K FRAME UP GRADE

[Stucat]

Good morning all. I am rebuilding the front and rear suspension on a 69 charger. I don't have all the original parts, need steering box, spindles, have rebuilt 4 piston calipers and rotors, but still need then mounting parts and bolts. also need a rebuild kit, ball joints ect. On rear have a Dana all apart, no brakes for rear either. need shocks for front and rear. Here's what I am thinking. Looks like I could spend $3500 /4000 on front and $1200.00 on rear.Would have the stock style setup with better brakes. Ok my question is I am thinking of spending going with a new k frame setup, Alterkation ,QA 1? looking for comments, Ideas ect, Thanks for the insight.

 

[dadsbee]

For a few hundred dollars find someone that pulled their stock K frame and all the components to "upgrade" to the latest fancy fads and buy the entire assembly. Clean it all up, fix up the terrible factory welds, add some reinforce plates like many here do and have the strongest K frame you're gonna get!

Saw a full front end pull on Facebook Market place last week for 200 bucks.

 

[Kern Dog]

The replacement front suspension systems are not an "upgrade" in most cases.
What you get for the money is new parts in packages, new hardware in bags and often times, crappy or incomplete instructions.
These appeal to people of all kinds. Some are ignorant and think that new must be better. Some are too lazy to clean and refinish their original stuff. Some are drag racers that are looking for increased oil pan and header clearance.
These kits often increase bump steer, are less durable, have less suspension travel and actually have less steering angle which results in some U turns now having to be a multi-point turn.

 

[hunt2elk]

Take the recommendations of the 2 posts above mine, they hit the nail on the head.

 

[Stucat]

So what I am hearing is rebuild the stock factory setup, maybe beef up the lower control arms by adding the welded plate to the bottom. On brakes do the upgrade? to 73? disc setup? Thanks for the info.

 

[Stucat]

Forgot to ask about the steering box, I don't have one.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

I agree, reinforce the stock K, 73 & up discs, probably do the Borgeson steering box..

 

[mopar5150]

I would agree with most of the posts with the exception of brakes. Unless you are doing a restoration put as much brake on as you can afford

 

[hunt2elk]

Firm Feel sells a K-frame stiffening kit. Kind of pricey, but it works good. I always tell them to keep the skid plate that normally comes in the kit and I use a correct one. PST sells the lower control arm stiffening plates. PST 1.03" torsion bars, Mancini heavy strut rods, C-body 11/16" tie rods and billet adjuster sleeves, Bilstein shocks. PST 20:1 manual steering box (I like manual steering). Dr. Diff 11.75" stage 2 manual disc brakes on the front. That's what I do on my cars as well as welding the seam of the K-frame solid.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

I would agree with most of the posts with the exception of brakes. Unless you are doing a restoration put as much brake on as you can afford

Sounds like a good plan... Except there are so many posts about all the cool big brake cars that don't stop as well as a properly working stock drum/disc system..

 

[CoronetDarter]

Bigger torsion bars. Good shocks. I have Bilstein on my cars. The steering box can be boxed in to reduce steering flex.
The above plus what the previous posters wrote and you'll have a great handling car.

 

[Kern Dog]

So what I am hearing is rebuild the stock factory setup, maybe beef up the lower control arms by adding the welded plate to the bottom. On brakes do the upgrade? to 73? disc setup? Thanks for the info.

If you're not in a hurry, soon I'm going to start a thread topic about front suspension, steering and brake upgrades.
I don't have all the answers but I share what I do know.

 

[mopar5150]

Sounds like a good plan... Except there are so many posts about all the cool big brake cars that don't stop as well as a properly working stock drum/disc system..

Agreed, I have used Wilwood kits and modified SRT8 stuff with good luck. Biggest problem I encountered was crap / mismatched master cylinders.

 

[Kern Dog]

Sounds like a good plan... Except there are so many posts about all the cool big brake cars that don't stop as well as a properly working stock drum/disc system..

Agreed.
The drawbacks to my disc-drum setup were mainly cosmetic.....The 10" drum looked tiny through the spokes of my wheels.

 

[Stucat]

Not in a hurry, I have about a week. Just kidding, that's what from the guys and gals that watch those TV shows. The TV shows do the whole job in a week. Yes I am not in a rush, still have body work and assy stuff to do. Just planning ahead. Doing a total fitment and running the car before paint and interior.

 

[WileERobby]

Take the recommendations of the 2 posts above mine, they hit the nail on the head.

 

[ckessel]

Are you a crafty sort with a welder[ or access to on], can do some fab work, have some metal pieces around for gussets etc? You can do something along the line of what I did to mine. After getting it tanked and clean, went wound the perimeter with my Rota Broach cutters and punched one of the two layers with holes. Added in 120+ welds in addition to the factory 30 or so. Put a skid plate on, added gussets around the steering box mount, cut a pocket to access the lower control arm tube so it could get welded on the inside, put cut out back on with weld, added big flat washers to both sides of the tube, welded them in, boxed in the strut rod mount area, added welds to the original strut rod mount on the k-frame. Got a pair of the lower control arm plates, welded them on

 

[Stucat]

Staying with the factory front setup, beefing it up and will add better brakes. On the rear, wanted to put bigger tires, was thinking of a 4 link setup, looked sat a few. Liked the MF Pro setup, like the U shaped brackets that add strength? to the unibody in the area where it's mounted. Just not sure on the mounting of the cross bar, upper or lower. Just trying to give a modern look without the leaf springs and get more room. any input would be great. Thanks

 

[bobsgtx]

On FABO there is a utube video of a 4 door B body with factory suspension upgrade beating a BMW3 on Tire Rack test track. Even Tire Rack test driver can't believe how it handles. I think it has Hotchkiss suspension.

 

[Tony Tee]

Are you a crafty sort with a welder[ or access to on], can do some fab work, have some metal pieces around for gussets etc? You can do something along the line of what I did to mine. After getting it tanked and clean, went wound the perimeter with my Rota Broach cutters and punched one of the two layers with holes. Added in 120+ welds in addition to the factory 30 or so. Put a skid plate on, added gussets around the steering box mount, cut a pocket to access the lower control arm tube so it could get welded on the inside, put cut out back on with weld, added big flat washers to both sides of the tube, welded them in, boxed in the strut rod mount area, added welds to the original strut rod mount on the k-frame. Got a pair of the lower control arm plates, welded them on

View attachment 1414732

View attachment 1414733

View attachment 1414734

View attachment 1414736

Hey CKessel,

Are you a crafty sort with a welder[ or access to on], can do some fab work, have some metal pieces around for gussets etc? You can do something along the line of what I did to mine. After getting it tanked and clean, went wound the perimeter with my Rota Broach cutters and punched one of the two layers with holes. Added in 120+ welds in addition to the factory 30 or so. Put a skid plate on, added gussets around the steering box mount, cut a pocket to access the lower control arm tube so it could get welded on the inside, put cut out back on with weld, added big flat washers to both sides of the tube, welded them in, boxed in the strut rod mount area, added welds to the original strut rod mount on the k-frame. Got a pair of the lower control arm plates, welded them on

View attachment 1414732

View attachment 1414733

View attachment 1414734

View attachment 1414736

Hey ckessel, did you put a 69 skidplate on a 70 k-frame on purpose? Just wondering because I'm putting a 70 k-frame on my 69 charger to re-locate my swaybar due to my fat champion radiator won't let me remove my oil filter. The fat radiator and 69 style swaybar left no room to pull out the oilfilter without dropping the 69 swaybar. Weird huh? Except I'll be using a 70 skidplate on mine.
Sincerely, Tony.Tee