Weight of front end........

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burrpenick

burrpenick

'69 Barracuda
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Saw a nice '69 Dart at Don Garlits Show last weekend that had an aftermarket front end kit- included tubular arms/rack n pinion/lighter K frame/COIL OVERS. The owner said it was an easy seat in the pants felt improvement and guessed it saved at least 100lbs. Another buddy says the factory front ends are NOT that heavy- he guessed the K member was only about 35 lbs and said the torsion bars were not that heavy either. Considering the coil overs that replace the bars, and the rack that nixes the steering box, whats the story guys?
 
burrpenick said:
Saw a nice '69 Dart at Don Garlits Show last weekend that had an aftermarket front end kit- included tubular arms/rack n pinion/lighter K frame/COIL OVERS. The owner said it was an easy seat in the pants felt improvement and guessed it saved at least 100lbs. Another buddy says the factory front ends are NOT that heavy- he guessed the K member was only about 35 lbs and said the torsion bars were not that heavy either. Considering the coil overs that replace the bars, and the rack that nixes the steering box, whats the story guys?
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I would guess the biggest weight savings is from the rack and pinion and rod ends vs the steering box and drag link with pitman/idler and tie rod ends. Everything else is probably similar weight or a small difference.
 
100 lbs is like 10-15 hp gain cheaper to pick up speed somewhere else's. And if your looking for a handling improvement new torsion bars and sway bars can go along way, tires is where the greatest improvement is.
 
it all depends what he started with front end wise.. still i doubt he saved 100 pounds though.. the biggest weight savings possible with just doing the front suspension would have been going from a power steering car to the tube front end with a manual rack... if i had to guess i'll bet maybe 50 pounds but theres no way to tell unless he weighed the car before and after.

handling wise though.. i loved my alter-k. it handled awesome and just felt a ton better then mu stock set up.. i really want to put one in jamies dart now but have to save for one. i can't stand the new stock set up in it now.. just no where near the feel of that rack..
 
abodyjoe said:
it all depends what he started with front end wise.. still i doubt he saved 100 pounds though.. the biggest weight savings possible with just doing the front suspension would have been going from a power steering car to the tube front end with a manual rack... if i had to guess i'll bet maybe 50 pounds but theres no way to tell unless he weighed the car before and after.

handling wise though.. i loved my alter-k. it handled awesome and just felt a ton better then mu stock set up.. i really want to put one in jamies dart now but have to save for one. i can't stand the new stock set up in it now.. just no where near the feel of that rack..
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Nice to hear about the AlterK, tell me a little about it and the cost please..................
 
burrpenick said:
Nice to hear about the AlterK, tell me a little about it and the cost please..................
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best bet is to give them a call.. Reilly MotorSports, Inc. ::...
tons of options that can change the price..

its the most proven set up out there right now.. awesome product and customer service..

it comes with everything but the grease and brake fluid so you can drive into the garage with a stock suspension and drive out with the alter-k. very easy install.

man did it make a difference in my car. car handled great and had tons of room in the engine bay without all the stock steering.. made my dart feel like a modern car. very precise feeling..

here are pics from when i did my install.. Alter-k by Joe Di


.

dartcarlisleblackwhite.jpg
 
abodyjoe said:
best bet is to give them a call.. Reilly MotorSports, Inc. ::...
tons of options that can change the price..

its the most proven set up out there right now.. awesome product and customer service..

it comes with everything but the grease and brake fluid so you can drive into the garage with a stock suspension and drive out with the alter-k. very easy install.

man did it make a difference in my car. car handled great and had tons of room in the engine bay without all the stock steering.. made my dart feel like a modern car. very precise feeling..

here are pics from when i did my install.. Alter-k by Joe Di


.

View attachment 1714988501
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Thanks, looks like you replaced the Mopar brakes; Are the AlterKs manual steering racks? How about a ball park figure for the coil over/rack, guessing the brakes were pricey for sure. Very nice, and how many times have you asked yourself why you sold/traded it? George
 
burrpenick said:
Thanks, looks like you replaced the Mopar brakes; Are the AlterKs manual steering racks? How about a ball park figure for the coil over/rack, guessing the brakes were pricey for sure. Very nice, and how many times have you asked yourself why you sold/traded it? George
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can get manual or power steering rack,, there are also choices for cheaper stock ford style brakes all the way to large wilwood brakes.. then there are different shock options and different spring rate options.. best bet it to call and find out what exactly you want and ask for pricing that way. it may not be the cheapest on the market but it comes with everything ya need and like i said is the most proven on the market today.
 
burrpenick said:
Very nice, and how many times have you asked yourself why you sold/traded it? George
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none.. i parted the car. at the time i sold the suspension i needed the money for family stuff. fiured down the road i could just buy another one.. so far all has worked out.. took care of the family needs and now jamies car has its 360 in it and all i have to do now is save for a new alter-k. gotta call and figure out how much i need though.. i know i want a power rack, not sure on what brakes i want yet though.. all in time though.. would love to get one next year but not sure thats gonna happen.. have a disney trip for the little one planned...
 
burrpenick said:
so using 73 and up Mopar units doesnt really save much over the drums? _ _ _ _ --
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-- I don't know how heavy a drum set-up would be. -- But -- I have 74 discs on My 65 Valiant, and the 11" rotors, alone, are quite heavy.
 
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What the guy probably meant by "seat of the pants" was that his pockets were alot lighter!
 
replicaracer43 said:
What the guy probably meant by "seat of the pants" was that his pockets were alot lighter!
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NO QUESTION THERE........I looked briefly at their site and they show $4700!!!!!!!! We all like more room for headers, maybe better steering feel, but me, NO THANKS! I'll drive my Focus when I feel the need for modern. George
 
define pricey.. if pricey is more then a couple hundred bucks then yes they are pricey. very few things in this hobby are cheap these days.
 
You got that right joe, but one things for sure, you can't get rack and pinion feel without, well....a rack and pinion!
 
Wildwood brakes will take about 35 pounds off the front. Yes they are not cheap, but the weight saving is there for lighting the front end.
 
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