I Need Suspension Help

[Cole317]

Ok guys, im really excited, it's finally time to start ordering suspension stuff for my 73 charger. Here's a list i put together of what i think im going to get, could you guys pitch in your opinions on how it's gonna work  out, or if the parts will even work on it?
What im shooting for is a nice pro-touring(ish) build.

http://firmfeel.com/b.htm
Firm Feel stage 2 box
Firm Feel fast ratio pitman and idler arm
Firm Feel front and rear swaybars
Firm Feel Tubular upper and reinforced  lower control arms
Firm Feel 1.06" HD/Street torsion bar
Firm Feel 11/16 tie rod kit
Question: Should i get the Firm Feel steel crossmember mounts? Are they really neccesary?
Shocks: I am pretty unsure about what i will do here.....any suggestions?
Magnumforce 2 inch dropped spindles Question: Will these work on my car/setup?
http://www.magnumforce.com/store/detail.asp?ProductID=3939&CategoryID=84&BrandID=&Category=&SubCategory=&Search=&Page=Magnumforce
Magnumforce Subframe Connectors
Uhh i think thats it guys, any help or input is appreciated!

[Cole317]

anyone? please?

[Cole317]

come on guys,  over 100 views and no one has an opinion?
well i actually have a couple more questions dealing with the sway bars and rear suspension
when it comes to the sway bar, it says "If your leaf springs have a non-factory arch,
let us know so we can send you the right end links"
and also ('73-'79)Isoclamp axle mount must be modified or converted to older style axle mount
can anyone give me some input on to what im in for? It was originally a 1973 charger with the 318/904. now im putting in a 440/727
for the front sway bars, would i have factory sway bar brackets? The car is at the shop, so i cant really look, and im supposed to be ordering parts.....
Will these leaf spring hangers fit on my car? http://firmfeel.com/leafhang_b.htm
and what kind of leaf springs should i get? if those leaf spring hangers work?
Now for the front,
for the shocks, im thinking the RCD BILSTEIN's
and does anyone know if those magnumforce drop spindles will work on my car?
sorry i have so many questions, i thought i was ready, but i really dont know enough to make a smart decision.
any help or input would be GREATLY appreciated, and please guys i kinda need to start ordering now,
thanks!

[mikepmcs]

Bump for you.

Maybe pm NYCMILLE(Mr Angry) or XV motorsports and see what they think.  I know Mike has definitely gained some serious suspension knowledge over the years and he actually drives these cars to the limits. I also would like to think that XV might know a little bit about suspension and hopefully they can steer(hee hee, get it) you in the right direction.

Also, RallyeMike(i think that's right) has a third generation that he drives on the track as well.

Also, maybe change your topic header to read "I need suspension help"

[Cole317]

k, i did everything you said 
i really appreciate the reply, haha seriously, well now i guess it's just wait and hope 

[bordin34]

That looks like good stuff but I dont know much about the suspension setup. For the sway bars it basically means you need to convert to the 72 and earlier setup without the rubber. For the front sway bar, there are no sway bar tabs on the arm, the end connected to the strut rod with a bushing and brackety thing.

[tan top]

lik Mikepcms said ! those guys should  know all about this stuff
would go for the solid metal cross member mounts , will make the car feel more solid ,  fast ratio pitman arm is a good idea for windy road stuff , but , watch it don't make contat with your choice of header , chassis conectors is agood plan also , weld then in  

[Nacho-RT74]

I like poly K member assembly idea better than solid, but that's just me.

1.06" Tbar is a good idea if you have BB... but SB I think not necesary

shocks... all we 73 and laters owners are on same deal... GR2s KYB look the only option what as far I know is not a bad one and the way I went, but recently floated this solution

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,64090.0.html on stock LCA of course. maybe tubulasr will have something similar ?


about rear sway bar... make a search and will find the differences between iso and non iso

[flyinlow]

I built and installed frame connectors on my "73.  Car got stiffer and quieter. 

Installed poly k frame bushings in. Car got tighter and noisier . I used schmacher mounts (poly) to put a 440 in a 318 car. Can feel the engine now at idle.    Don't think I would use steel.

I plan on putting FFL 1.06 bars on my street car.

Looks like a busy winter.

[Nacho-RT74]

I like isolation, but since just poly are avalable ( beside solid )... I preffer rubbers.

fortunatelly, Down here in Venezuela we have rubber K frame isolation options, made locally. Not a parfect pieces, I made some light mods on them, but better than solid or poly.

[flyinlow]

I like isolation, but since just poly are avalable ( beside solid )... I preffer rubbers.

fortunatelly, Down here in Venezuela we have rubber K frame isolation options, made locally. Not a parfect pieces, I made some light mods on them, but better than solid or poly.

U
No rubber trees here in Ohio Nacho.


You can use your original leaf spring forward hangers with the Mopar XHD springs ,not sure on others.

