On an originallity note;

I have been restoring my own 1971 340 Duster and while going through a few K-members looking for a correct date code I discovered something I hadn't noticed before. My 3 K-members are all dated within a month of one another, 2 are from original 340 cars while one is from a 318 car (all 3 are Dusters/Demons). I have often wondered why 340 K-members all have a washer welded to the front drivers side of the member, seemingly no purpose for it. However upon closer inspection after getting them cleaned and blasted I discovered a C- shaped washer welded around the rear LCA mounting holes of the 340 K-members but NOT on the 318 K-members, they are otherwise 100% identical. The washer must have been added as quick method to ID one in production.

This pic is of one of the 340's and the 318 member.

Here is the "ID" washer on the front of the 340 unit

Here is the 340 LCA "C" shaped washer, that's all factory weld, I never touched a thing other than blasting it.

Here is the 318 fron, no "ID" washer

And the 318 LCA hole, no "C" shaped reinforcement washer

Interesting!
I wonder if the additional weld around the LCA pivot point is intended to increase durability?
This is the first time I have heard of this. Pretty cool.

I have verified it on several other original cars as well so I know it's consistant, I can only assume that it's a feature added for 340 cars as they might be driven more agressively than a 318 car. Such a small thing but Chrysler wasn't known for adding cost for no reason, there must have been some failures in testing so the engineers addressed it.

*BTW, the "C" washer is roughly 1/16" - 3/32" thick.

Interesting. I wonder when they started adding it. My 68 Formula S did not have any of those things and looked identical really to the 318 one of yours. I know mines original to the car, and never touched til I did so years back. Huh, weird, must have had purpose though.

Autoxcuda, I had the exact problem you described on the K-member mount. Unfortunately, it wasn't discovered until after the car had been restored and driven a while. Cracks appeared on both sides of the subframe originating from the rear K-member weldnut. This was a very rust free 1970 Roadrunner. All good now, repaired over a long Christmas break two years ago.

better pic.

Some great pictures in this thread!

Started mine this week, sandblasted it. Yeah, should've hot tanked it! Seams completely full of garbage!

Gussetted the steering box mount. Need to make washers for the LCA and strut rod still. Next week's project.

are you guys welding these on the ground or in the car? just wondering if it might move around while being welded? looks like alot of solid passes. I have a 70 barracuda that I will do also and I have noticed that it looks like the center has been crushed in a little bit.

Skid plate....

Great stuff guys.

I am about to start this process on the K-Frame for my 74 Cuda.

Has anyone reinforced the sway bar bushing mounting points on the K-fram???

Seems like a weak spot.

When you reinformce the strut bar mounting points, do you have to modify the bushing at all?

Jason

I bought the kit parts from Firm Feel to start working on the spare 72 K frame I have in the corner.

Need to send it out and have it hot tanked and get to work.....

Can't wait to see how much better the car handles after the K frame and some frame connectors and unibody seam welding is completed.....

My Charger must have had a pretty solid unibody structure beforehand because my homemade frame connectors didn't seem to make a difference in the handling. They are 3x3 and welded at both ends. What I did notice from the connectors is how much more solid the car felt. Before, the car would shake and shimmy a bit when driving on rough roads. This is in a car with a fully rebuilt suspension. Afterwards, the car felt as if it just soaked up the bumps. One theory: The cars platform was more rigid, allowing the suspension to achieve its potential.

Maybe the best way to have told the improvements from any one improvements made to the car would be better judged on the same track and seeing how the times improve.

Like you said your car must have been fairly tight in the seat of the pants feel so any small improvements will only show up in small increments measured in small time increments in the track times.

My friend has a stock 68 Charger R/T and it soaks up the road bumps etc like you mention your Charger did does as well. I was very impressed how much better his car rode. Back then all of my junk had Super stock springs on the back and I was driving it on the street......Im on board with the XHD leafs now.

My 72 is basically an E body in alot of regards it might show different results from the frame connectors also. Since the B body cars always sounded better closing the doors over the E body cars so Im hoping for some improvements in that area as well.

What I found last week. Passenger side lower control arm pivot mount. Doesn't need reinforcement?