Can a 69 K frame be used in a 70 Charger?

[y3chargerrt]

I have someone who is interested in a 69 k frame I have for sale. It is a 68-69 and is power coated. He has a F-8 70 Charger R/T clone. If he buys my k frame, my stock 69 sway bar, mounts and links will they bolt into his 70  with out any issues. Will they work with the rest of his 1970 suspension? I don't want to sell him a head ache.  Thanks guys

[Ghoste]

I think so yes.  Check that the links mount to the 70 control arms the same though.

[ACUDANUT]

Why wouldn't they. ?

[HPP]

Yes, they do bolt in, but as you noticed, the sway bar mounting locations are different. This means he has to also have the correct '69 lower control arms, or move his sway bar tabs on his '70 arms to match the bar.

Other than that, everything  else bolts on.

[John_Kunkel]

The '70 sway bar passes through K-member, '69 and earlier are mounted externally in front of the K-member..

[tan top]

not sure if I either imagined it , or read about it or heard it from somewhere , or came to the conclusion my self    ,  that the 70 swaybar set up is the better design  , being its shorter in the shorter side  , making it stiffer  

[fy469rtse]

Tan top,  you got it, that's why we all go for bigger thicker,
Check the tabs in lower control arms , some small block cars with lighter sway bars had the tabs in same location as 69

[Ghoste]

I'm still trying to find it as it came up in another thread recently but I seem to recall the opposite, that the 70 design while an acceptable compromise for manufacturing made for an inferior setup because the bar was forced to act on a shorter polar moment?

[6bblgt]

Tan top,  you got it, that's why we all go for bigger thicker,
Check the tabs in lower control arms , some small block cars with lighter sway bars had the tabs in same location as 69

Not true!  For 1970 there are 2 control arms: 1 with sway bar tabs & 1 without. (must have been a prior swap)
There is only one 1970 Front sway bar: #2835862 .88" dia.

The '69 sway bar set up will interfere with 1970 & newer front mounted brake calipers.

[Mike DC]

The 1970 swaybar is turned farther by the LCAs.  But the attachment point on the LCAs is also moved halfway back away from the outer balljoint, which works against the stiffening effect of the shorter arm on the swaybar.  The overall rate is probably not all that different.

[HPP]

Mike is correct. Installed on the car, the '69 style bar applies more actual rate to the tire than a similarly sized '70 bar. However, the '70 bar is a tad bit lighter and does not have the disc brake interference issue that the '69 bar has. As the size of the bar increases, the '70 style weight advantage will increase.

Taken as just a bar unmounted, the '70 style is stiffer, but the attaching points on the control arm negate the gain.

[tan top]

 oh right interesting stuff info / insight  Guys , !! thanks for sharing  

[Ghoste]

Oh, I thought they had made the rate higher on the 70 bar to compensate for its shorter length?

[y3chargerrt]

Wow good information. So it seems to run this k frame in a 1970 he would need 69 control arms also.

[Ghoste]

Yes.

[HPP]

Oh, I thought they had made the rate higher on the 70 bar to compensate for its shorter length?

The shorter arms of the '70 bar give it a naturally higher rate than the '69 bar, even if they are the same diameter. However, the mounting point of the bar on the control arm for '70 was so much further inward, that the additional rate is compromised by a longer motion ratio of the control arm.

[500Jon]

I always thought the 70 B-body handled better than the 69 B-body!

Maybe more to it than just the sway bar???

5J

[Ghoste]

Based on the ones I've driven, I honestly always thought they handled about the same.