Torsion Bars, Springs, Motor Mounts and Sway Bar ->Conversion 318 to 440

[Stagepirat]

Hello.
Finally I´m finishes with my engine (it´s a 440 from a 1969 Road Runner). But before I put it in the car, I would like to know if it makes sense to change some parts due to the power and weight of the 440 engine.
The car is a 1973 Dodge Charger wich came out of the factory with a 318.

Wich Torsion bars would you recommend? Especially wich diameter? I want to use the car as a fast daily driver... No drag strip...

Wich Motor Mounts do cause the least problems? Especially in relation of the hight of the engine and a proper position.

Is it necessary to change the Springs on the rear axle?

Do you think a Sway Bar would make sense? Wich diameter would you recommend?

If you know a certain manufacturer for the parts above, with wich you had good experience please let me know. Also an address where to order would be great, because its not so easy to find a trustworthy shop only by using the internet.

Thanks
Axel

[green69rt]

Two reasons to go with a thicker torsion bar with these old cars, maybe even three reasons.
!. Old bar may be stressed and ready to change, haven't ever heard of one breaking but they might get weaker with time  
2. Heavier engine needs more spring rate to keep the nose up.
3. These old cars had pretty soft springs/TBs to match the mushy shocks etc so a bigger TB and better shocks might make a big diff in handling.

Here's one manufacturer for 1966 - 1972.  You didn't specify year but these guys also have ones for 1973 - .  They also make sway bars, shocks, etc.

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

[303 Mopar]

Wich Torsion bars would you recommend? Especially wich diameter? I want to use the car as a fast daily driver... No drag strip...
   -  1.10's from Hotchkis, PST or FirmFeel

Wich Motor Mounts do cause the least problems? Especially in relation of the hight of the engine and a proper position.
   - Mag Mounts from Mancini - I have used these on three cars now and have not had any problems

Is it necessary to change the Springs on the rear axle?
   - Yes, call ESPO.com and get new springs and bushings, and get hardware if need.  ESPO has the best US made springs.  You can had a 1/2" or 1" if your looking for a different stance.

Do you think a Sway Bar would make sense? Wich diameter would you recommend?
   - Yes, I would at least add a front sway bar at a minimum, maybe a rear if you can afford it.  FirmFeel, Hotchkis and PST all have good sway bars.
   - I would also had Bilstein shocks all the way around - PST sells these
   - When is the last time you rebuilt your suspension?  I would recommended getting a rebuilt kit, I like MOOG parts but some guys like poly.
   - How are your brakes?  I would suggest discs in the front at a minimum.  You need to stop better with the bigger hp and tq.

[Sublime/Sixpack]

Yes, definitely upgrade torsion bars (at least to stock size for 440/hemi cars, .920), rear springs (again to at least the XHD springs that came on 440/hemi cars), and anti-sway bars front and rear (just make sure to get the right set for the car). For example on my '68 Coronet with small block engine I went with the above torsion bars and rear springs, then bought/installed anti-sway bars from "Firm Feel" company (1 1/8" in the front and 3/4" in the rear) and they made a huge difference in how well the car now handles.
There's a balance to be found when making upgrades. You want everything to work in harmony so to speak.

[HPP]

Call the guys at Firm Feel and talk over your combination with them. They can make some very good recommendations on how to get your desired performance level out of your '73. They have been doing mopar suspensions for decades.

[Stagepirat]

Thank you all for your fast replys. I´m going to contact the shops in next days.

Greetings from Germany.

Axel

[Stagepirat]

Hello.
It seems that due to the fact my Charger came out of the factory with only a 318 Small Block, it doesn´t have a possibility to mount a sway bar.
What do you recommend how to mount a sway bar if there are no mounting holes? On wich position exactly?

Thank you

[green69rt]

Hello.
It seems that due to the fact my Charger came out of the factory with only a 318 Small Block, it doesn´t have a possibility to mount a sway bar.
What do you recommend how to mount a sway bar if there are no mounting holes? On wich position exactly?

Thank you

Put a Want-to-buy ad up on this site.  Make sure you specify the year and body as the arms or location of the sway bar tabs can change.

Or you can buy the tabs and weld them on.   Here's one possibility....

http://bergmanautocraft.com/proddetail.php?prod=5-2350

[HPP]

Yes, definitely upgrade torsion bars (at least to stock size for 440/hemi cars, .920), rear springs (again to at least the XHD springs that came on 440/hemi cars), and anti-sway bars front and rear (just make sure to get the right set for the car). For example on my '68 Coronet with small block engine I went with the above torsion bars and rear springs, then bought/installed anti-sway bars from "Firm Feel" company (1 1/8" in the front and 3/4" in the rear) and they made a huge difference in how well the car now handles.
There's a balance to be found when making upgrades. You want everything to work in harmony so to speak.

'73+ have longer t-bars, so they need to have even larger sizes to maintain similar rates. .92 in 66-72 would be similar to .98 in 73+ years.

Hello.
It seems that due to the fact my Charger came out of the factory with only a 318 Small Block, it doesn´t have a possibility to mount a sway bar.
What do you recommend how to mount a sway bar if there are no mounting holes? On wich position exactly?

Thank you

A number of aftermarket sway bars have components to allow this style of hook up to happen, but verify when you buy that they have the mounts and brackets. Most 73+ will bolt to the strut arm but some may mount to the lower shock mount and have some plates and bushing for holding the bar to the K frame. These may require drilling to complete the mount. Again, very important to talk to your supplier about the fact your car is a '73. There were some significant changes for 73 and a lot of suspension parts for 68-72 will not fit the 73-80 vehicles.

Can't recommend these guys enough for the out of the mainstream mopar suspension parts. http://www.firmfeel.com/