Re: Suspension mods for a 69 Charger
[Re: 67autocross]
#1981712
01/02/16 01:13 AM
01/02/16 01:13 AM
|
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 18,493 Granite Bay CA
Kern Dog
Striving for excellence
|
Striving for excellence
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 18,493
Granite Bay CA
|
You are not a jerk, not even close. I probably come across as an old geezer with my stubborn sounding ways...Thats how DODGE did it, NOBODY does it better....
That really is not who I am.
I am not a purist nor am I a numbers matching type of guy. If an aftermarket company makes something that addresses a factory flaw, corrects it without a reduction in OEM durability AND makes the car better, I am on board. I am of the belief though that the RMS kit places loads entirely on the frame rails. I also understand that these two thin boxed frame rails were never designed to carry the entire suspension load. The torsion bar crossmember shared the stress and load in OEM form but now they are just dead weight. After parting out and cutting several of these cars up, I've seen just how thin the metal is on the body and frame. As a comparison, I recently helped a friend install a Magnum Force replacement tubular K member with coil over shocks. I was impressed that they include support bars that get welded to the cowl and to the frame rails forward of the K member. This at least adds support to the frame rails to reduce deformation. Also, I'm not too keen on the way the outer tie rod ends are spaced off of the steering arm. I feel that a direct connection is a better idea rather than one using spacers. I understand that it was their alternative to a redesigned steering arm with a "drop" built in but I still don't like their design.
I am sorry if I came across as a jerk on this. I posted the dancing banana to convey a playful tone, I hope that came across that way.
I built my 70 Charger with home made 3x3 subframe connectors, home made 14 ga torque boxes. I'm sure these are outside of the OPs "bolt in" guidelines, but there they are. I went with a welded and gusseted K member, 1.15 torsion bars, boxed LCAs, 1.25 solid front sway bar, urethane strut rod and sway bar bushings. The steering box is a Firm Feel Stage 3 with fast ratio idler and Pitman arms for a steering ratio of 11.9 to 1. The rear has MP HD leaf springs, a 1 inch lowering block, .75 sway bar frame mounted, urethane bushings and Bilstein shocks front and rear.
In all truth, the RMS setup may outlast all of us. Who drives these cars on beat up roads anymore? Who drives them on dirt roads?? Who does Bo Duke jumps over Chickasaw Creek??? I've read from some respected people that while the aftermarket front ends may improve steering feel, they are not known to add any competitive advantage to a blueprinted OEM arrangement.
|
|
|
Re: Suspension mods for a 69 Charger
[Re: Kern Dog]
#1982189
01/02/16 07:10 PM
01/02/16 07:10 PM
|
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 22,697 Bitopia
jcc
If you can't dazzle em with diamonds..
|
If you can't dazzle em with diamonds..
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 22,697
Bitopia
|
BTW, I like your choice of thinner 3x3 SFC, I have toyed with that solution vs say 3x2, but never was able to get a good/acceptable method of tie in at the rear, front is no issue of course. Any close up pics of yours in the rear. I suspect there are wide differences in rear frames in this area, my cars i could get it to work out.
Reality check, that half the population is smarter then 50% of the people and it's a constantly contested fact.
|
|
|
Re: Suspension mods for a 69 Charger
[Re: Kern Dog]
#1982273
01/02/16 09:58 PM
01/02/16 09:58 PM
|
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,074 Manitoba Canada
67autocross
super stock
|
super stock
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,074
Manitoba Canada
|
You are not a jerk, not even close. I probably come across as an old geezer with my stubborn sounding ways...Thats how DODGE did it, NOBODY does it better....
That really is not who I am.
I am not a purist nor am I a numbers matching type of guy. If an aftermarket company makes something that addresses a factory flaw, corrects it without a reduction in OEM durability AND makes the car better, I am on board. I am of the belief though that the RMS kit places loads entirely on the frame rails. I also understand that these two thin boxed frame rails were never designed to carry the entire suspension load. The torsion bar crossmember shared the stress and load in OEM form but now they are just dead weight. After parting out and cutting several of these cars up, I've seen just how thin the metal is on the body and frame. As a comparison, I recently helped a friend install a Magnum Force replacement tubular K member with coil over shocks. I was impressed that they include support bars that get welded to the cowl and to the frame rails forward of the K member. This at least adds support to the frame rails to reduce deformation. Also, I'm not too keen on the way the outer tie rod ends are spaced off of the steering arm. I feel that a direct connection is a better idea rather than one using spacers. I understand that it was their alternative to a redesigned steering arm with a "drop" built in but I still don't like their design.
I am sorry if I came across as a jerk on this. I posted the dancing banana to convey a playful tone, I hope that came across that way.
