Frame or chassis options for A bodies
I think you are off to a goods start, however, I'd get the Bergman Auto Craft adjustable upper arms. I suggest either those or Hotchkis. A nod to the BAC ones if you drive the car a ton or are trying to save $$$.
http://bergmanautocraft.com/proddetail.php?prod=5-0090
I just installed some proforged ball joints on my friend's 1971 Demon with 73-76 knuckles last weekend and they are also nice pieces. I say whichever one is a better deal will work for you. We were turned on to these by the Hotchkis installer guy.
My personal opinion is that you can get by with the stock tie rod sleeves.
I have the Firm Feel 1.06 T-bars and they are super nice parts.
I love the Hotchkis/Fox Shocks. Perfect compliment to my 1.06 bars.
With stock rear springs (I have 340 type ESPO), you'll want the rear bar. My hotchkis one is in the middle link (also have offset shackles) and it's nicely neutral. If you go with significantly stiffer rear springs, you may not need so much rear bar.
You're the second guy to endorse those SPC arms. They look cool and all, but they're quite a bit more expensive and they don't even come with ball joints so that's an extra expense.
I don't see too much difference between the Reilly and Hotkiss arms other than price. Their design are quite similar, also there isn't too much negative comments over Reilly Motorsports quality. That's something I factored into the equation.
The funny thing is, Hotkiss is like 10 minutes away from me. They have great stuff, but pretty pricey.
I've heard of proforged, but they're made overseas in Taiwan. That might not mean much since I hear Moog is being made overseas as well. Bummer. Moog might be better priced. I'll have to compare.
The tie rod sleeves are probably not critical, but for 50 bucks it doesn't make a huge dent in the budget and I need tie rods anyway since mine are worn and the boots are busted. Might as well go big while I'm at it.
Many have stated how much they have liked their Firm Feel torsion bars. I know they're more expensive than PST's, but that may be one area where I might splurge a little. Maybe they can work with me on the price if I purchase more parts from them.
Blu seems to like the Fox shocks too. The first time I heard of either Bilstein or Fox is in the desert racing scene. I a set of Bilstein 5100's on my Ford Ranger (a total of 6 shocks actually) that had mid-level Camburg race suspension on it. It wasn't long travel, but it was enough to take a beating in the desert. It was amazing how it handled on and off-road. I miss that truck. I sold it. Anyway.... I have been a Bilstein fan ever since.
As for rear springs, that will be later down the line. I haven't decided on rear sway bar yet. I guess I'll have to see how it handles after I do the front end.
Thanks for the advice and tips. I appreciate it! It's good to hear first hand experience. You and Blu have some nice cars!
I would respectfully like to point out the whole purpose of this thread is about what type of chassis or kits are avalible to improve handling, as the OP is wanting to build a "track car" and he was under the false assumption that a replacement chassis was needed. And i think it is about 100% clear to anyone reading these posts, the FASTEST track/roadrace/auto X cars are torsion bar/leaf equipped. Oh, and the guy who got outran by a 4 door B body is the same member who told us all how much faster his duster was once ditching all the factory parts and installing aftermarket stuff front and rear. Sucks to be him.
It may seem like this thread went off on a wild tangent, but it's awesome that so many suspension options have been discussed. Nice to know that when it comes to Mopar suspension, the aftermarket is alive and hopefully doing well.
As far as torsion/leaves are concerned, I figure it's better to keep it simple. Although, if I had the cash I'd get an Alterkation kit and drop a Gen III Hemi in my Duster. ;)
One thing that I have noticed, some of the torsion bar guys have mentioned that the ride quality "is not so bad" or "rides like new Mustang" with stiffer bars but I don't think anyone with coli-overs have mentioned what the ride quality is like on a daily basis.