Do you still have the 8 1/4 axle in the car? Rubber leaf spring isolators?

For a street car you want the leaf spring almost straight under normal load for good handling. For drag strip arched springs work ok.

I did hear that Bilsteen front shocks require  frame mod to fit 73-74 front . Might want to ask Firmfeel.

I have Addco sway bars. They dont fit well out of the box. With mods ,they work ok.

Several guys recomended rubber LCA bushings . I installed Moog  rubber bushings in my 73.

[HPP]

come on guys,  over 100 views and no one has an opinion?

Sometimes takes a bit for everyone to get would up.

http://firmfeel.com/b.htm
Firm Feel stage 2 box
Firm Feel fast ratio pitman and idler arm
Firm Feel front and rear swaybars
Firm Feel Tubular upper and reinforced  lower control arms
Firm Feel 1.06" HD/Street torsion bar
Firm Feel 11/16 tie rod kit
Question: Should i get the Firm Feel steel crossmember mounts? Are they really neccesary?
Shocks: I am pretty unsure about what i will do here.....any suggestions?
Magnumforce 2 inch dropped spindles Question: Will these work on my car/setup?
http://www.magnumforce.com/store/detail.asp?ProductID=3939&CategoryID=84&BrandID=&Category=&SubCategory=&Search=&Page=Magnumforce
Magnumforce Subframe Connectors
Uhh i think thats it guys, any help or input is appreciated!

Stage 2 box, good
Fast ratio arms, good, so long as you aren't planning 100+ mph speed runs on a regular basis.
Swaybars, good, what size?
Tubular uppers, ehhh, maybe. Offset bushings do the same thing for $60.
Reinforced lowers, good if your stepping up the sway bar over 1" BTW, I think I have a set of these in the for sale section.
1.06 bars, decent
11/16 tie rods, ehh, maybe. The solid sleeves with 9/16 ends eliminates flex and keeps the weight down.
Crossmember mounts, yes, but I'd do the k frame mounts first or together. These are also available in poly from other vendors.Best is to do them together to eliminate the rubber baby buggy bumper effect over bumps.
Shocks, as much as you can afford. QA1 makes a nice twin tube adjustable, Varishock a nice mono-tube adjustable. Single adjustable would be fine and will run about $125 each.
Drop spindles, they will bolt up. Since they are shorter, they alter the front roll center height a bit. These will drop it from where it was at in stock configuration. Not a huge detriment to seat of the pants feel and the sway bars can make up for the change.
Subframe connectors, definetly, regardless of who makes them. Without a solid foundation, anything else you do is not being used to its full potential.

[Cole317]

Whoa, thanks guys, getting a lot of info 
to answer some questions, i will be switching to the 8 3/4 rear end.
as for sway bar sizes, im going with the 1-1/4 front and 3/4 rear. I'm pretty much going with the bigger options, cause I want to have that driving on rails feeling. I know this might not be feasable in this beast, but ive been fortunate enough to drive a lot of cars, and pretty hard. I hate/get scared of when say you're cornering pretty hard, and maybe you hit a bump, you can feel the body actually swaying. I really dont want that in the charger, my goal is to get it as close to a canyon runner, without rattling my teeth along the way. also ive done some reading and the 1.06 torsion bar keeps coming up as good, and i thought it would be good on my plan.
I guess im stuck on the rubber vs steel bushings..
tie rods, again i kinda went with the bigger is better, but now, maybe 9/16 will be enough
oh and for the rear leafs, im definately want to go with the cornering route, so are the roadrace/oval track ones from firm feel good?
and lastly, i never thought about the QA1 shocks as an option. will they fit without that much modification?
you are all being a ton of help, i think i'll have a revised list up sat or sun, and hopefully that will be it   
thanks again!!!

[HPP]

Rubber vs steel bushings, as in the main suspension bushings? I'd say poly. Firm, minimal deflections, yet forgiving enough for a street ride. If you go with steel, aluminum or bronze, you're in the competition car realm and while response improves dramatically, ride quality drops equally.

For leafs, the oval track leafs are a drop in spring rate from XHD versions, 120 vs 140. However, they also use a shorter front segment, like SS springs, so they will require a longer front hanger and they have fewer leaves that are thicker. Whether this drop in rate is compatible with your plans depends on the weight of your car, the distribution of that weight and the roll couple percentages of the combined suspension systems. With 1.06 t-bars, 1.125 front s-bar and .75 rear sway bar, they are in the ballpark, but without running the calculations, I couldn't tell you if they are on the money right. You also will be faced with eliminating the iso-clap set up using these. What are our plans for that? This will also help out with finding rear shocks.

With shocks, 73 and up cars are faced with the challenge of not having may bolt in options for the front. Read fly-n-low's thread on changing  to Camaro shocks in the front. http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,64090.0.html and http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,63853.0.html  With that info, it becomes very easy to find bolt in shocks from almost anyone.