Easiest way to tell B body LCA from A body
#1750184
02/09/15 06:19 PM
02/09/15 06:19 PM
|
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,607
Western Washington
Sixgun
OP
top fuel
|
OP
top fuel
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,607
Western Washington
|
Refresh my memory, the E body is easy, sway bar bracket more in the middle, but A and B are sort of similar? I know A bodies should be/ are shorter overall, anchor pin to ball joint stud hole, Helping out a friend and am going to buy some for his 68 Charger, the left is ready to literally fall off. My plan is to measure my Challenger one and the B should be the same length, unless someone has a more scientific suggestion? Thanks, Bear 
I'm 55 now, no time to waste. Not a week goes by that I don't hear about someone passing on.Let's get out there,smoke some tires,have a beer with a good friend,do what you have always wanted to do.I am pretty sure no one will ever say on their deathbed "gee I'm glad my life was calm and boring"
|
|
|
Re: Easiest way to tell B body LCA from A body
[Re: Sixgun]
#1750185
02/09/15 06:37 PM
02/09/15 06:37 PM
|
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 1,751
Graham, WA
Polarapete
top fuel
|
top fuel
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 1,751
Graham, WA
|
Rather than relying upon the memory of the herd, I went to the www.rockauto.com web site and looked for control arms. They only show a listing for the upper control arms and if you look deeper you will find that they are the same between all the E-bodies and many of the B-bodies (until the change to the transverse torsion bars). I was once offered a set of Hollander Interchange Manuals and passed it by  for $100.00. Now to your question, I would go to their http://www.firmfeel.com/b_body_mopar_lower_control_arm_reinforcement.htmland buy a rebuilt high performance set. They are in Vancouver, WA and have a tech line. You can find and buy JY parts, but I had a friend wreck a mint '64 Polara 500 when a LCA collapsed and put him into the "Jersey Barrier" on 405 
1986 Dodge Ramcharger 440 2wd, Bracket Racer Under Construction
1998 Ram 2500 QuadCab, new daily driver.
2008 Honda Element
2014 Carry-On 7x14 Cargo Trailer
|
|
|
Re: Easiest way to tell B body LCA from A body
[Re: Sixgun]
#1750186
02/09/15 06:44 PM
02/09/15 06:44 PM
|
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 6,096
Valencia, España
NachoRT74
master
|
master
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 6,096
Valencia, España
|
Based on an invetigation I made some months ago, assuming I did it right and, believe it or not, A bodies are A BIT longer despiting the Sway bar location. You can tell it by the shock mount provision, which is a bit wider on A bodies, due the farther location of ball joint A body: http://s671.photobucket.com/user/JamesRFrom/media/IMG_20130225_151953_zps58205dd0.jpg.htmlB body: http://s21.photobucket.com/user/challenger19711/media/Phase%20II/MVC-308S.jpg.htmlThen after that you can set diff with year when checking the sway bar provision, but THAT will tell you the body came out
With a Charger born in Chrysler assembly plant in Valencia, Venezuela
|
|
|
Re: Easiest way to tell B body LCA from A body
[Re: Sixgun]
#1750187
02/09/15 06:46 PM
02/09/15 06:46 PM
|
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,363
Rancho Cordova, California (Sa...
hemi71x
master
|
master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,363
Rancho Cordova, California (Sa...
|
Scrape the grease & grime, and rust, off the front of the LCA's and look for letters.
All a body LCA's have the letters VL stamped into the metal.
Depending on the year of B body LCA's, and E body's they will be stamped with the letters PD, on the earlier ones, and RW on later ones.
Also the "shafts" on B & E body LCA's are a larger diameter and overall length, that A Body ones.
And FYI, A Body LCA's are "Longer" than B & E body ones.
RF-4C Phantom 69-370 Zweibrucken, Germany
|
|
|
Re: Easiest way to tell B body LCA from A body
[Re: NachoRT74]
#1750189
02/09/15 06:54 PM
02/09/15 06:54 PM
|
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 6,096
Valencia, España
NachoRT74
master
|
master
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 6,096
Valencia, España
|
They use to get some stamped letters like V or W ( A body or B body ) but in some case they are not or are not easy to read
With a Charger born in Chrysler assembly plant in Valencia, Venezuela
|
|
|
Re: Easiest way to tell B body LCA from A body
[Re: hemi71x]
#1750190
02/09/15 06:56 PM
02/09/15 06:56 PM
|
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,607
Western Washington
Sixgun
OP
top fuel
|
OP
top fuel
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,607
Western Washington
|
Quote:
Scrape the grease & grime, and rust, off the front of the LCA's and look for letters.
All a body LCA's have the letters VL stamped into the metal.
Depending on the year of B body LCA's, and E body's they will be stamped with the letters PD, on the earlier ones, and RW on later ones.
Also the "shafts" on B & E body LCA's are a larger diameter and overall length, that A Body ones.
And FYI, A Body LCA's are "Longer" than B & E body ones.
I stand corrected.Counter intuitive that the smaller cars arms are longer, but the important take away is that they DO NOT interchange no way no how.I believe the ones I saw have the VL stamping, so my question is fully answered.THANKS GUYS!!!
|
|
|
Re: Easiest way to tell B body LCA from A body
[Re: Sixgun]
#1750195
02/13/15 03:04 PM
02/13/15 03:04 PM
|
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 1,751
Graham, WA
Polarapete
top fuel
|
top fuel
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 1,751
Graham, WA
|
Quote:
Thanks Andy and Franken,(and Nacho)
I scored a pair locally for 100, and blasted/painted the one I need at lunch today, just need to carefully re-bush and get my new friend up and running. He would not take any $ for assembling the 3" mufflers, tailpipes and tips on the Clonerunner,so this is how I'll get him back (I swore I would...) 
That is too cool, Casey!! That is the way I do my hobby , too.
I want to see you and your friends down here for the Sunbust in mid August. We may be doing barbecue both Saturday and Sunday nights...I have parking for only 100 or so 
1986 Dodge Ramcharger 440 2wd, Bracket Racer Under Construction
1998 Ram 2500 QuadCab, new daily driver.
2008 Honda Element
2014 Carry-On 7x14 Cargo Trailer
|
|
|
|
|
