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Aftermarket K member

N

Nick Bruno

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Jul 2, 2020
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Location
Fresno, Ca
I’m wanting to go with an aftermarket front suspension on my ‘69 Charger. Leaning towards the Magnum Force Transformer setup as it seems sturdy and can include everything from steering components to brakes if you option it out. Any have experience, good or bad, with this setup or recommend something else? Thank you!
 
First question is why, save the money upgrade the stock suspension
Torsion bars
LCA brackets/ plates
Adjustable uppers
Stiffen the power steering box support on k member get the a kit from QAI front struts/firm feel Hotochis I’m sure there things I’m missing.
I still have a magnum force tubular k member in a trunk of one of my cars for a 69 charger I never used from 10 years ago, Ron has had a lot of issues with his products breaking welds , standing behind his product.
If u really want a good tested k member go with Bill at Reilly motor sports great guy and u can always get him on the phone.
 
Lots of previous discussions on the topic of aftermarket k members. Many will discourage it. I have done it on my 71 Cuda and wouldn't do it again. The ride isn't as nice as torsion bars and the cost could upgrade so many other goodies.
 
I have a QA1 w/uppers & lowers & strut rods. Upgraded PST torsion bars and Borgenson steering box. Everything looks to be good quality, havent had on the street yet... but I'm hopeful it does well!
 
My reasoning is mostly just to get rid of the bulkiness and extra weight of the stock one. But very good feedback, you have me second guessing myself now. Will check out your suggestions. Thank you!
Jesse6869 said:
First question is why, save the money upgrade the stock suspension
Torsion bars
LCA brackets/ plates
Adjustable uppers
Stiffen the power steering box support on k member get the a kit from QAI front struts/firm feel Hotochis I’m sure there things I’m missing.
I still have a magnum force tubular k member in a trunk of one of my cars for a 69 charger I never used from 10 years ago, Ron has had a lot of issues with his products breaking welds , standing behind his product.
If u really want a good tested k member go with Bill at Reilly motor sports great guy and u can always get him on the phone.
Click to expand...
 
I’ve heard a lot of good things about QA1 too. So you stuck with the stock K member?
 
Nick Bruno said:
I’ve heard a lot of good things about QA1 too. So you stuck with the stock K member?
Click to expand...
No sir, everything is either QA1 or PST.
20200720_173428.jpg
0918171837.jpg 20180215_174351.jpg 0911171713.jpg 20171204_181628.jpg
 
Looks awesome! Looks like you can actually get the oil filter out without beating everything up too!
 
Mike67 said:
I have a QA1 w/uppers & lowers & strut rods. Upgraded PST torsion bars and Borgenson steering box. Everything looks to be good quality, havent had on the street yet... but I'm hopeful it does well!
Click to expand...

I think you will be impressed. I have similar setup except my uppers are SPC adjustable and also the PST 1.03 TB and this thing tracks excellent and turns on a dime.
 
Nick Bruno said:
Looks awesome! Looks like you can actually get the oil filter out without beating everything up too!
Click to expand...
That ( accessibilty), is probably my favorite feature as it sits!!!! Hopefully I'm equally impressed with the drive characteristics as well!
 
aeon280 said:
I think you will be impressed. I have similar setup except my uppers are SPC adjustable and also the PST 1.03 TB and this thing tracks excellent and turns on a dime.
Click to expand...
Where have you been hiding??? Glad to hear from ya!
I hope so, I have the 1.03s as well. QA1 adjustable shocks... How does it ride with the 1.03s, pretty tight?
 
I have done all the above that I recommended as well, saved The money and added $ into other things. Do the research take the time and read everyone’s feed back.
 
I upgraded my stock K member. I fully welded it, added a support plate to the steering box area, upgraded the steering box to a Firm Feel stage 2, added a sector support kit, tubular upper control arms with greater adjustability, replaced EVERY suspension bushing with either new rubber or polyurethane, as needed to improve handling but not stiffen the ride. I also fully boxed the lower control arms.

I am super happy with the result. The car drives and handles like a dream.

The problem is many people, even with "restored cars" do not have ALL the wear parts replaced in the suspensions, so they handle poorly. Done well and with only selected aftermarket parts, these old designs can be made to work very well.

Just my opinion to add in for consideration.
 
Have a look at the mods and pro touring section just after the members builds section. At the top is a lengthy one on Magnum Force. You should read that before you give them money.
 
Do a few searches for Magnum Force and you will probably change your mind about wanting anything from them. There is no way I would bolt anything on my car with their name on it.
 
Nick Bruno said:
My reasoning is mostly just to get rid of the bulkiness and extra weight of the stock one. But very good feedback, you have me second guessing myself now. Will check out your suggestions. Thank you!
Click to expand...

You would actually be adding weight where you do not want weight with a coilover system. Torsion bar systems actually have less unsprung weight than any coil system.
Mike67 said:
Where have you been hiding??? Glad to hear from ya!
I hope so, I have the 1.03s as well. QA1 adjustable shocks... How does it ride with the 1.03s, pretty tight?
Click to expand...

Ride is nice. Stiff but not overly stiff. next to zero body roll.
 
This question comes along every couple of months. An enthusiast has seen a car in a magazine article or a TV show with one of the aftermarket front suspensions and they buy into the hype.
Yeah, these kits look nice....they are made from new metal, painted and they come with new hardware. They look more modern as compared to the torsion bar suspension. They all claim to be lighter and offer better exhaust clearance. NONE of them have the factory durability. Their weight saving claims are often a comparison of a stock power steering setup to the aftermarket kit with a manual steering rack. This is not a direct comparison.
The cost is a huge turnoff for me. These systems also have been shown to have NO advantage on a race track over a well prepped torsion bar system.
$5000 for a system that offers NO performance advantage?
For HALF that money, you can rebuild a stock setup and get it to perform far better than when it was new. The downside? YOU have to do the work. Cleaning, welding, painting and all that takes space, tools and time. These aftermarket kits come to you in boxes ready to go.
Failures from poor welds has been reported from some aftermarket systems but the only instances of failures from a stock torsion bar system are from damaged or high mileage cars.
You can spend the money to save time and effort while going no faster and performing no better....OR upgrade the torsion bar setup with some quality parts and have money left over for other things.
 
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