68 cuda front suspension questions

[cherokeechief79]

our 68 was just thrown together by the po.it had a 440 and was just a racecar.he changed the k member and put a 318 in it.it has a brand new exhaust all the way back and new headers which seem to fit very well.we are trying to put the front steering together and having problems.1st we bought a new idler arm and it came with 2 heavy washers.do these go inside bracket or on the outside?
once it is on (even loosely)it seems to hit the header on the pass side.it does look like it will just clear the oilpan though.can anyone direct me to a good writeup with good pictures for assembling this ?

 

[68original]

Large washers are used inside the bracket.
The idler arm should fit snug and have no up and down play when bolted in place.
Unfortunately the 68 and 69 parts manuals show the 67 version of the idler arm in the exploded view. The 67 mounts differently than the 68 and up models.
The factory 68 service manual doesn't show enough detail either.
Hope this helps.

 

[cherokeechief79]

thanks. I cant find any good pix anywhere of the 68 assembled with headers installed.they need more than just a few dents to make this work.is it possible that we need to lift the engine up and then put it all together before lowering the engine down on top of it?

 

[cherokeechief79]

also after much research it looks like the headers are summit racing brand.
the guy I got the cuda from was a mopar nut and the k frame was from a 69 dart(I think think is what he said).
the steering box may also be from the 69 because I think the 440 probably had a manual box for clearance.could the components from the 69 dart be causing my problems?
I would hate to order everything new for a 68 cuda and find out I still have the same problems.

 

[68original]

68 and 69 parts, whether Dart or Barracuda, are interchangeable so that shouldn't be the problem. Just going from memory but headers didn't create issues with my 340 and steering components on my 69 Barracuda years ago.