to sandblast the a-arms/k-member and stuff or no?

My car had the heavy duty \6 suspension which gave it the .850 lity duty v8 bars. Even these bars were woefully inadequate (car bottomed over even mild dips in the road) with the \6.

When I did the v8 swap I went with big Block bars (.890), these give a nice firm but not harsh ride and with a 1.125" sway bar the car corners flat and responds sharply.

IMHO you have no choice but to change the bars if you plan to drive the car on the streets.