What idler arm is used with the fast ratio pitman arm?

[JohnEngland]

I currently have a fast turn ratio pitman arm on my 73 Charger there is a idler arm on it, how ever the center link is real close to the oil pan on the idler arm side. But has sufficient clearance on on the pitman arm side. I am not sure if the idler arm is the matched arm for the fast turn ratio pitman arm. The center bar is not level at all. Thanks for any help

 

[Cranky]

I currently have a fast turn ratio pitman arm on my 73 Charger there there is a idler arm on it, how ever the center link is real close to the oil pan on the idler arm side. But has sufficient clearance on on the pitman arm side. I am not sure if the idler arm is the matched arm for the fast turn ratio pitman arm. The center bar is not level at all. Thanks for any help

My 71 Cuda had a mismatched idler (imo) but it did fine except in a tight turn situation like parking it.....

 

[Coelacanth]

My 71 Cuda had a mismatched idler (imo) but it did fine except in a tight turn situation like parking it.....

I did a lot of research into this and I came up with that exact same info. The matching fast ratio idler arm wasn't beneficial except when doing tight turns at slow speeds.

 

[JohnEngland]

I did a lot of research into this and I came up with that exact same info. The matching fast ratio idler arm wasn't beneficial except when doing tight turns at slow speeds.

So the center link not being level is no big thing?

 

[Coelacanth]

I can't answer that unfortunately; I have a '70 Charger and will likely be going with a fast-ratio Pitman arm only, at some point.

 

[Cranky]

So the center link not being level is no big thing?

Level or when the front wheels were straight ahead? On my car, the drag link was level until full lock position both ways. Is your CL not level at straight ahead? Mine wasn't perfectly level straight ahead but don't remember what it looked like at full lock either way but it looked like it wasn't right.

 

[R/T Boy 67]

The factory fast ratio E bodies used the standard idler arm, so the center link was not 90 degrees to the center line of the car, but it should be parallel to the ground.

 

[Cranky]

The factory fast ratio E bodies used the standard idler arm, so the center link was not 90 degrees to the center line of the car, but it should be parallel to the ground.

That is exactly how my 71 340 Cuda was.....

 

[JohnEngland]

Level or when the front wheels were straight ahead? On my car, the drag link was level until full lock position both ways. Is your CL not level at straight ahead? Mine wasn't perfectly level straight ahead but don't remember what it looked like at full lock either way but it looked like it wasn't right.

With tires Straight Ahead the center link is close to the oil pan on passenger side (idler) and there is more gap on the drivers side (pitman).

 

[Kern Dog]

Firm Feel sells a matching longer Idler arm to match the Fast Ratio Pitman.
I may have stumbled upon a “cheat” though…. I had a 1970 Dodge Polara that had an idler arm that looked very close to the same length as a “Fast Ratio” idler. Cheap parts store price compared to Firm Feel too!

 

[JohnEngland]

Firm Feel sells a matching longer Idler arm to match the Fast Ratio Pitman.
I may have stumbled upon a “cheat” though…. I had a 1970 Dodge Polara that had an idler arm that looked very close to the same length as a “Fast Ratio” idler. Cheap parts store price compared to Firm Feel too!

I heard that a 70s C body (i.e. Fury) will work but have not been able to find anyone that has done this to confirm. The arm is a moog k7014.

 

[JohnEngland]

The factory fast ratio E bodies used the standard idler arm, so the center link was not 90 degrees to the center line of the car, but it should be parallel to the ground.

Its not parallel to the ground its probly 1 inch up on idler side.

 

[R/T Boy 67]

73 up B bodies used a different pitman and idler arm than 72 down. All the fast ratio arms that I have seen are the 72 down style. Maybe a 72 down pitman does not play well with a 73 idler.

 

[gkent]

There are at least two different spline sizes on steering boxes. So if you have the large shaft but the smaller i.d. pitman arm, it won't go as far onto the shaft and subsequently the center link won't sit level.

 

[autoxcuda]

71 C-body is what I’ve always heard

 

[Kern Dog]

71 C-body is what I’ve always heard

A small sample of the Idlers I have that seem to fit the 73-76 A body and the 70-72 B as well as a 70-74 E body:

A few small sector Pitman arms. Fast Ratio on the far right end.

 

[OneWheelPeel]

A small sample of the Idlers I have that seem to fit the 73-76 A body and the 70-72 B as well as a 70-74 E body:

View attachment 1866291

A few small sector Pitman arms. Fast Ratio on the far right end.

View attachment 1866292

That looks like a really greasy coat rack.

 

[Kern Dog]

It is a table used for many things in the shop out back.
A man that busies himself with activities such as these often has equipment that bears witness to frequent use.

 

[OneWheelPeel]

I meant more how the pitman arms looked like coat hooks.

 

[autoxcuda]

A small sample of the Idlers I have that seem to fit the 73-76 A body and the 70-72 B as well as a 70-74 E body:

View attachment 1866291

A few small sector Pitman arms. Fast Ratio on the far right end.

View attachment 1866292

I've tried to run an E-body/70-72 B-body idler on a 73-76 A-body K-frame and the centerlink was not flat. I had the E/B-body idler laying around, and the idler "looked" close... but it wasn't. An alignment guy spotted that.

I had to correct that by running the correct 73-76 A-body idler arm. Then the centerlink was flat.

***The idler arm to centerline joint only swivels laterally. It's not a true ball joint like the pitman end. So if the centerlink is not flat it binds the idler joint and will cause premature wear. I drove 1600 miles across country and a few months before figuring it out. So it's not like the car will suddenly explode and kill you. But it's not right.