Frame or chassis options for A bodies
I would have to agree, you don't need a full frame to have a beast of a road handling mopar. In fact, there are a couple of mopars, at least one that's a member here, that have put up faster times than cars with full replacement chassis' with torsion bars and leaf springs (Tomswheels!!!:thumbup:). Not to mention that even if you got a full chassis for an A-body it would cost you more than $15k all said and done (for $10k the Schwartz chassis doesn't come with coilovers, brakes, etc.). The only advantage I really see to the full chassis vs the coilover conversions or a modified torsion bar system is that it would probably require less fabrication work on your end, because you're basically getting all the chassis stiffening in one shot. The trade off though is a REALLY big check up front. So if time and welding is a factor, the full chassis might be easier/faster from a schedule point of view. I'm not gonna lie, there's a lot of work to do in order to accomplish all of the chassis work I'm about to suggest.
The biggest performance advantage is the steering, but that's pretty much just a driver preference/comfort thing. Next is the header space from the lack of torsion bars. But there are plenty of header options for small block and big block engines, biggest advantage there would be for late model hemi swaps etc. And the coilovers are still more tunable, more options out there than for torsion bar set ups, but the market has improved substantially in the last couple of years even.
If you have the money to even consider a full chassis like that, you can go hog wild. A full HemiDenny or RMS swap to a coilover front and 4-link rear would be well within your budget, assuming that you just HAD to have a rack and pinion. If you don't, you can REALLY go hog wild if you're keeping the torsion bars. The folks that disagree with me can disagree, but with a properly tuned torsion bar suspension you can be just as fast as a car with a coilover conversion. They're just springs, and it's just physics. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, it comes down to driver preference(and ability) and tuning. I will concede that tuning is easier with coilovers, but the proper tune is not out of reach with torsion bars.
Regardless, the chassis could use:
Subframe connectors
Torque boxes
Firewall to shock tower braces (or firewall to shock tower to frame braces)
Radiator support
Fully seam weld and gusset K member (for stock K with torsion bars, or QA1 K member, or the hemidenny, RMS, etc coilover conversion K's)
(Cage? If it's really a race car, you get some kind of cage and the full chassis is moot)
There are both tubular and sheet metal versions of most of those chassis improvements, depending on where you go. The links to US Cartool, Firm Feel, Hotchkis are already posted. Magnumforce makes some really nice firewall to shock tower to frame braces, although I would stay away from most of their suspension conversion parts.
After that, if you kept the torsion bar style suspension:
SPC double adjustable UCA's (Bergman Autocraft)
Borgeson Power steering box (Bergman Autocraft)
1.06" or larger torsion bars (Firm Feel, 1.12" is what I run)
adjustable strut rods (Bergman, Firm Feel, PST, etc)
Front and rear sway bars (Hotchkis or Hellwig)
solid tie rod adjusters or heim conversion (FFI, PST, Hotchkis for heim conversion)
Boxed LCA's, delrin LCA bushings (Bergman, or tubular LCA's from QA1)
Hotchkis adjustable shocks (or Bilstein RCDs, or custom etc)
Large diameter disks, front and rear. I prefer Dr. Diff, but with the budget for one of those full chassis you could do anything, wilwood, baer, etc.
3 or 4 link rear suspension. Again I'm guessing with that budget this won't be an issue. Or improved leafs, Bergman has a great set he sells, or you can go cheaper and use the Mopar oval track springs like I do. They're fairly well matched to the rest of my set up, but they're still just leafs. With leafs you want to be in the 120-130 lb/in range with a reinforced front section.
I think you said earlier you had a Barracuda? If so, you can probably get to 275mm rubber on all 4 corners with the modifications I already posted and a set of 1/2" offset spring hangers, if you didn't go 3 or 4 link, which would solve that problem anyway. 18x9's or 18x10's for rims, you should be able to run them like that on all 4 corners.