I built my 70 Charger with home made 3x3 subframe connectors, home made 14 ga torque boxes. I'm sure these are outside of the OPs "bolt in" guidelines, but there they are. I went with a welded and gusseted K member, 1.15 torsion bars, boxed LCAs, 1.25 solid front sway bar, urethane strut rod and sway bar bushings. The steering box is a Firm Feel Stage 3 with fast ratio idler and Pitman arms for a steering ratio of 11.9 to 1. The rear has MP HD leaf springs, a 1 inch lowering block, .75 sway bar frame mounted, urethane bushings and Bilstein shocks front and rear.
In all truth, the RMS setup may outlast all of us. Who drives these cars on beat up roads anymore? Who drives them on dirt roads?? Who does Bo Duke jumps over Chickasaw Creek??? I've read from some respected people that while the aftermarket front ends may improve steering feel, they are not known to add any competitive advantage to a blueprinted OEM arrangement.
No problem old geezer! The internet is a strange place, if you and I lived in the same town I'm sure we would be friends as we have interest in the same type of cars and building them into good handling drivers. I also know that when I post in this section of moparts about anything other than installing anything but a stock type suspension set-up into a car that I will be taking some heat from the usual suspects. I could go on about this but everyone has their favourite components. I'm also aware that some of the posters here have an interest in selling and promoting certain company's and their products. I will say that over the last 25 years I have used items from about every single company that is involved in mopar suspension, about the only item I have not tried at this point would be the Borgeson steering box, and I will be ordering 2 of them soon to install in cars for the upcoming summer. I have paid myself for all of these parts and would tell anyone which ones I feel are good and bad. One thing I would like to touch on with you is your Richard Ehrenberg comment about stock suspension vs aftermarket. First I have been and still am a big fan of his and his writing for the last 25 years, in-fact it was because of him I picked up my 88 Diplomat cop car and my 72 Scamp back in the early 90's after reading about the One Lap of America Duster. I would guess I have read almost everything he has put out, he also helped me convert my Dippy from Lean burn to electronic ignition way back when e-mail was just invented and I ran into a problem. He to me is a great resource and a very good guy to have in the mopar community, I would say without him no one today would be building classic mopar that handle like we are. Now if Richard was standing in my shop today I would ( in a good spirited way) hold up the April 2016 issue of Mopar Action and ask him why 5 out of the 6 feature cars in the magazine have some type of aftermarket suspension in them considering they-" loathe to name because of safety for street use". If I felt as strongly as they claim to about something I would never go against my principles and publish any car with such a system in the magazine. Now back to cars, I have 3 A-bodies (all Valiants) with stock torsion suspensions and 1 Dart two door sedan with an Alterktion and street lynx set up, the only car that has ever come close to killing me because of a front end failure is my 69 "goldbrick" Valiant . The torsion bar adjuster bolt stripped out on it and the front end dropped on the passenger side, the corner of the front bumper was almost on the ground. Had it happened at a high speed it could have been game-over, this is not some rare occurrence with these cars as I personally know another guy that it happened to here in the same city. Any how Frankenduster I love your Charger and what you have done to it, a lot of it follows along with how I did with my Goldbrick Valiant using a mixture of parts. With a few well picked pieces and a little attention to detail these can be great driving cars.........
A new iron curtain drawn across the 49th parallel
|
|
|
Re: Suspension mods for a 69 Charger
[Re: jcc]
#1982370
01/02/16 11:23 PM
01/02/16 11:23 PM
|
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,074 Manitoba Canada
67autocross
super stock
|
super stock
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,074
Manitoba Canada
|
BTW, I like your choice of thinner 3x3 SFC, I have toyed with that solution vs say 3x2, but never was able to get a good/acceptable method of tie in at the rear, front is no issue of course. Any close up pics of yours in the rear. I suspect there are wide differences in rear frames in this area, my cars i could get it to work out. I have 3x3" sub frame connectors in my 72 Valiant....but I had to cut them through the floor on both sides in the area where the passenger would put their feet if the car had a back seat. I then welded the roll bar to the top connector where it is through the floor, to me this is the safest way to do it.
A new iron curtain drawn across the 49th parallel
|
|
|
Re: Suspension mods for a 69 Charger
[Re: fastmark]
#1982382
01/02/16 11:33 PM
01/02/16 11:33 PM
|
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 14,889 up yours
Supercuda
About to go away
|
About to go away
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 14,889
up yours
|
I'm kinda with Frankenduster in my thinking on aftermarket parts.
If it deviates from factory then there needs to be a good, cogent and applicable reason for it.
The RMS setup is based on the Mustang II suspension. Not a suspension I am impressed with. The reason the MII originally got popular was that it was a compact, easily swapped suspension that gave cars from the 30's and 40's modern (compared to buggy sprung solid front axles with non-self energizing drum brake) steering, braking and suspension.
I don't think anyone with any knowledge of the two would claim the stock MII is a better choice than a stock A body front suspension or brakes. One could argue that the R&P is an improvement, but I find them twitchy and the stock MII ackermann is iffy.
