Next silly question V8 center link??

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68 Sedan

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I've seen some center links listed as a "must have" for a /6 to V8 conversion. but comparing the piece in my Sedan to the piece in my brother's 70 340 Swinger, they look the same.

Is there really any difference between the /6 and V8 piece?
 
Only for us early guys. 63-66 a bodies. You later guys have the same ones for either the 8 or /6, plus the extra room.
 
:-kYanno...I never really thought of a 68 anything as being a "late model":dontknow: but since I once owned a 60 Valiant Suburban I really should know better
Thanks for the info:wave:
 
68 Sedan said:
I've seen some center links listed as a "must have" for a /6 to V8 conversion. but comparing the piece in my Sedan to the piece in my brother's 70 340 Swinger, they look the same.

Is there really any difference between the /6 and V8 piece?
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No such thing as a special center link for 67-76 A-bodies.

Sometimes the ads are cleverly worded like "from a V-8 A-body". That makes you think its special for a V-8 car.

There's people selling them that do know better.
 
Some people I've met have a /6 in their 63-66 A-body AND the V8 centerlink already in there, perhaps by accident or just because it got in there for some reason.
 
I've seen some early A-body center links that were straight across, the center section on the V-8 links I've seen have always been dropped. The Demon is a converted /6, drum brake car. It had a straight link, the 75 K-frame under it now came off a /6 but has the dropped center section.
 
I was wondering this as well....have a 71 scamp that has the slant six k member and will soon have some trans dapt mounts for a 340....i was told that you must have the V8 droplink in order for the conversion to work...from what i am reading here, this is false?
 
I don't know, but I had to change my /6 center link and idler/piman arms on my 1970 duster with a center link and idler are and a pitman arm from a 1973 dart. If I didn't switch them I wouldn't be able to turn to the right because it would hit the oil pan. this was a big debate on my thread, and I HAD to change it.

Phil
 
mrtires24 said:
I don't know, but I had to change my /6 center link and idler/piman arms on my 1970 duster with a center link and idler are and a pitman arm from a 1973 dart. If I didn't switch them I wouldn't be able to turn to the right because it would hit the oil pan. this was a big debate on my thread, and I HAD to change it.

Phil
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you have a big block,,they said a v8,,if they are using a small block the issues could be different. as well,, if you get a 187 oil pan for the big block u might not have had the same troubles,,not 100% sure tho but it fixed my 383 steering isues
 
Jims71duster said:
you have a big block,,they said a v8,,if they are using a small block the issues could be different. as well,, if you get a 187 oil pan for the big block u might not have had the same troubles,,not 100% sure tho but it fixed my 383 steering isues
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big block or not, They were different, one worked for me, and the other did not. He was asking if they are the same, and I was answering that they are not.
 
mrtires24 said:
I don't know, but I had to change my /6 center link and idler/piman arms on my 1970 duster with a center link and idler are and a pitman arm from a 1973 dart. If I didn't switch them I wouldn't be able to turn to the right because it would hit the oil pan. this was a big debate on my thread, and I HAD to change it.

Phil
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So your duster is a 70 or71 right. And you had to put a 73 dart front steering system in it is that right. Did you put the whole front 73 up k frame in it or did it have the 73 up front k frame in it when you got it. If so that is the problem and difference in the center link. The 68-72 stuff doesnt mix with the 73 up stuff if you are using 68-72 stuff you have to use it all and if you are using 73 up stuff you cant mix it with the earlier stuff at least that is the way it worked on my dart when i switched it over. The 68-72 center link is different from the 73 up centerlink someone correct me if im wrong but that is probably why they look different. Justin
 
autoxcuda said:
No such thing as a special center link for 67-76 A-bodies.

Sometimes the ads are cleverly worded like "from a V-8 A-body". That makes you think its special for a V-8 car.

There's people selling them that do know better.
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jjr426 said:
So your duster is a 70 or71 right. And you had to put a 73 dart front steering system in it is that right. Did you put the whole front 73 up k frame in it or did it have the 73 up front k frame in it when you got it. If so I think that is the problem and difference in the center link. If I remember right the 68-72 center link is different from the 73 up centerlink someone correct me if im wrong but that is why they look different. Justin
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allready corrected read above.

Nope, the 1970 NONE SPOOL K frame is still in the car, and being used with a 1973 stearing linkage
 
But I would like to add, that if they are the same like I had quoted above, Than Why was mine different???? I don't think that they are the same. I even had a guy with the parts book with the all the car parts and part numbers tell me that they are the same, the deffinatly were not.

