70 coronet front end

[ord27]

hey guys
what would yall do?
My 70 coronet 318 car needs some improvements
my goals for the car are:
power disk brake conversion
new shocks
rebuild steering
add sway bar
make it a nice riding daily driver

here's the deal
I have 2 cars. One is a driving 318 car and the other is a shell of a car.
I have pulled the steering box out of the 318 car, and am shipping it off to have it rebuilt.
The 2nd car's kframe and components are clean and mostly rebuilt (so I'm told)

I'm considering making a kmember swap. I won't be using the stock suspension for the 2nd car

Would yall do a swap and rebuild what needs rebuilt on the 2nd unit, plus add the brake upgrade while it's off a car?
Or would yall just rebuild the 318 steering/suspension while it's on the car.

I wasn't planning on pulling the engine, just holding it with the hoist while I do the operation

 

[PurpleBeeper]

I suggest you don't swap the k-members & just rebuild what you have in the 318 car now. I believe you will need lower control arms with the sway bar mount holes.

 

[aeon280]

if you haven't sent off the box yet hit me up I have one rebuilt in 2013 on my shelf with less than 10 miles on it. Ill take 150 for it.

 

[ckessel]

Stay with the 70 k so you can have the sway bar that passes through it. Also, buy Andy F's book on b-body suspensions. Tons of the info you are after are inside.

 

[ord27]

aeon280, yup, already shipped it out....dang

ckessel, are the kframes swaybar specific? Meaning, if the 318 car doesn't have a bar, I can't add a bar?

 

[davek]

you can add a bar but need to weld tabs on lower control arm.

 

[davek]

Stay with the 70 k so you can have the sway bar that passes through it. Also, buy Andy F's book on b-body suspensions. Tons of the info you are after are inside.

Whos Andy F?

 

[davek]

https://www.hotchkis.net/hotchkis-built-better-bracket-new-control-arm-sway-bar-mount-body/

 

[ord27]

thanks davek. I can't tell if they are bolt in, or they need welded

 

[Cranky]

Whos Andy F?

He owns http://arengineering.com/ and his name is Andy Finkbeiner,

 

[davek]

thanks davek. I can't tell if they are bolt in, or they need welded

weld

 

[Wietse]

Best bet for the lower control arm is to find (oem used/aftermarket) lower control arms that have the swaybar brackets already.
In the meantime you can change it out with a new lower control arm bushing.
Take all the suspension components off and rebuild everything with new bushings etc. and as a finishing touch add the brake kit.
Beware if you purchase a disc brake kit that you need to order a kit where the calipers are rear mounted otherwise it will interfere with the sway bar.

I recently did this job (exl. brake conversion as i have discs already), it is not difficult and actually a nice job with noticeable improvements.

 

[ckessel]

Since you have an extra k unit available, you can do some improvements on it by adding some reinforcements in various areas, add some extra welds. You can buy a reinforcement package from Firm Feel if you want to go that route or you can make your own. There are some basic areas to help out or if you feel like spending some time on it you can do like I did on mine. I added 120+ rosette welds around the perimeter, stock was around 30, punched through some of the multiple layer areas like the idler arm bracket, with stepped size holes then filled it up like a soft serve cone with the weld. The tube that the lower control arm shaft goes through can be beat up with age and needs to be looked at. The tube is only welded on the outside on the arm side of the k, the nut side is just floating. On mine I cut access windows on the road side of the k, welded the tube to the k on both ends as far as I could get the gun into that area. On the outside of it, arm side, I added a big flat washer that just fit over the exposed area of the tube, welded that all around on the outside plus the tube. You will need to heat them up some to form them to the k. The lower side area is flat but as it gets closer to the top it starts to go horizontal. On the nut side, I used the flat washers that were supplied with my Firm Feel shafts, welded them to the k after spotting them in with the stud passing through to line things up. After they were welded in, I put another big flat washer around that with it welded in and out too plus welded the cut out pieces back in. Where the strut rod goes through at the front, I added some pieces in the box that area in as there is minimal material there other than the formed piece on the outside plus minor stuff on the inside. I still need to work on the engine side of the k but that will happen in the future when I get back to work on it after my new garage gets built.

 

[ckessel]

More photo porno

 

[ckessel]

Still more

 

[ord27]

that's awesome ckessel

 

[Wietse]

Some work went in that k-frame for sure.
Although it does improve things, i think it is more "needed" on a 500ci stroker then on a 318ci.

 

[ckessel]

More needed especially when I intend to autocross it. Even though I had that thing hot tanked twice, there was still a lot of crud in it. I ended up hitting the areas to be welded with a torch to burn stuff out. The car will get the usual structural upgrades plus I'll add to some of the areas to further tie in and reinforce for loads.

 

[Montclaire]

Years ago Mopar Action did a K swap with the engine still in the car - I want to say they put a thick piece of U-channel across the shock towers and bolted a lift plate through it. I think they were even able to raise/lower it with a simple ratchet and socket if they put blocks under the channel to get some height off the shock towers.