the the LCA absorbed the damage.

 

I was really hoping that the caliper mounts would be the same but I guess Im SOL on that one...

Hopefully the caliper bracket is re-usable..

Crosses fingers...the workday is not movin too fast.
Cant wait to get home and tear into this sweet project!!!
haha

 

In my experience the spindles ARE weak. I keep bending them. Some people snap them off entirely. This is one reason why the FC spindles are a nice upgrade, but the swap is non-trivial. (You either need control arms modified to take an FC balljoint or 3/4 Heim, and lengthened tie-rods, or you need the entire FC subframe/steering assembly. Either way has its pluses and minuses)

The brake backing plate is just ~.100 plate steel. If it's bent, some quality time with a vise and a hammer will get it straight enough. On the other hand, I am trying to picture what it would take TO bend it... if the snout is bent enough to make the caliper go cockeyed, it will probably spring back when the caliper is removed.

 

Got her all fixed up.
She definately needs an alignment.. But at least its drivable again!!


Spindle definately got tweaked.