So why would I want to put an arguably less effective suspension in my car? Granted the RMS setup is not stock, but I don't see it as better when costs are compared ($4750 as of right now), except in one area, room for exhaust and oil pan. I also don't see the engineering tests to show that the RMS system transfers the load in a manner that isn't stressing parts of the original chassis in areas not designed for it. I also do not like heim joints for a street car. That's a race part that is found in a race application that routinely gets inspected, but not a street car where my wife could jump in a drive it. I also do not like cantilevered tie rod ends, or front steer setups.
For the cost of an RMS front suspension, sans brakes and engine mounts, shown above I can put a full front and rear Hotchkis or Firm Feel stock based suspension in, with upgraded brakes and have change left for other things like having FF clean, straighten and fully weld my stock K member, or a Borgeson box. Add brakes and mounts to the RMS kit and I could do both.
Throw in the street lynx rear for another $2k and I could be sported aluminum heads instead.
They say there are no such thing as a stupid question. They say there is always the exception that proves the rule. Don't be the exception.
|
|
|
Re: Suspension mods for a 69 Charger
[Re: jcc]
#1982468
01/03/16 01:23 AM
01/03/16 01:23 AM
|
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 18,493 Granite Bay CA
Kern Dog
Striving for excellence
|
Striving for excellence
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 18,493
Granite Bay CA
|
BTW, I like your choice of thinner 3x3 SFC, I have toyed with that solution vs say 3x2, but never was able to get a good/acceptable method of tie in at the rear, front is no issue of course. Any close up pics of yours in the rear. I suspect there are wide differences in rear frames in this area, my cars i could get it to work out. Sure: I did cut the tops off of the sections at the rear, then welded them closed again to maintain a fully boxed member from the Torsion bar X member to the rear rails. The 3x3 was .120 wall, I could have used .090 to save weight with no loss in strength. The metal supplier didn't have 3x3 in .090 wall though. In the areas where the connectors are taller than the 3", I cut sections of .120 wall metal to match the floorpan. I seam sealed the edges for a cleaner look.
|
|
|
Re: Suspension mods for a 69 Charger
[Re: fastmark]
#1985101
01/06/16 08:08 PM
01/06/16 08:08 PM
|
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 31,060 Oregon
AndyF
I Win
|
I Win
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 31,060
Oregon
|
I've got a customer with a 69 charger and he wants to modify the suspension with newer technology. It's a matching number 440 R/T so I have advised him not to have something that is not bolt on. I was looking a the QA1 stuff but they don't make it for a b body rear suspension. Anyone know of a good system that works well? Thanks. Impossible question to answer unless I knew a LOT more info. Some guys want trick looking stuff and they don't really care if it works or not since they just drive around the fair grounds a couple of times a year. If the customer is really going to drive the car (somewhat doubtful these days) then I'd stay OEM based. Lower it a bit, bigger torsion bars, HD springs, big anti-sway bars, good shocks, 17x8 rims, 11.75 front rotors, maybe a Dr Diff rear disc brake kit, etc. If you get more exotic than that then it is very difficult to find someone to maintain it. If the owner isn't a mechanic then he is really screwed unless his next door neighbor is a hot rod mechanic.
|
|
|
Re: Suspension mods for a 69 Charger
[Re: fastmark]
#1985183
01/06/16 09:53 PM
01/06/16 09:53 PM
|
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 4,302 Nebraska
72Swinger
master
|
master
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 4,302
Nebraska
|
I agree with Andy, although the coilover fronts IMO are the bomb for say an Early A-body you want to put a Gen III or BB in to go on Drag Week. Guys on here have already shown you can put any engine Mopar makes in any body except the 63-66 A bodies.
Mopar to the bone!!!
|
|
|
Re: Suspension mods for a 69 Charger
[Re: fastmark]
#1985235
01/06/16 11:10 PM
01/06/16 11:10 PM
|
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 668 Los Osos, Ca
CKessel
mopar
|
mopar
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 668
Los Osos, Ca
|
Frankenduster, don't let the liberals see that flag in the background. Must not offend thin skinned ninnies. Stuff like your garage makes me happy. Liberal repellant.
Carl Kessel
|
|
|
Re: Suspension mods for a 69 Charger
[Re: CKessel]
#1985386
01/07/16 03:04 AM
01/07/16 03:04 AM
|
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 18,493 Granite Bay CA
Kern Dog
Striving for excellence
|
Striving for excellence
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 18,493
Granite Bay CA
|
Frankenduster, don't let the liberals see that flag in the background. Must not offend thin skinned ninnies. Stuff like your garage makes me happy. Liberal repellant. I don't go out of my way to annoy many people. People that are easily offended though? Sure! I'm far from a Southerner...Born in Michigan and raised in California. I just liked the Dukes of Hazzard as a kid and saw the flag at a swap meet for $10. Liberal repellant. I like that!
|
|
|
|
|