Phil
 
This is so simple to answer. The factory put whatever the hell on they wanted. Even if it wasn't for that car at the time, if it fit and rolled it got one more down the line. Iv'e pulled cars apart, and engines and had different year parts in there that weren't supposed to be there. If they run short when stuff goes down the line they will use last years parts or whatever is laying around. Typically when you look for some parts and they don't match you have to go + or - 1 year. Plus it matters what plant and what month it was made.
 
jjr426 said:
So your duster is a 70 or71 right. And you had to put a 73 dart front steering system in it is that right. Did you put the whole front 73 up k frame in it or did it have the 73 up front k frame in it when you got it. If so that is the problem and difference in the center link. The 68-72 stuff doesnt mix with the 73 up stuff if you are using 68-72 stuff you have to use it all and if you are using 73 up stuff you cant mix it with the earlier stuff at least that is the way it worked on my dart when i switched it over. The 68-72 center link is different from the 73 up centerlink someone correct me if im wrong but that is probably why they look different. Justin
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The 67-72 pitman/idler arms have the stud that goes through the center link from bottom up. The 73-76 pitman/idler arms have the stud that goes through the center link the top down. If you look at the drop in a 73-76 center link it will appear to have less than the 67-72 but the clearance with the oil pan is the same, its because of the side of the center link the ball socket of the pitman/idler sit.

The other difference between the two is on the 67-72 center link is the hole for the tie rod end is oriented front to back and if memory serves me thetie rod end sits towards the rear with the nut to the front. The 73-76 center link has the same top down orientation as the pitmna/idler arm.

The only clearance issues I noted when swapping my 68 over to the 73+ stuff was the orientation of the idler arm with a grease fitting pointing up comes very close to the header tubes on the passenger side. I thought I would have to dent the pipe put it has never touched even though it is very close. Maybe the 73+ stuff swings a different arc that makes more clearance for a big block. But in any case there was no difference between a 67-72 \6 and v8 center link and there was no difference between a 73-76 \6 and v78 center link.

It's hard to say how a 40 year old vehicle came from the factory. Chrysler was notorious for using up parts or using things that fit but weren't spec'd so pretty much anything is possible. Also, in the 40 year life who knows what may have been swapped in for what reason.
 
dgc333 said:
The 67-72 pitman/idler arms have the stud that goes through the center link from bottom up. The 73-76 pitman/idler arms have the stud that goes through the center link the top down. If you look at the drop in a 73-76 center link it will appear to have less than the 67-72 but the clearance with the oil pan is the same, its because of the side of the center link the ball socket of the pitman/idler sit.

The other difference between the two is on the 67-72 center link is the hole for the tie rod end is oriented front to back and if memory serves me thetie rod end sits towards the rear with the nut to the front. The 73-76 center link has the same top down orientation as the pitmna/idler arm.

The only clearance issues I noted when swapping my 68 over to the 73+ stuff was the orientation of the idler arm with a grease fitting pointing up comes very close to the header tubes on the passenger side. I thought I would have to dent the pipe put it has never touched even though it is very close. Maybe the 73+ stuff swings a different arc that makes more clearance for a big block. But in any case there was no difference between a 67-72 \6 and v8 center link and there was no difference between a 73-76 \6 and v78 center link.

It's hard to say how a 40 year old vehicle came from the factory. Chrysler was notorious for using up parts or using things that fit but weren't spec'd so pretty much anything is possible. Also, in the 40 year life who knows what may have been swapped in for what reason.
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definatly the best response, and 100% corect. that is the diff on my 1970 and 1973 stearing linkage. I just didn't want to typ it by memory. so therefor there IS a different center link with those years. but I guess they are NOt different than /6 to v8 for the same year.
 
so does anybody know if i would need a drop link in order to a 340 in my currently /6 car, or can i just use the stock center link? this is all i need to know
 
going by what most people say...No, /6 will work. i would just put it in, and see if it is going to be an issue, then deal with it.

with a nig block, it would be an issue, but suposidly a small block it isn't. But I had people tell me that it wouldn't be an issue with a big block either.

Phil
 
mshred said:
so does anybody know if i would need a drop link in order to a 340 in my currently /6 car, or can i just use the stock center link? this is all i need to know
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If your car is a 67-76 A-body use the one that is in there.

When I swapped from a \6 to a 360 in my 68 Barracuda I used a 73 spool mount v8 k-member from a doner Dart I had. I bolted all the 68 steering linkage to that k-member and had no issues or clearance problems. Later when I swapped the manual steering to power steering I used the steering linkage from the 73 doner car. Other than the previously mentioned closeness of grease fittings to the header tubes no issues with clearance.
 
yes thats something i forgot to mention...i do plan on retaining the power steering in my car....that shouldnt affect this should it?
 
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