How screwed is my K-member?

-
Looks like the 70-72 K member in that ebay link I shared passes the sway bar through the same place as the 73+ but I could be wrong about that. If there are upgraded biscuit mounts that remove the risk of flopping, perhaps I should grab that one off ebay and hope it's good.
 
My thanks to Jim Lusk who is the K-Member guru around here, especially modifying a stock spool mount K-Member for a big block!
And I agree, the factory welds usually are terrible throughout the years.
I applaud you (the OP) for making the post about your problems with your K-Member with detailed pics.
Truth be told, I am a journeyman welder that knows a thing or two and has modified/reinforced several K-Members over the years...
That being said, I really prefer the '73 and up spool mount K-Member over the '72 and older puck mount ones. They seem like a stronger design.
But, The puck mount K-Members are good as well... as long as you use a torque strap on the driver's side.
Do what you need to get your car on the road whether you fix what you have or use the older puck style...
 
poconos_power said:
Looks like the 70-72 K member in that ebay link I shared passes the sway bar through the same place as the 73+ but I could be wrong about that. If there are upgraded biscuit mounts that remove the risk of flopping, perhaps I should grab that one off ebay and hope it's good.
Click to expand...

The K in that link has been modified. It appears to be a 73+ K frame that has had the engine mounts added, probably a /6 to V8 conversion.

67-72 K’s are closed on the bottom.
 
72bluNblu said:
And other than the sway bar tab location, 73+ LCA’s are the same as 67-72. Maybe even 64-72? I’m not an early A expert.
Click to expand...

all the 62~76 arms interchange with the difference being in swaybar tabs.

there's granular differences like the stamping ribs in the arms or bump stop shape/height as well as mounting pin, but physically they're all identical and will slide right in.
 
72bluNblu said:
The K in that link has been modified. It appears to be a 73+ K frame that has had the engine mounts added, probably a /6 to V8 conversion.

67-72 K’s are closed on the bottom.
Click to expand...

That one is an odd duck! Doesn't look to me like the biscuit mounts were added (not arguing, just a comment) but the bottom is certainly a '73+. Weird.

Seems like $400 is steep either way. But I haven't been looking for one in awhile so maybe they have gone way up?

Makes me think the '73 /6 K-frame I pulled out of my G3 swap project car is maybe worth holding on to.
 
DionR said:
That one is an odd duck! Doesn't look to me like the biscuit mounts were added (not arguing, just a comment) but the bottom is certainly a '73+. Weird.

Seems like $400 is steep either way. But I haven't been looking for one in awhile so maybe they have gone way up?

Makes me think the '73 /6 K-frame I pulled out of my G3 swap project car is maybe worth holding on to.
Click to expand...
Ok, I thought was weird too! It does look like factory welds. Perhaps this was from a car built for a non-US market? Only thing I can think of, but it does make me weary of dropping the cash to get it since it could be Franken-member.
Of course when I first looked last year there were 73+ kmembers all over the place, not now it seems :(
 
DionR said:
That one is an odd duck! Doesn't look to me like the biscuit mounts were added (not arguing, just a comment) but the bottom is certainly a '73+. Weird.

Seems like $400 is steep either way. But I haven't been looking for one in awhile so maybe they have gone way up?

Makes me think the '73 /6 K-frame I pulled out of my G3 swap project car is maybe worth holding on to.
Click to expand...

poconos_power said:
Ok, I thought was weird too! It does look like factory welds. Perhaps this was from a car built for a non-US market? Only thing I can think of, but it does make me weary of dropping the cash to get it since it could be Franken-member.
Of course when I first looked last year there were 73+ kmembers all over the place, not now it seems :(
Click to expand...

Yeah the quality of the factory welds certainly makes it difficult to tell if something was original or added, it's probably harder to lay down welds as bad as a factory did than it is to do a better job. Something about the engine mount and bracing on the drivers side just doesn't look right to me, but yeah, consistency was not a big thing for Ma Mopar.

