My Suspension Rebuild

[bordin34]

I decided to start my suspension rebuild this weekend. I am basically doing a stock rebuild with poly strut rod and UCA bushings. I am also putting in 1.06" torsion bars and welding on reinforcement plates to the LCAs.
Here are some progress pics.

[BigBlackDodge]

Ooooooooooooo.......fun!


Keep at it!


BBD

[tan top]

been busy !     oh i see 3rd generations have a different swaybar attachment & lower control arm by the looks of it    
 

[Rolling_Thunder]

been busy !     oh i see 3rd generations have a different saw bar attachment & lower control arm by the looks of it    
   

I believe that was a 73+ thing...   also notice the rubber isolated K member, the different mounting (chevy style) on the upper control arm... 

[CDN72SE]

Very nice work, I spy a ball joint socket, that's on my list of things to buy. I'll be following along as I'm almost at the same stage. Good luck.

[bordin34]

Yup ball joint socket, breaker bar, 3 ft piece of pipe and its still hard to unscrew.

[tan top]

Yup ball joint socket, breaker bar, 3 ft piece of pipe and its still hard to unscrew.

yeah mine were very tight  even with a braker bar , was moving the vice & bench all round the workshop , (jk)  i ended up using a torch to heat it up first 

been busy !     oh i see 3rd generations have a different saw bar attachment & lower control arm by the looks of it    
 

I believe that was a 73+ thing...   also notice the rubber isolated K member, the different mounting (chevy style) on the upper control arm...  

 wonder why they went to all that trouble to change the set up
yes was looking at the upper control arm set up !! k fame insulators also !! looks very chebby bet the insulators make for a smooth ride

[bordin34]

Some new pictures from today. I got the passenger side upper ball joint and UCA off. Both UCAs are now soaking in some Simple Green, tomorrow I burn out the bushings and maybe remove the strut rods.

[ChargerST]

I got the rubber out of my ball joints without burning them - I just used a chisel and a hammer (I guess a screwdriver works too) and drove the chisel between the outer shell and the rubber, twisted the rubber a bit and it came right out.


EDIT: I meant LCA bushings not ball joints of course.

[Dodgecharger74]

are you going to change the K frame isolators  now would be the time  K frame will drop down lower and have more room to get them in & out with the UCA off 

[bordin34]

My rubber is actually almost like new so I might have a hard time chiseling but I will try that. I am replacing the K-Frame bushings with poly ones.

[bordin34]

Here is a crappy cell phone picture of all the parts I will be using.

[ChargerST]

My rubber is actually almost like new so I might have a hard time chiseling but I will try that. I am replacing the K-Frame bushings with poly ones.

My rubber was a little bit worn but not too bad. The rubber came out in one piece. It wasn't glued or so to the outer shell of the bushing.
Where did u get your suspension parts? Was it a kit or ordered seperately through a store?

[bordin34]

I ordered everything separately through rockauto and some other places. I wanted to be sure I was getting quality brand name stuff.

[bordin34]

Today I stripped the paint off and wire wheeled both UCAs. The bushings came out really easily and in one piece with a screwdriver and mallet. Tomorrow I will be putting the new poly bushings and ball joints in the UCA.

[FLG]

IMO,

You might have the same problem i did with those isolators, well the K-Frame in that area anyways. I think water tends to pool in that area of the K-Frame and rots the frame out around the bushing. You will see when you remove the two more rear k frame mounts. I had to weld patches on mine as a temp fix until the car goes back to the shop. I have a whole new kframe for mine.

[bordin34]

No real progress today, picked up a 440 instead. Thanks Frank.

[bordin34]

Didn't do much the past couple days. All I did was paint the UCAs, install bump stops, and installed the poly UCA bushings.
I am having trouble getting the lower ball joint separated from the spindle I think I am going to unscrew the two bolts that hold it to the spindle then break it loose.

[bordin34]

Here are some pictures of the UCAs. That gorilla snot they give you for the bushings gets everywhere.

[bordin34]

Today and yesterday I removed the lower control arms, torsion bars, and put in the alum. cross member bushings. The T-bars came out really easy since I wont be using them again I put some vice grips on there and they came out in a hit or two. The LCAs are at a shop having new bushings pressed in now.

[Foreman72]

great work i'm definitely  going to reference this when i'd doing my 72

[bordin34]

Here is what I did the past couple days, new bushings are in the LCA. I also welded on reinforcement plates, the welds look terrible but should hold fine.

[bordin34]

Today I installed new ball joints in the arm, a new pitman arm, a new idler arm, and new poly K-Frame bushings.

[mopar73]

Looking good.  Where did you get the reinforment plates?  I was thinking of making my own, but if they aren't too expensive someone else can make them   Also, where did you get the new torsion bars?

[bordin34]

I got the plates from Mancini and the T-bars from ebay but they are firm feel 1.06" bars.

[mopar73]

Thanks for the info

[bordin34]

Its all finished, all I need now is to get my new tires mounted and an alignment.
My thoughts so far are
- the car corners much flatter and surer
- my headers no longer scrape after bumps
- Much better steering response
- the 1.06" bars could be a little too much for my GR-2's but thats the best I can get
- my 1-1/8" front sway bar may be a little too much
- i desperately need an alignment
- I want some frame connectors
- I still have a popping sound when quickly cornering