1974 charger suspension upgrade;

[1974steve]

So i am in the midst of restoring/ building up my 1974 Charger and i need some advice and opinions on the front suspension. i have the entire front end disassembled on my shop floor and i am not sure what in all i should do. My goal with this car is to build a burn notice "tribute" car but with much more performance capability, so here is what i had in mind....

~welding in gussets/ reinforcing the weak areas in the k member, especially in the steering gear mounting area
~welding in firm feel (ff) lower control arm reinforcement plates with all new lca bushings
~either ff tubular upper control arms or stock arms with urethane bushings
~ff hd adjustable strut rod or stock rods with urethane bushings
~ff solid k member mount and t-bar crossmember bushings
~Bilstein hd shocks
~ff hd c-body tie rod kit
~ff hd front sway bar
~ff stage 3 steering gear box
~ff 1.12 torsion bars
~ff roller bearing idler arm kit

now my dilema is that i see a number of people saying urethane bushings are no good and put more stress on the factory components, and the urethane doesnt hold up once installed into the car....anyone have any real first hand experience? should i just rebuild everything with hd moog rubber bushings? i dont really expect porsche handling out of my charger, but i would like it to be firmer and more predictable than stock. thanks in advance

 

[Mopar-Charger]

I have all urethane bushings on my 1973 charger. From the Factory rubber to the urethane, and the suspension is much more tighter. Wear on factory parts? I've had urethane for 3 years and no complaints.

I'd have to read up on what you listed, I have a pretty nice suspension now, car handles great for a daily + weekend racer. I could give you a list of what I have if you want.

What do you have for a power plant? What is your plan for a "performance" tribute?

Other guys know their suspension lingo, so they will help you much better! Just tell them what you want to do!

 

[1974steve]

i am open to hearing how your car is set up

my tribute will appear like the burn notice car from the outside save mine will have a black interior, and mine will also have some of the trim his didn't, like the fender turn indicators, wheel opening trim, drip rail trim, and mag 500 wheelin but in 15" diameter, not 14's...as for the performance, it will be powered by a moderately built 440/727 with ez efi and a few other upgrades along the way ;)

 

[Bb70charger500]

Your list looks pretty good .I always use energy suspension urethane bushings I've NEVER had any problems with them they make the cars suspension 100x better over stock . And for not a lot of money. You'll be very happy just doing that and maybe the idler arm and pitman arm upgrades to give you a better steering ratio. Also the big torsion bars .
Save your self the cash and go energy suspension urethane first and if you need more then go back and do it but you'll be happy unless your looking to autocross the car . Then I'd be looking for something other then a big old charger

Grease the crap out of the urethane or they will drive you insane once your back on the road
Also another thing you might want to think about is get yourself a earlier k frame so you can solid mount it instead of the kind that takes the bushings that adds a lot of play in your handling. Good luck hope this was helpful.

 

[Mopar-Charger]

Your list looks pretty good .I always use energy suspension urethane bushings I've NEVER had any problems with them they make the cars suspension 100x better over stock . And for not a lot of money. You'll be very happy just doing that and maybe the idler arm and pitman arm upgrades to give you a better steering ratio. Also the big torsion bars .
Save your self the cash and go energy suspension urethane first and if you need more then go back and do it but you'll be happy unless your looking to autocross the car . Then I'd be looking for something other then a big old charger

Grease the crap out of the urethane or they will drive you insane once your back on the road
Also another thing you might want to think about is get yourself a earlier k frame so you can solid mount it instead of the kind that takes the bushings that adds a lot of play in your handling. Good luck hope this was helpful.

He knows his chargers ^

My car, I have all urethane bushings, like he said 100x better.

Front Shocks - Check out Calvert racing shocks, they may be over kill but i love them.

My front end is lowered, so I have urethane bump stops too. Very soft under a 3,000+ lb body, but they're strong enough to keep the shocks from bottoming out. Works well with the lowered front while taking corners.

I have airshocks in the back with SS 5 leaf - springs

I've been building up my charger, the car is built for/to handle a big block. Yet i'm running a performance built 360. Big weight difference.

I love the look of the burn notice car, might be adding a 6 pack scoop myself! :headbang:

 

[1974steve]

He knows his chargers ^

My car, I have all urethane bushings, like he said 100x better.

Front Shocks - Check out Calvert racing shocks, they may be over kill but i love them.

My front end is lowered, so I have urethane bump stops too. Very soft under a 3,000+ lb body, but they're strong enough to keep the shocks from bottoming out. Works well with the lowered front while taking corners.

I have airshocks in the back with SS 5 leaf - springs

I've been building up my charger, the car is built for/to handle a big block. Yet i'm running a performance built 360. Big weight difference.

I love the look of the burn notice car, might be adding a 6 pack scoop myself! :headbang:

haha i was gonna do mine in sassy grass green or plum crazy, but then i watched the show on netflix and fell in love with the car...but i want 440 power and a black interior ('cuz white interior + 4 kids = bad idea/maintenance headache) BB70Charger500 has been an immense help already with my build, thanks for the seat pics by the way

 

[Bb70charger500]

No problem glad to help .

 

[1974steve]

so another question, i see on some other posts that many complain that their lca pivot pins dont fit right in the poly pushings, and that ff make "special" greasable pivot pins for use with poly bushings...did you guys use these or your factory pivot pins?

http://www.firmfeel.com/b_body_mopar_lower_control_arm_greasable_pins.html