There's no part numbers for anything like that, so it's not an export market thing. If anything it may just be a late '72 or VERY early '73 K member, so either they ran out of the '72 bottom halves early or ran out of the '72 top halves late. Ma Mopar is infamous for using up all the old parts on a transition year. If it's factory that's what I would bet, either very late '72 or early '73 causing a mix match of parts.

As for the price I think the $400 is probably pretty reasonable for eBay. Seller doesn't seem to know it's weird and again, it might actually be factory. The welds between the top and bottom halves look original, if anything it was an engine mount swap but yeah, maybe it wasn't!

$1k is crazy. Even the big block K's don't get that. But $300 or $400 for a V8 K, especially on eBay, makes sense. At a local swap you could probably do better but with fees and junk I get it.
 
Rat Rod Al currently has a good one in the classifieds under brakes/suspension. I wouldn’t purchase that one on eBay.
 
kick said:
Rat Rod Al currently has a good one in the classifieds under brakes/suspension. I wouldn’t purchase that one on eBay.
Click to expand...
Ah dang, a 1970 k-member, unfortunately I've already bought everything else around the idea of the 73+ member. I know ebay is a gamble, the last one I got was from there, but if it's my only option...
 
So, I did some basic measuring, and the kmember is square, but the tube is bad. Theres a lip in the tube to help set the depth of the pin, and it' been rubbed flat in half the tube. I suppose it could be replaced at some point with an @Jim Lusk style jig and a doner tube from my old /6 member. Perhaps I'll have the chance to build such a thing at some point and fix this one up. I don't want toss it if it's still fixable, but it's beyond me right now.
 

Lower control arms are the same. You would need to use a sway bar for 67-72 kframes. You also probably just have to relocate the mounting tab for the sway bar on the control arm. There may also be a sway bar manufacturer that includes the tabs in their kit.
 
Last edited:
Firm feel has a sway bar that will work for a 70 k frame and 73+ lower arms. They include tabs. A little pricey but their products are good.
 
I guess I can always go the tubular route? https://qa1.net/products/tubular-k-member-for-67-72-mopar-a-body/

You guys think it could stand up to autox. I've seen some conversation saying it good, and some conversation saying it's crap. Also, I know quality has a tendency to change over time, so curious if it's still something that would be recommended. Yeah, it's expensive but then the job is done.
 
Use the car as the jig... mount the kframe.. put in the LCA/torsion bars and tack the tube in place.. (after fixing the tube obviously)
 
Last edited:
i guess it comes down to budget.

would you rather spend 1K on a K or use your existing 68~72 unit and have that dosh for a swaybar, good mounts, and something else (other kickass suspension bits).

if you're in a rush, melt a credit card and have a tube K on your door step for the weekend.
 
You can put a '67-72 sway bar on any '67-76 K-member. I have seen exactly ONE '68-72 K-member with an open bottom like the '73-76 K-member that would take a late bar. Running an early bar with late discs is a little tricky. You can still run the calipers in the front, but will have to run short end links. Even if you run the calipers to the rear some carving of the sway bar tab on the LCA is required to clear the front ball joint-spindle bolt. I have heard of people running that bolt with the nut to the outside, but I had rubbing with the rotor when I tried that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Similar threads

P
Is my shock tower messed up?
Replies
7
Views
493
poconos_power
P
azaustin
‘65 Convertible versus Coupe V8 K-frame
Replies
10
Views
418
azaustin
azaustin
B
67 Dart K-Frame - Repair or buy
2 3
Replies
71
Views
4K
BT67Dart
B
Map63Vette
Starting on my EPAS project (Toyota junkyard swap)
Replies
7
Views
205
Map63Vette
Map63Vette
M
Power steering gearbox
Replies
3
Views
421
Dana67Dart
Dana67Dart
Back
Top Bottom