1972 Plymouth Duster Alignment failure

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I've got this diagram down, something just got lost in me attempting to articulate my thoughts. So ill try to explain my question the long way, not trying to butt heads here.

Ok, so i know for a fact, based on these diagrams, that the center link bar on the car is a 73-76 link. The pitman currently connected to the steering box is from the 67-72 style. Disregard the current idler arm.

Provided that we find both the current center link and pitman arm to be reusable, which route should i take?
Route 1: Change current pitman arm with one(that fits the splines just as the old one does) for the later style bar and get a new idler that matches
Route 2: Keep current pitman and replace the 73-76 center link with the 67-72 link. Then buy an earlier style idler to match

Provided that the center link and/or idler are trash
Route 1: If the current pitman is good but the link is trash, Go with a new 67-72 center link
Route 2: Pitman is trash, but the current center link is good, then i will get a pitman with the right spline groves that fits on the gearbox, while fitting the 73-76 setup
Route 3. If All are junk. I Really would just prefer to put the 67-72 setup on the car, just as personal preference if all 3 pieces are going to be new


Did i cover it all? These are the only appropriate choices, correct?
 
I'm not convinced there's a hard advantage to later vs early. For me, it's whatever I gathered up that was in good shape, LOL and could be made to fit the power box
 
I am not sure how successful you will be in finding a "new" center link. Do you have power steering on the car?
C
 
clhyer said:
I am not sure how successful you will be in finding a "new" center link. Do you have power steering on the car?
C
Click to expand...

You can find a new one for a 72 Chevy right quick.
 
Bret2094 said:
No definitely not uniformly straight!!!! haha looks like i need to use my words different. It has a uniform tapered angle, but i will be posting pics (hopefully with a better camera) to make sure i have come upon the right conclusion
Click to expand...
Yer doin' fine. I just tend to doublecheck when I can interpret words more than one way....we could all go down the wrong road for a while if talking different things....
 
clhyer said:
I am not sure how successful you will be in finding a "new" center link. Do you have power steering on the car?
C
Click to expand...


Lol by "new" i mean new to me. Used and workable is more of what i'm talkin bout.Finding someone that makes a new centerlink...dont think its gonna happen. Removing this dang pitman is proving more difficult than i imagined. Upon removing the idler, i did notice close to a 1/4 inch of endplay where it attaches to the k member. YIKES!


Oh and the thing is manual steering btw
 
Update on the center link and Pitman. After cleaning the thing up and looking at my tapers, All of the tapers were fine.. except for the one where the pitman goes. It is egged out and wont be usable. Last night, it looked alright, but there wasnt much light and a considerable amount of crud and grease was in the way. the pitman, upon examening the ball joint on it, is waaaaaaaay too loose .( you can sit there and flick it with your finger and itll move, so it looks like ill be replacing all three. Oh the joy
 
Well, at least you found it and are heading in the right direction. I assume you will be removing the control arms for inspection next?
 
It's on the list of things to do. Might go ahead and get setup to change my k member. The new oil pan setup will be in later this week
 
.........Please do not go back to that same shop.............
 
Lesson Learned, wont be back. Looks like it's time to start saving money for all my bushings, idler, center link, and pitman. The money ispent on crappy labor woulda covered all this, but living in the past isn't gonna fix this POS. Probably gonna start a restore thread soon, even though completion is liable to take 5 plus years
 
Guys, are the torque specs the same for 68-72 and the 73-76 setup? Just making sure since all of my parts will be in shortly. Already have my idler,pitman,k member and gasket set in. The Oil pan and centerlink are supposed to be here the 9th along with the bushings. Can't wait to get started.
 
Recently came into a problem with new motor mounts and brackets. I can't seem to find brackets for a 68-72 360 that are specifically for a bodies.

Does this look alright? Trying to avoid shumacher ones @ $144

[ame="http://www.ebay.com/itm/Trans-Dapt-4695-Swap-Mount-Motor-Mount-Mopar-340-360-w-Mount-Pads-/400731756654?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item5d4d79586e&vxp=mtr"]Trans Dapt Performance Products 4695 Swap Mount Motor Mount | eBay[/ame]
 
Off hand, I'd say those are for a /6 K member, with pillow mounts, to a V8


What is it again, you are going to use for a K?
 
I talked to crackedback about this earlier in the week. I have a v8 k but i'm still having trouble finding the stock brackets
 
I would definitely use the later model K just for the fail safe motor supports. A good engine can rip the left biscuit mount apart.
The later sway bar is more common too.
I haven't read all of the posts in this thread but I suspect you have learned there is situation where the pitman arm needed was never produced. Some steering gears simply cannot be connected to some center links when mixed ( somebody tried on your car ).
You have to determine what steering gear you will use and find the center link for that application.
 
RedFish said:
I would definitely use the later model K just for the fail safe motor supports. A good engine can rip the left biscuit mount apart.
The later sway bar is more common too.
I haven't read all of the posts in this thread but I suspect you have learned there is situation where the pitman arm needed was never produced. Some steering gears simply cannot be connected to some center links when mixed ( somebody tried on your car ).
You have to determine what steering gear you will use and find the center link for that application.
Click to expand...

Long story short, the spool k i have is hacked up and i will be replacing it with the older style one. I have everything ordered already for the older style hookup apart from the brackets.
 
Update: Alright so it's been a week or so since i posted last, and i would like to actually share some good news. Today, just for ***** and giggles, i went ahead and installed my new pitman, idler, and centerlink to the current setup(temporary till bushings come in). after playing with the tie rods and getting the alignment roughly right, I checked for endplay and after finding very,very little, I took the duster for a short spin down the county road where i live, and would ya believe it doesnt squall anymore!!!! as a matter of fact it handles fairly well. I will be installing new bushings, the new k and my oil pan in the near future, but i thought id share some good news. Thanks to everyone for the guidance, and I have a quick question about handling with manual steering. Is it normal for the car to go kinda nuts when you hit a pothole? Seems like alot of slack in my steering wheel. Oh and i will be changing my headers soon, as the current setup is scraping against the idler arm nut ever so slightly( plus it has a bunch of exhaust leaks in it) Any suggestions on an economical set of headers? Ive heard headman, but i seem to get mixed feelings
Thanks again,

Bret
 
The headers you have look like Hedmans. They totally suck ***. I JUST threw in the towel on a set today after screwing with them for several hours. They were GIVEN to me from a Mopar guy that was clearing out his stash. Even for free, they were NOT worth it. The right side hit at the torsion bar, three tubes were in the way of the idler arm and one wanted to rest against the oil pan. The left side hit the steering box in 3 places and the steering coupler hit as well. The cheap headers are cheap because they are a shitty design. It really sucks that you have to spend $$$ to get good fitment but that is the truth. Dougs and TTI are the best fitting but they are expensive.
Our cars are terrible for these companies. The left side has the trans cooler lines, trans linkage and KD, starter and a big honking iron case steering box in the way. When a company makes a header that fits without having to bash anything, it really is great. After some time passes, you'll forget about the extra money they cost but the quality will remain.
 
No, the steering should not go crazy when you hit a pothole. Worn ball joints, bushings, etc., can all contribute to this. Your caster alignemnt may be way off (way negative caster) and it will tend to be unstable, especialy if the ball joints are loose and don't have any damping drag. Glad you are making progress!
 
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