Kevin likes to mark the spindle centerline on the floor whenever he does a front suspension swap, so he can make sure it stays the same with the new suspension. He's shown here using a plumb bob to compare the centerline on the frame with his original line on the floor.

These U-shaped brackets had to come off before the new crossmember could go on. Kevin first drilled the spot welds, then chiseled off the brackets.

The outside frame flanges also had to be trimmed for crossmember clearance. Kevin used a plasma cutter to make the rough cut, then cleaned it up with a grinder.

Before positioning the crossmember, Kevin cleaned paint and rust from the immediate area to ensure a good surface on which to weld.

The Heidt's crossmember was then jacked into place and positioned on the frame. A little grinding may be necessary for the crossmember to slide over the framerails, but the fit should be snug.

After double-checking measurements and making sure the crossmember was positioned squarely on the frame, Kevin added a few tack welds to hold it in place.

Measurements were taken from the front of the crossmember to determine spring tower placement.

Once the towers were properly positioned, they were tack welded to the frame. And yes, Kevin should have gloves on here.

After double checking his measurements, Kevin started final welding. It is possible to twist and distort frames, so Kevin alternated from side to side, welding one leg of a tower or crossmember, and then moving to another section on the other framerail to prevent too much heat concentration in one area. The spring towers are designed in a way to allow full welding access to the crossmember.

Kevin took a lunch break to allow the frame to cool...

...and then started in on the suspension assembly by bolting on the lower and upper control arms.

Installing full-length coil springs on a frame with no weight on it can be a challenge. We found the best solution was to run the center bolt of a spring compressor through the upper shock mount and compress the spring up into the hat. As always, extreme caution should be exercised when compressing springs, at least until you get the spindle secured to the balljoint studs.

This kit came with 11-inch GM-pattern brake rotors, which needed the bearing races changed before the bearings were packed and installed...

...There were also thin spacers (one for each side) that had to be slid on the spindles before installing the rotors. You can see that Kevin had installed the shocks at this point, too.

GM-style calipers, complete with pads and hardware, were part of the package.

The last parts to go on were the steering rack and tie rod ends...

...Alignment can be eyeballed at this point for rolling the car around, but will obviously need to be set after the drivetrain is installed and before any driving is done. Heidt's supplies recommendations for all necessary alignment specs.

What a difference a few hours can make. There are still plenty of supporting tasks to perform--like installing engine mounts and a steering column support, and building a steering shaft to connect the column and rack assembly--before taking things apart for detailing. But Ruben's Chevy is well on its way to being a better-handling, better-stopping, and easier-to-drive cruiser.