67 Barracuda Front End Kits

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1badfish67

1badfish67

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Looking to buy a front end rebuild kit for my Barracuda. It has manual steering. Armstrong power steering as my dad used to call it, lol! Been searching around on FABO looking for information on Front End rebuild kits, along with how to tips. Several folks say to use the MOOG K7103 offset bushings to move the ball upper joint toward the back of the car for more positive caster. Does anyone make a kit that has the offset bushings in it or do we just have to set the UCA bushings that come in these kits aside and specifically order more K7103 bushings?

Also, I noticed several ready kits out there for my 67 Barracuda show sway bar bolts and frame grommets in the kit. My 67 doesn't have a front sway bar. Are these just a "One kit fits multiple vehicles" option? Believe my car is a January 67 production. Now that said, maybe the pictures on these websites don't actually reflect what comes in the 67 Barracuda kit?? PST and Andersen Restorations kits I found show the saw bar bolts. The kit picture on PST site looks like it may be for a Chevy.

1967 Plymouth Barracuda with Drum Brakes New Front End Suspension Master Rebuild Kit


https://p-s-t.com/series-220184-polygraphite-performance-super-front-end-kit.html#!model=BARRACUDA||make=PLYMOUTH||year=1967
 
As far as "how to" tips, there's several good tutorials in the "Articles" section of this forum.
 
1badfish67 said:
The kit picture on PST site looks like it may be for a Chevy
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On the PST kit you neglected to specify sub model ( disk / drum) it then shows what is included.

I would call the sellers and ask if they would substitute the offset UCA bushings.
 
Good catch Dana67Dart. Went back and selected the drum option and got the updated price and picture. The update also shows to have the sway bar bolts and grommets. Ad asks for sway bar diameter for the attachment grommets prior to ordering or if you don't supply a diameter they will leave those bushings out of the kit. As you say I will call whomever I decide to go with on the parts.

Curious though, did Mopar originally install sway bars on some 67 models?
 
Contact Peter Bergman at @BergmanAutoCraft. He is a hell of a nice, helpful guy and will not steer you wrong. Pun intended. lol
 
Sway bars were an option. Is this a good time to install disc brakes? If so, you will need to update your upper control arm and spindle.
 
Murray said:
If so, you will need to update your upper control arm and spindle
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You should not need to replace the upper control arms if you go with SBP KH disks.

Even if you go with the 73 up you can get the tapered adapter for the small to large upper ball joint
 
If this is a street car, I highly recommend a disc brake upgrade and a front sway bar. If it's not going to be a 100% stocker, get the Helwig front sway bar kit. Really helps the handling. If it's a drag race car, leave the drums on it and no sway bar. That will keep your front end weight down.
 
cudamark said:
If this is a street car, I highly recommend a disc brake upgrade and a front sway bar. If it's not going to be a 100% stocker, get the Helwig front sway bar kit. Really helps the handling. If it's a drag race car, leave the drums on it and no sway bar. That will keep your front end weight down.
Click to expand...
It will be a non-stock street car. I would like to keep as many original style parts as I can. It's not a prefect numbers matching car by any means as it has the 340 in it now but came with the 273 Commando w/4spd setup. I have kept the 5x4 lug stud pattern and drum breaks on the car. Did get a power brake upgrade kit for drum breaks off of another FABO member. Just got new Rallye wheels, rings and caps a couple months ago. Actually got new ones for rear. Went with original era 5.5" width for fronts (FABO Member) as the new ones from CI had more back set and less wheel to upper control arm/ball joint clearance than I was comfortable with, so I got a couple of 69 year 5x4 Rallyes and had them powder coated to match the new ones.

I am thinking of adding the sway bar setup if it's not too much of a headache. While I have the front end torn down I was thinking of looking for a set of lower control arms that have the extra pad w/hole for the sway bar bolts. Are there also special mounting pads on the K-Frames that came with sway bar set ups for the grommet hangers or would my original K-Frame just need to me marked, drilled and tapped?
 
IIRC the later years 73??? And newer sway bars mount different than the older 67 like.

