68 Barracuda K Member Questions

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Agreed, it's definitely worth fixing, especially if it's a 340 K.
Any pictures of this Crack? How bad is it ? Can it be repaired without removing it from the car ? It has lasted 55 plus years and your car looks great and I'm not so sure you need to replace or remove. I'm thinking repair it so it doesn't get worse. Of course just my thoughts you may disagree.
 
Any pictures of this Crack? How bad is it ? Can it be repaired without removing it from the car ? It has lasted 55 plus years and your car looks great and I'm not so sure you need to replace or remove. I'm thinking repair it so it doesn't get worse. Of course just my thoughts you may disagree.
This sounds more sane than anything right now. Take the weight off of it (the crack), grind it out a little and burn it in!! If you are feelin it, plate it and its solid and still not a hard fix for the next guy if he/she has to have it perfect. But........hanging the engine with one of these tools and pullin the K member out isn't a big deal? Maybe it is? I dunno. but if you can see the crack ....weight off, heat it to burn out crap, clean it and weld it.
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EDIT: sweet ride btw
 
Actually, you did weld it in place. good.

Sorry i missed that.

What are the other "wonky" issues you are dealing with?

Anywho, I have used that tool to suspend the engine before with good results to swap in a different K. There are some threads on here that tell you where to gusset n such.
 
I cut my k-frame open because the reinforcement kits include a washer for the one side of the LCA mount, but not the other.

Not that another washer would help anyway.
It's the other side that is hanging free inside the k-frame not welded to anything.

I welded it up on the inside now the LCA mounting is secure front and rear.
 
Any pictures of this Crack? How bad is it ? Can it be repaired without removing it from the car ? It has lasted 55 plus years and your car looks great and I'm not so sure you need to replace or remove. I'm thinking repair it so it doesn't get worse. Of course just my thoughts you may disagree.
It was repaired last summer, welded in place in the car. Here are the before and after pics. Maybe it is ugly but Ok for now. I am hoping to get the car on lift this weekend and get a better look. I mentioned something is wonky with the car, so here it is....the engine sits askew with the oil filter on the passenger too close to the frame rail. Someone took a grinder and added some clearance to the frame rail so the filer would hit. I don't know what to think and claim little understanding of how everything sits.

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*sees oil filter w/ adapter and gacked up frame*
*blinks slowly*

what in the actual ****?

okay, evidently hackasaurous rex from planet hackulon was all up in there. but all is not lost. that K is likely, maybe, possibly repairable. but, i personally wouldn't go down that path and would source another even if it's not the "correct" "coin" unit, and then i would clean and reinforce whatever it was that i got.

the motor cocked to one side may just be bad motor mounts, but i would 100% be on that with a fine toothed comb after seeing that level of skullduggery.
 
Hmmmmm...... may we see the fan to shroud? Looking for fan reveal difference side to side. Trying to see if the oil filter "clearancing" is the whole motor or the frame rail.
 
Yes somethings "not right". The cosmetic part of the kframe weld is passable, BUT is that's what's causing the oil filter issue??
There is a certain "orientation" of the right angle adapter so the filter fits in properly and slopes slightly downward. Kinda following the angle of the bottom part of firewall. Hope that makes sense.
As Clem said reference pics of engine to see how it is "sitting" would help.
 
No coin in 1968. If you will be around next Wednesday afternoon we will be in Redwood City. We can stop by and put another set of eyes on it.
 
Wow ! That is not where I expected it to be cracked !
I revise my comment to replace it . Should be easy enough to find one in CA .
 
As mentioned any small block k will work from 68-72. 67 will work also, but 67 has provisions for a 1 year only pitman arm. That's an easy fix. Depending where yours is cracked it could be an easy fix as well. As mentioned the factory welds were pi$$poor on these. You should have whichever k you go with "redone"
Good luck! Beauty ride too! :thumbsup:
Except that 340 cars had the front sway bar mounts integral to the k-member; 318s did not. I had the mounts welded to my 318 k-member.
 
Well, thanks to all you have stayed tuned. As promised I got it up on a neighbors lift (Thanks Chuck!) and have my answer. The front passenger side frame rail?? looked wobbly and on closer inspection looks like it took a hit and presumably was straightened but not to spec. Presumably a front end accident? I am still processing this and what it means to my hopes and dreams for my baby.

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Except that 340 cars had the front sway bar mounts integral to the k-member; 318s did not. I had the mounts welded to my 318 k-member.
No sway bar brackets were EVER welded to the K-member on any A-body. Tabs were welded to the lower control arms. The mounting holes for the frame brackets are on EVERY '67-72 K-member and are even on some '73-up K-members for the early bar.
 
Well, thanks to all you have stayed tuned. As promised I got it up on a neighbors lift (Thanks Chuck!) and have my answer. The front passenger side frame rail?? looked wobbly and on closer inspection looks like it took a hit and presumably was straightened but not to spec. Presumably a front end accident? I am still processing this and what it means to my hopes and dreams for my baby.

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Can't tell on the frame rail, but that tie rod sure is bent.

Don't think the exhaust pipe should be so close to the torsion bar, either. Got pix of the motor from up top?
 
I have a 68 Formula S Barracuda Convertible with a 340 and the K Member cracked last summer. I had it welded in place but would like to replace. There are a few wonky issues I want to address and this is one. When I am looking for a replacement K Member, does any 68 small block Mopar K Member work or what specifics should I look for? I also have disc brakes, not sure that matters. The car is 90% stock and I am working to get it back to 100%. Any one have a beautiful one to sell and ship to CA? Thanks!

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I have an original 70 340 swinger "K" frame for $100.00 and upper and lower control arms w/ sway bar another $100.00. In Florida, will not ship, sorry. I do not have to sale it, but willing to help out a fellow Mopar guy to get their car on the road.
 
Well, thanks to all you have stayed tuned. As promised I got it up on a neighbors lift (Thanks Chuck!) and have my answer. The front passenger side frame rail?? looked wobbly and on closer inspection looks like it took a hit and presumably was straightened but not to spec. Presumably a front end accident? I am still processing this and what it means to my hopes and dreams for my baby.

View attachment 1716275605
Looks like it ran over a curb or such that impacted the K-member . It’s not as daunting as it seems to disassemble the entire K and suspension. I do it every time I pull an engine .
 
Here are the top down pics. The rod is the center-line of the car, as measured. The pic with the rod was taken top down as best I could. The whole motor is shifted left relative to the fan center. It seems less good.

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I think the engine should be offset to the passenger side a bit. The 360 in my 67 Barracuda is just over in inch toward the passenger side. Measuring from hood opening to hood opening at this location, I get 58 inches, which would put the center at 29 inches. As you can see, the air cleaner wing nut is at just under 28 inches. (The pen is approximately at 29 inches.) The center of the fan is also to the passenger side of center, maybe not quite so much, but it is a bit hard to measure.

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But that passenger side exhaust pipe still looks too close to the torsion bar to me. Unfortunately, I no longer am running the early 340 manifolds (TTI headers now), so can't say for sure. Might just be that the pipe is bent incorrectly.
 
Looks normal. Like I said earlier, we will be in Redwood City on Wednesday. We could stop by in the afternoon and take a look at it.
 
Here are the top down pics. The rod is the center-line of the car, as measured. The pic with the rod was taken top down as best I could. The whole motor is shifted left relative to the fan center. It seems less good.

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I think the valve covers are reverse. At least from my 69. The motor appears to be sitting a little to the passenger side. A fan shroud installed would help in your centering correctly.
 
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