Maybe Tomswheels can chime in on his set up, as he's been to a few CAM events now, and put the hurt on some $150k cars even with his previous car which had minimal improvements. My build thread is in my signature and I've done a lot of what I posted above, although my budget means I've done a few things differently. And it's my daily, so I've spent some time on things that don't necessarily make the car faster (Demon conversion, rallye gauges, fold down seat, etc)
Bottom line is you don't NEED to buy a full aftermarket chassis to handle well and go fast. If you want to, that's up to you and your budget. :D That's just my .02. I like the torsion bars, and I'm too cheap/poor to spring for a full chassis. ;)
I would have to agree, you don't need a full frame to have a beast of a road handling mopar. In fact, there are a couple of mopars, at least one that's a member here, that have put up faster times than cars with full replacement chassis' with torsion bars and leaf springs (Tomswheels!!!:thumbup:). Not to mention that even if you got a full chassis for an A-body it would cost you more than $15k all said and done (for $10k the Schwartz chassis doesn't come with coilovers, brakes, etc.). The only advantage I really see to the full chassis vs the coilover conversions or a modified torsion bar system is that it would probably require less fabrication work on your end, because you're basically getting all the chassis stiffening in one shot. The trade off though is a REALLY big check up front. So if time and welding is a factor, the full chassis might be easier/faster from a schedule point of view. I'm not gonna lie, there's a lot of work to do in order to accomplish all of the chassis work I'm about to suggest.
The biggest performance advantage is the steering, but that's pretty much just a driver preference/comfort thing. Next is the header space from the lack of torsion bars. But there are plenty of header options for small block and big block engines, biggest advantage there would be for late model hemi swaps etc. And the coilovers are still more tunable, more options out there than for torsion bar set ups, but the market has improved substantially in the last couple of years even.
If you have the money to even consider a full chassis like that, you can go hog wild. A full HemiDenny or RMS swap to a coilover front and 4-link rear would be well within your budget, assuming that you just HAD to have a rack and pinion. If you don't, you can REALLY go hog wild if you're keeping the torsion bars. The folks that disagree with me can disagree, but with a properly tuned torsion bar suspension you can be just as fast as a car with a coilover conversion. They're just springs, and it's just physics. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, it comes down to driver preference(and ability) and tuning. I will concede that tuning is easier with coilovers, but the proper tune is not out of reach with torsion bars.
Regardless, the chassis could use:
Subframe connectors
Torque boxes
Firewall to shock tower braces (or firewall to shock tower to frame braces)
Radiator support
Fully seam weld and gusset K member (for stock K with torsion bars, or QA1 K member, or the hemidenny, RMS, etc coilover conversion K's)
(Cage? If it's really a race car, you get some kind of cage and the full chassis is moot)
There are both tubular and sheet metal versions of most of those chassis improvements, depending on where you go. The links to US Cartool, Firm Feel, Hotchkis are already posted. Magnumforce makes some really nice firewall to shock tower to frame braces, although I would stay away from most of their suspension conversion parts.
After that, if you kept the torsion bar style suspension:
SPC double adjustable UCA's (Bergman Autocraft)
Borgeson Power steering box (Bergman Autocraft)
1.06" or larger torsion bars (Firm Feel, 1.12" is what I run)
adjustable strut rods (Bergman, Firm Feel, PST, etc)
Front and rear sway bars (Hotchkis or Hellwig)
solid tie rod adjusters or heim conversion (FFI, PST, Hotchkis for heim conversion)
Boxed LCA's, delrin LCA bushings (Bergman, or tubular LCA's from QA1)
Hotchkis adjustable shocks (or Bilstein RCDs, or custom etc)
Large diameter disks, front and rear. I prefer Dr. Diff, but with the budget for one of those full chassis you could do anything, wilwood, baer, etc.
3 or 4 link rear suspension. Again I'm guessing with that budget this won't be an issue. Or improved leafs, Bergman has a great set he sells, or you can go cheaper and use the Mopar oval track springs like I do. They're fairly well matched to the rest of my set up, but they're still just leafs. With leafs you want to be in the 120-130 lb/in range with a reinforced front section.
I think you said earlier you had a Barracuda? If so, you can probably get to 275mm rubber on all 4 corners with the modifications I already posted and a set of 1/2" offset spring hangers, if you didn't go 3 or 4 link, which would solve that problem anyway. 18x9's or 18x10's for rims, you should be able to run them like that on all 4 corners.
Maybe Tomswheels can chime in on his set up, as he's been to a few CAM events now, and put the hurt on some $150k cars even with his previous car which had minimal improvements. My build thread is in my signature and I've done a lot of what I posted above, although my budget means I've done a few things differently. And it's my daily, so I've spent some time on things that don't necessarily make the car faster (Demon conversion, rallye gauges, fold down seat, etc)
Bottom line is you don't NEED to buy a full aftermarket chassis to handle well and go fast. If you want to, that's up to you and your budget. :D That's just my .02. I like the torsion bars, and I'm too cheap/poor to spring for a full chassis. ;)