Lower control arm mount is different and the mount to the frame is different
 
I would also look into changing out that one year only Idler Arm since you will have it all disassembled.
Either a 68 up K-frame or I believe someone posted a how-to conversion article - little fab and welding.
Check k-frame carefully for cracks and weld in some strengthening plates, another how-to article.
 
Dana67Dart said:
IIRC the later years 73??? And newer sway bars mount different than the older 67 like.

Lower control arm mount is different and the mount to the frame is different
Click to expand...
If one could locate a set of lower control arms from a 67-69 A-Body Barracuda that had a sway bar set up, as well as a sway bar for these same years, could the sway bar system be mounted correctly to fit my non-sway bar original K-Frame?
 
pa340dart said:
I would also look into changing out that one year only Idler Arm since you will have it all disassembled.
Either a 68 up K-frame or I believe someone posted a how-to conversion article - little fab and welding.
Check k-frame carefully for cracks and weld in some strengthening plates, another how-to article.
Click to expand...
Plan is to replace everything under the front end except for possibly the torsion bars, upper/lower arms and strut rods. Except for the LCA, if I can install a sway bar. If some parts are salvageable like brake drums, spindles etc I will reuse them like having the drums turned. No time like the present to go through it.

I will search for those articles.
 
I believe up to '72 model will work, I think that in 73 the factory went with the new spool motor mount design, larger ball joints, and single piston calipers. big bolt pattern, etc Changed every thing
 
The K-member should have all the proper holes already for a stock sway bar. Either get the factory LCA's with the sway bar tabs, or, get a kit that doesn't need them. The '68-up idler arm conversion is a nice upgrade if you aren't concerned about originality, but, the stock '67 will work fine. They just are an inferior design and don't last quite as long as the '68-up version. They're a lot more expensive too being a one year only part. Depending on the level of performance you desire, stiffer torsion bars, sway bar, and high quality shocks sure help in handling.
 
My 67 came with the factory sway bar and KH brakes.
The bushing is captured within the sway bar bracket, so in order to change it you need to split it open, swap it, and weld it back together with the new bushing in there, not ideal.
I originally rebuilt my front suspension and it was nice.

Later, I installed QA1 UCA/LCA/Strut Rods and it handled the same, if not better, than the original rebuilt front suspension with the sway bar.
I wish I did this first, instead of rebuilding the stock stuff.

After that, I installed a rebuilt '68 steering column as the '67 is one year only garbage and impossible to find all of the parts, as well as a PST 16:1 manual box.
Car ran down the road straight as an arrow, and I can let go of the wheel and it tracks perfectly.
Best $ I ever spent, on suspension.

I then installed front and rear Hotchkis sway bars.
Hotchkis front bar does not match up 100% vertical to the QA1 LCA end link mounts, some run it as is, I installed it as is and it seems fine, but I am going to cut them off and weld on the Hotchkis mounts.
Hotchkis sway bar to k-frame mounts - I bolted the bar to the mounts and modified the mounts slightly so they would mount level on the k-frame, basically ground them down until the fit flush.
If you do not do this, the bar will bind up in the rubber mounts.

Also, cut a hole in the k-frame in order to weld the front of the LCA pivot shaft to the k-frame, it's only welded to the k-frame on the rear, and you cannot weld the front from the outside.

20210406_185934.jpg


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20201217_123330.jpg
 
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cudamark said:
The K-member should have all the proper holes already for a stock sway bar. Either get the factory LCA's with the sway bar tabs, or, get a kit that doesn't need them. The '68-up idler arm conversion is a nice upgrade if you aren't concerned about originality, but, the stock '67 will work fine. They just are an inferior design and don't last quite as long as the '68-up version. They're a lot more expensive too being a one year only part. Depending on the level of performance you desire, stiffer torsion bars, sway bar, and high quality shocks sure help in handling.
Click to expand...
To upgrade to the 68 style idler arm, would the 67 drag link and pitman arm work with the 68 idler arm upgrade or would they have to be changed out as well?
 
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