Mix and match front end parts?

[68F100]

So, I'm in the process of unbolting my donor '77 front end, and I start to wonder if I can use the 77 I beam assemblies with the 68's radius arms.

The 77 radius arms are pretty nasty rusty, but my 68's are still nice. Also, I'm having one hell of a time getting the nuts off the 77 radius arms because of rust. I'm going to borrow an impact because I can't get them with my breaker bar. Just wondering if I snap one off if I'm screwed.

[FORDification]

No, you can mix and match the radius arms. Other than the '73-up being stamped steel and the '72-older being forged steel, there isn't any major differences. They're the same dimensions. The nice thing about the newer radius arms is the bolt-on shock mount, as opposed to ours that is riveted in. If you don't mind a little work (and they're still salvagable), I'd suggest trying to save the front shock mounts from the newer arms and bolting them on the older ones. Makes it much easier to replace if they should break.