69 340 k-frame and power steering questions

[nutz]

going tomorrow morning for my 340 k frame and rear diff for 6 to 340 swap
so just got a quick look the other night it has disk brakes and i think a sway bar
not sure if it has the torsen bars but i'll ask are the upper control arms 6/8 the same
i am going with power steering ,i bought a 6 cyl box before i decided to go v8 ...are they the same
i know the ps/man columb are different lenths ,buy how much , is there an easy way to tell ?? something about the slip joint
i'll post pics when i get home tomorrow
thank

 

[remytherat]

are the upper control arms 6/8 the same

yes

,i bought a 6 cyl box before i decided to go v8 ...are they the same

yes

i know the ps/man columb are different lenths ,buy how much , is there an easy way to tell ??

There is an adapter that makes up the length. I can go measure it on my car tomorrow.

 

[nutz]

i bought a columb a while a go for the turn switch
no shifter tab so when i do my 3 on the tree to 4 speed swap i'll use it

 

[cudamark]

Going from manual steering to power steering requires a different (shorter) center shaft in the column, plus a different coupler. Depending on the years involved, you might need a different hose fitting on the P/S control valve. As long as we're talking '72 and earlier A,B, and E body P/S gear boxes, they will interchange not counting control valve fittings. Those can usually be swapped.

 

[nutz]

well this is todays find
same guy i got the gts hood from
he said his is a 383 car someone swapped a sb in and an auto
hes doing a turbo ls swap and a coil over front end
so hope its what i need ,came with upper control arms bjs look good bushing done but one is smoshed
new calipers one rotor looks thin....just a bonus have a disk brake set-up anyway
ball joints don't match and i guess one was left loose (left is the nicer)
think r/s is chinesse
going to do lower bushings ...never done them before..but thats another topic
i got torsen bars not sure if they are right ...funny he marked l/r ..r was in left side
a little banged up on the bottom ,but think any one will be ...should i weld up the seam on the bottom

 

[nutz]

anybody know what t-bars are used in the 340 ...
are theses the the right ones
thanks

 

[cudamark]

The numbers we need is on the other end.

 

[junkyardhero]

892/893 is factory, it'll be stamped into the end of the bar at the hex.

i don't know if it's the angle but the swaybar looks aftermarket. or maybe it's just the mounts. but it looks big, so i'd run it!

 

[nutz]

It was a 383 car they came out of
The guy he got the car from swapped an 340 / k frame
So wonder if they left the old t bars

 

[Kendog 170]

383 Torsion bars would be better than the 340 bars.

 

[nutz]

.89 inch #894 383 bars
Wonder if they are going to be too stiff
Are they left and right

 

[cudamark]

.89 inch #894 383 bars
Wonder if they are going to be too stiff
Are they left and right

#894 is a RH, #895 would be the left. Not too stiff in today's world if you like a better handling car. There are aftermarket ones that are even stiffer that are popular too. There's even a factory A-body set of torsion bars that are stiffer than the BB bars........The '76 Police car bars.

 

[junkyardhero]

.89 inch #894 383 bars
Wonder if they are going to be too stiff
Are they left and right

they'll be perfect for what you're building.

they are left & right

 

[nutz]

Ok thanks
So the one marked r on the back is right
So funny cause when the guy took them out he marked them ...
They where in wrong

 

[nutz]

So here another question
Do the part #s go to the front or the rear of the car

 

[cudamark]

The factory put them to the rear. Makes it much easier to read them!

 

[Bennoel 10]

So here another question
Do the part #s go to the front or the rear of the car

Doesn't make a difference but usually the 983 and 984 numbers go to the rear so you can read em. Only matters that you install the left bar in the left side and right in the right side

 

[nutz]

Is one stiffer ?
I thought I might be the way they twist

 

[cudamark]

Is one stiffer ?
I thought I might be the way they twist

One side stiffer than the other? No, but, they were made to only twist one direction. Put them on the wrong side and they may break.

 

[nutz]

One side stiffer than the other? No, but, they were made to only twist one direction. Put them on the wrong side and they may break.

yea so if you put them in backwords they are twisting the wrong way

 

[cosgig]

340 K frames are no different than other small block K frame, except they have a washer welded to the front. That was supposed to signify that the K frame to be structurally improved, meaning that all of the seams, brackets and mounts are fully welded on the K frame. This almost never happened! You’re better off welding all of the seams and such yourself, that way it will actually get done.

 

[Bennoel 10]

yea so if you put them in backwords they are twisting the wrong way

As long as they're installed in the correct side it doesn't matter which end the numbers face as it will twist in the same direction regardless of orientation.

 

[Bennoel 10]

340 K frames are no different than other small block K frame, except they have a washer welded to the front. That was supposed to signify that the K frame to be structurally improved, meaning that all of the seams, brackets and mounts are fully welded on the K frame. This almost never happened! You’re better off welding all of the seams and such yourself, that way it will actually get done.

I believe that the significant difference is the extra support in the area of the lower control arm pivot shaft. There is a horse shoe looking washer/plate welded around the tube on the back side of the K-frame. This cannot be seen once assembled. The coin or washer located on the front of the K-frame is visible. This only indicates to the quality control inspector that the correct K-frame has been installed. You may disagree.

 

[nutz]

don't see any washer
taring it down this week end ,will post picks after

 

[cudamark]

yea so if you put them in backwords they are twisting the wrong way

Nope, the twist is the same forward or backward. Just the side is important. I know it's hard to visualize, but, if the front of the bar twists one way, the other end twists the other whether it actually moves or not. Draw a curved arrow on one end pointed in the direction of the twist. Then draw another arrow going the other way on the opposite end. Then swap ends. You see the arrows are still pointing the same direction on both ends. Swap sides and the arrows are going the other (wrong) way on both ends.