Help with the K member!

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Samuelc

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I'm sorry if im in the wrong place, but i have a 1973 Plymouth duster, and a 1974 Plymouth duster k frame.(because it has the disk brakes and power steering) i am currently trying to do an engine swap and k frame swap to the 1973 duster. Full story is that we bought an old 73 duster and it had a slant 6 in it. runs great, but we wanted a project. We bought a bigger moter (318) and had it rebuilt. We decided that we needed Dick brakes in the front as well as power steering. Someone was selling an old beat up 74 duster that we bought just for parts. Luckly the K frame was good. So what we need to do now is take the old k frame and engine and tranny out of the 73, then put the 74's k frame in with the new engine mounted and hook it all up. i am not sure on how to do this or what parts i need or where to get the parts. I am doing this with my father as a project. I'm sure he knows more about what to do but i am tasked with finding the parts.

Short version: I need to know what parts i need to mount a 1974 duster's K frame to my 1973 duster. i also need to know how to go about this, and where to get rotors, pads, bushings, and the mounting hardware.
 
You should have most, if not all of what you need already, I would take the whole K assembly steering, engine and all and just transfer it to the other car. You will have to take the torsion bars loose at the support by the trans, take the bolts out of the K and unhook all of the linkages, fuel line, wires etc and raise the front of the car off of it and roll it out in one unit.

Do the same to the other car, then roll the unit in that you pulled from the donor car and hook everything back up.

Read through this thread and it will help you to see what I'm talking about.

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=88358
 
You should have everything you need, but you need to check the suspension components for worn bushings/ball joints/tie rod ends/etc. If you get the car up high enough you can do the swap from under the car.
 
The two K frames are a direct interchange

The one you are putting IN is?? a V8?? K?? It should be, that is should NOT be a /6 K frame or you have gained nothing

All front end parts off either car---if they are both disk brakes, will interchange

If one is drum, and you are converting to disc, you need the "disc" parts from one car:

the upper A arms

The spindles and upper and lower ball joints, and of course calipers, etc

As ^^ above, you need to tear it all apart, anyway, because you need to replace all bushings and moveable / wear parts in the front end, unless the "donor" is fairly newly built.
 
Samuelc said:
I'm sorry if im in the wrong place, but i have a 1973 Plymouth duster, and a 1974 Plymouth duster k frame.(because it has the disk brakes and power steering) i am currently trying to do an engine swap and k frame swap to the 1973 duster. Full story is that we bought an old 73 duster and it had a slant 6 in it. runs great, but we wanted a project. We bought a bigger moter (318) and had it rebuilt. We decided that we needed Dick brakes in the front as well as power steering. Someone was selling an old beat up 74 duster that we bought just for parts. Luckly the K frame was good. So what we need to do now is take the old k frame and engine and tranny out of the 73, then put the 74's k frame in with the new engine mounted and hook it all up. i am not sure on how to do this or what parts i need or where to get the parts. I am doing this with my father as a project. I'm sure he knows more about what to do but i am tasked with finding the parts.

Short version: I need to know what parts i need to mount a 1974 duster's K frame to my 1973 duster. i also need to know how to go about this, and where to get rotors, pads, bushings, and the mounting hardware.
Click to expand...

you should have everything, i did this but my donor was a 73 scamp with 10 in drum instead of the stock 9'', i bent it drifting an intersection and getting greedy, but it was simple it should drop right in, like the others said, while your there replace everything, i did everything minus the shocks for about 300-350? get ready to fight with the torsion bars and make sure they're straight, what i suggest is get it level as possible (not on a drive way like we did) unbolt, lift the k with a jack loosen the torsion bars and pull towards the front or else you get pressure on the bars and you aint going nowhere.. its just 4 big bolts n torsion mainly. i do remember making this tool that saved me and my dads butts.. if you want to be extra motivated about it, degrease everything including the tranny tunnel i shot mine with some spray on lining, over all its not that bad have fun! n don't forget to get it aligned obviously. i read many drag people preferred the slant6 k due too weight, on shumacher.com they have instructions and these motor mounts that weld into the /6 k to turn it into a B.B. I'm dropping a 383 in mine. hope this helped.
 
i was gonna lift the car up by the front and pull out the old engine/K frane unit and put the new one in already assembled. Do you know where i could get the bushings/ball joints/tie rod ends if i needed them.
 
yes it is a V8 frame. sorry for not specifying that. the problem is that the old front end was drum brakes, so im not sure what i need, because the new K frame has disks. Which need new rotors, pads, and calipers. Do you know where i could get the wear parts, like bushings and ect.
 
deathdust73 said:
you should have everything, i did this but my donor was a 73 scamp with 10 in drum instead of the stock 9'', i bent it drifting an intersection and getting greedy, but it was simple it should drop right in, like the others said, while your there replace everything, i did everything minus the shocks for about 300-350? get ready to fight with the torsion bars and make sure they're straight, what i suggest is get it level as possible (not on a drive way like we did) unbolt, lift the k with a jack loosen the torsion bars and pull towards the front or else you get pressure on the bars and you aint going nowhere.. its just 4 big bolts n torsion mainly. i do remember making this tool that saved me and my dads butts.. if you want to be extra motivated about it, degrease everything including the tranny tunnel i shot mine with some spray on lining, over all its not that bad have fun! n don't forget to get it aligned obviously. i read many drag people preferred the slant6 k due too weight, on shumacher.com they have instructions and these motor mounts that weld into the /6 k to turn it into a B.B. I'm dropping a 383 in mine. hope this helped.
Click to expand...


Thank you!!! that was a huge help. where did you find the parts you replaced, like torsion bars, ball joints, bushings and stuff like that, and do you have a list of all the things you replaced i could see.
 
Samuelc said:
yes it is a V8 frame. sorry for not specifying that. the problem is that the old front end was drum brakes, so im not sure what i need, because the new K frame has disks. Which need new rotors, pads, and calipers. Do you know where i could get the wear parts, like bushings and ect.
Click to expand...

So when replacing parts for that front end just buy parts that are relative to the car it came out of.

Most of the stuff you should be able to get at most parts stores.
 
Samuelc said:
Thank you!!! that was a huge help. where did you find the parts you replaced, like torsion bars, ball joints, bushings and stuff like that, and do you have a list of all the things you replaced i could see.
Click to expand...

eeeeek.. that was just at this weird car store i go to called t.b.a. they always have everything they're really old school but just ask at a regular car place, most are going to be bushings and things nothing out of the ordinary if you can take it to an alignment place and they'll tell you everything. the reason i say weird is cause they always have everything if not its there by the end of the day and they actually know wtf you're talking about.
 
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