more epic failures lol - header issues again

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jasonmrenda

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well if this "simple" engine swap wasn't getting so comical i think i'd go to the hair club for men just so i could pull all my hair out.

after struggling for a few hours to get the headers in a few weeks ago - mostly due to my own ignorance of not reading the directions well enough - and then struggling to get the right combo of 67 drag link with a 68 idler arm for a 76 k frame (sheesh), i went to finish the suspension last night and the pass side tie rod hits the header now. due to the difference in how the tie rods bolt to the 67 and 76 drag links (the 76 mounts from below so the only thing on top of the drag link is the nut and that clears the headers, the 67 mounts from above so the whole ball joint top hits 1 of the header tubes.

so back to the drawing board. will try to dent the headers but i think i am going to need to cut them and re weld some new tube with a fancy arch to get around the tie rod. if that wont work i'll reweld back as normal and take the drag link to my welder who does my bike frames and have him cut the drag link and flip that 1 tie rod hole so that it mounts from beneath. he is masterful welder so i fully trust that his welds would hold.

can anyone let me know if they think either of these ideas is better than the other.

i know i''ve been frustrated lately but i was laughing at this one. i am def learning a ton!!

- jason
 
The steering mechanism was gonna have to be put together that way to use the 67 steering gear without the headers too.
The stem and nut of the idler arm stud aren't a whole lot shorter than the ball socket with grease fitting. The difference came from the different offsets in the early and later draglinks.
I just dont do headers. TOo many issues and conflists to solve.
I have an idea but you are looking at it so you tell me will it work.
Grind the welds out that hold the idler arm clip on the K and move it.
You may need some extra clearence so it doesn't hit when the engine torques to the right. I can't be sure without seeing it.
Someone else may suggest grinding away some of the idler arm itself and adding spacers ( washers ) to shift it in the mounting clip. I wouldn't do that. Reason being, the next owner may replace the idler arm right out of the box and toss those spacers then crash minutes later. All of this is just food for thought. A picture would be a great help.
 
I don't know if this will help but I Copied it for you.


http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=72783

Yes, and I bought my transmount for a 833 in a '64 Dart for $22.95. The original mount has two studs, but Chrysler changed to one stud in '66, probably because the two stud type kept splitting in two. I purchased the one stud from ; http://www.brewersperformance.com/ ,with great advice there from Wayne . It works great and gave me an extra inch and a half clearance on my drag link.
 
thanks guys
so Red you dont think flipping the end of the drag link so the tie rod mounts the same was as the 76 would do it? if i am rewelding it couldnt i theoretically re weld it to whatever angle i needed to gain the clearance? the headers worked fine with all 76 components.

good thing is i have learned to swap the header in 20 mins as opposed to my 3 hour fiasco last time! i tried denting the header tube but i think i am restricting airflow too much. i may cut out the area and try to weld in a notched piece or even build a longer tube around the tie rod. i'd rather not cut the drag link unless i really need to. but i cant really progress on the rebuild till i get this sorted.
 
I dont know what I would try. The taller trans mount might be the solution.
I wouldn't cut the draglink unless it was the ony option.
 
i guess i can jack the trans/engine up and see if the tie rod clears? if so then i can get a taller trans mount? if not i'll try notching the header first. holy mackeral this is crazy. i can only imagine if i need to put the 67 k member back in and get schumaker eng plates and redo the whole darn thing. THAT would suck lol.
 
just thought of somethig
if i just buckle down and get a new 76 pwoer steering gear box and put the 76 gear arm on there, could i then use all the "normal" parts from the 76 inc the drag link and the tie rods and idler arm? i can try to return the idler arm i just bought.
wow what a crazy thing this has been. sheesh.
 
sweet autozone has the box in stock and matched rock auto's price
going to get it in a few. lost some hours tryiong to save cash but learned a lot and now the parts will be all stock parts and no hodge podge bits
 
jasonmrenda said:
just thought of somethig
if i just buckle down and get a new 76 pwoer steering gear box and put the 76 gear arm on there, could i then use all the "normal" parts from the 76 inc the drag link and the tie rods and idler arm? i can try to return the idler arm i just bought.
wow what a crazy thing this has been. sheesh.
Click to expand...

I dont know if the part store will accept return on the idler arm. Only they can answer that question.
So, lets say you do buy a later model power steering gear. You will need the coresponding pitman arm, idler arm, and probably the box coupling for your 67 steering column. Someone here may have a box coupling from a parts car.
The rebuild kits for those are available. Most of those kits dont include instructions but that can be had also. I've got a copy here somewhere.
 
**** i forgot about the box coupling. good lord this is a pain in the ***.
 
i have the pitman and idler arms and everything else except the coupler. where do i look to find one of those? borgesons?
 
just called borgesons - he said the only diff between gear boxes and col splines was between power and manual. i guess ill know once the new gear box comes in lol!
 
In between the tie rods, you need to run everything from the year range of your centerlink. Idler and pitman must match centerlink style/year

If it's a 67-72 or 73+. You shouldn't mix and match here.
 
yep you're right cept the 67 had a 1 year only idler which wont work with the later k frames so had to use a 68. but that is all being scrapped and i will use a new gear box for a 76 and all 76 parts to keep it stock. sheesh i have been around the block 87 times now - guess its to be expected when an idiot - me - attempts a drivetrain swap!
 
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