LCA mount damage

[72BlueSwinger]

What do you guys think about the damage or at the very least ugly welding on this lca mount? Its on the passenger side of my 74 k-member that I just got clean enough to see. Any recommendations? In other words, I'm wondering if it was put back in straight, and if the metal ripped, or what exactly happened, and I'm sure it would need checked for straightness, right? I can grind it back down and reweld it, but don't know if its worth the trouble now.



BTW the other one doesn't look like this, it looks fine.

 

[AdamR]

Might be easier to start with a clean K frame. Of coarse that doesnt guarantee that it was welded right in the first place, LOL

 

[srduster340]

I'd take it to an experienced welder and get his or her opinion.

 

[mopar head]

sure it is, it`s out and acessable, grind down that gooberfest, run your pretty bead around, done. if it did`nt wear tires before, reallign, done

 

[72BlueSwinger]

well that's the thing.. I don't KNOW what it did before. I know the car was on the road, but that's not really saying much. I don't even care how ugly the weld looks, it looks pretty strong, but I'm concerned with whether or not it was repaired properly. I guess the easiest way to check it out would be to take some long bolts or allthread that would just fit in the mount hole, and check the angles. if it within say 2 degrees, its probably ok.

 

[cuda67]

It is truly an ugly weld. In fact it looks like one of MINE. I am not a welder and my welds resemble this one . I refer to them as GORILLA welds. They ain't pretty but they will be there for a long time after I'm gone. I agree, if it bugs you grind it down, make it pretty, and have the alignment checked for your peace of mind.

 

[72BlueSwinger]

perhaps I should explain something. I have a 72 Dart, and this k-member was from a 74. The 72 is in just fine shape right now as far as suspension, except it doesn't have a swaybar to fit it. I do have a swaybar to fit THIS k-member. I just hate to go through all the work of changing it out and then find out you can't align it. I think if I used the above method to check the alignment of the mount, it will tell me what I need to know.

 

[clhyer]

K Frames are pretty reasonable, why not just get another one?
C

 

['74 Sport]

My guess is the K-frame is symmetrical about the center line. Find the center along both the front and back edge (maybe use the four holes in the bottom used to mount to the frame), then measure from center point on each side to the nearest edge of the LCA pivot hole. Equal measurements on front and back will tell you if it is twisted. Just a thought...

Jerry

 

[charger70]

1972 was a changeover year for a lot of stuff on Darts.
My 72 Swinger K member would accept both the early and the later sway bars.
With the 72 K member I didnt have the spool mounts, but I i did use the 73 and up sway bar and LCAs.
If there is a hole thru the kmember from side to side it should work.

 

[72BlueSwinger]

Thanks 74 sport. I'll try to get it checked out tomorrow. And NO, the old k-member won't accept the swaybar, as I figured out a few months ago after 45 minutes of wrangling. That's mainly why I wanted to swap this one in there. I'd like to get this project done this winter, along with the swaybar on, and new front brakes and bearing on, AND the rear gears and posi. Then begin bodywork. The progress is going slow, and even more so after this February.

 

[72BlueSwinger]

Tonight I did some measuring for the location of that mount. Everything seems like its perfectly fine. So, I got out the trusty angle grinder, and blasted the heck out of those welds. I found that there were a few holes in the welds that went all the way through, and the metal around it was pretty thin, so I ground the thin stuff out till I had some thicker metal, and welded some pieces cut off a piece of 2x3 box tubing. Its about the same thickness as the k-member. I ground it down after welding it all in, and it does look a little better than it did before, but now I know its straight and strong. No worries about tearing it back out. Thanks for all the input, guys. I appreciate it.