Suspension upgrade package for 68.

[sixty8charger]

this site really helps me get through the days at "work". thanks!  awsome site!    i just received a quote for a suspension upgrade on my 68.
What do you all think?

Firm Feel Box rebuild (stage 2)........329
Large sector pitman arm....................95
Suspension rebuild kit.......................475
Greasable pivot.................................100
Tubular upper control arms.............299
Torsion bars HD................................325
Torsion boots.....................................40
Leaf springs HD.................................260 ( i have these installed already.. they are 6 years old, but have less then 100 miles of actual driving on them)
Leaf hangers (adjustable)...............65
Leaf shackle kit HD...........................100
Sway bar kit (front).........................275
Sway bar kit (rear)..........................325
Bilstein shocks..................................425  ( installed the KYB when i put the Leafs on .. so those hardly have any miles either)
K frame rebuild..................................435
TOTAL.........................................3508.00

i want to make sure i am doing this right. I am building the car to be an occasional weekend trip to the strip, but mostly just a fun cruiser that i can enjoy. with an Estimated 500 hp/ 500 tq pumping out of the 440 through the 727 Auto and into the 3.91 gears in the 8 ¾..  it was an original 318 car.

but i want this thing to drive with no problems on the road. Brake system upgrades still need to happen.. running manual 4-wheel drums right now 

[HPP]

Overall a very solid list, but there are a few things I'd question. Looking at your list it reads like a PST works kit, so I'll throw a few things at you.

Tubular arms. That is a lot of coin to acheive additinal caster that can also be acheived with Moog offset bushings in the stock arms for about $25. They are lgihter, somewhat stronger, and look nice, so a bit of a subjective call here. Personally, Hotchkiss makes hte absolute best control arms on the market, but they are big coin.
HD torsion bars. What size consittutes heavy duty? These are a primary component of the cars balance. Precision in their diameter yields big rewards in handling.
HD leaf springs. See above, but, if you already have some, why buy new ones?
Leaf hangers. Adjustable is cool if you like to alter things. However, you can acheive the same effect by flipping your stock hangers.
HD shackle kit. Unless you don't have any, no need for new ones unless your old ones are REALLY ugly or severly rusted.
Front sway bar. Diameter? Kinda expensive too. You can find plain ones on Ebay for $100 all day long.
Rear sway bar. Again, diameter and price? Also, your t-bar, front sway bar and leaf spring rates influence the worthiness of this piece.
K frame rebuild. Seems pricey. What are you having done? If your going to this effort, then have all the seams welded, the steering box mount braced, and verify the alignment of the pitman and idler to each other.

Definetly consider the brake upgrade. Also don't forget the alignment. It is a shame when guys spend all this money for good parts then get a stock, bias ply tire alignment. Lots of good info on the site already on alignment specs, but I'd say positive caster to 4 degrees, negative camber to .5 degrees, toe at 1/16 total.

[runningman]

I got a k-frame reinforcement kit from Firm Feel.  I believe it was around $60, just need to weld the stuff in and clean up the other welds a bit.  This would save you some $$ if you had a welder available.

[sixty8charger]

"HPP" thanks for all your input on this. I will ask these questions.

I am very new at this, and don't want to get screwed over that is for sure.  thats why i always turn to the advice of those on DC.COM.

"Runningman" thanks for the info on the reinforcement kit. I might know a few welders (through others) around the town that i might turn to. I am all about saving some $$! i will look more into that.

[sixty8charger]

"HPP" I sent out the questions to the guy that gave me the quote. I will share the feedback.  I want to make the best decsions for the car of course!  it takes a while for me to save up, and i want to make sure what i spend isn't wasted. 

[Rolling_Thunder]

I have done pretty much the exact same thing to my Charger...    I also added subframe connectors, body stiffening brackets from XV motorsports, and torque boxes...     Sway bars from Hotchkis -   

I went the route of getting everything solid first as ANY suspension set up will work more effectively when coupled with a solid foundation     

Overall a great looking list   

[sixty8charger]

With my Performer RPM intake and Edel Carb, i can't shut my hood with the air cleaner on...   Is it safe to have Solid motor mounts? By takeing the mounts off, cut out the rubber and weld the two plates together, in order to sit the engine about an inch lower?
Would there be a problem with the oil pan to center link clearance?

[skip68]

You need a drop base air cleaner.   

[mopar_nut_440_6]

With my Performer RPM intake and Edel Carb, i can't shut my hood with the air cleaner on...   Is it safe to have Solid motor mounts? By takeing the mounts off, cut out the rubber and weld the two plates together, in order to sit the engine about an inch lower?
Would there be a problem with the oil pan to center link clearance?

Have you tried a drop base air cleaner to achieve clearance? If so...

I have heard of guys putting spacers between the K Frame and the frame rails to achieve additional clearance which should not affect your front end geometry and will provide you the access you need without any interference between you oil pan and drag link, tie rods etc.

I have run solid engine mounts on a street/drag car and it was not bad but there is a lot of vibration transferred through the mounts and after a few hours of highway driving you feel like you have been using a jack hammer all day! It was also necessary to keep an eye on all nuts bolts and screws as they tend to vibrate loose. I would try to stay with a rubber mount for the street.

[b5blue]

I just rebuilt my front end using MoPar 440/Hemi T Bars and rear springs, Everything else is Moog and the car rides really nice and handles fine. You have specified a killer set-up there but I wanted to point out you could save a ton of money and still have a great ride/handling car, still tie the subframes, add torque boxes and upgrade the brakes with money left over. Personally I would vote against tubular anything on a street car, the stock parts have proven very reliable. Run the cost of a stock rebuild with sub frame connectors, reworking the K frame and torque boxes and you should see enough left to do the brakes and add new strut rods too! Good Luck whatever you decide!! 

[sixty8charger]

'b5' ,  I am all about saving money. Having enough to get brakes would be excellent!  these drums are killing me...  have to stand on the pedal to slow, and at hwy speed, scares the hell out of me! thanks for the advice.

looks like i better do some more research and make a shopping list. with what would be a list of parts that would be recommended for the best bang for my buck? to include the Ft suspension upgrade, sway bars.. subframes, and disk brakes, and everything in between.

[b5blue]

I'm with you there, I got 90% of the stuff to do my swap to 11 3/4 factory disk stuff waiting. (for me to save more money) What I found is Moog's stuff is better than say like NAPA's brand...it's best to get it from like Advance Auto...no shipping cost and a lifetime warranty, plus you can look the parts over real close and if anything isn't right send it right back before leaving the store. I had only 1 bad part out of all the stuff, a defective idler arm, the top bushing was not centered right, it angled in the hole and would have messed up alignment. They got me a good one in 3 hours, try doing that with mail order! It's best to check all the parts first, you may find as I did that inner tie rods and upper ball joints are still good and just need new boots. Spec. is in the FSM's for everything's acceptable wear, if it ain't broke don't fix it. Runningman's right about the K frame if your in that far (mine was OK). Keep in mind anything that's "re manufactured" could be defective out of the box so go for new if you can, like master cylinders, distributors, calipers and such. Keep in mind stuff like shocks/swaybars you can upgrade later, I'm using Monroe shocks and there allot cheaper but are working fine.Watch for details like interference between your disk brakes and sway bars. Keep us posted! Neal