K-member at the end of its life?

-
Cuprum-74

Cuprum-74

Moparus Fanaticus
FABO Gold Member
Joined
Dec 6, 2012
Messages
727
Reaction score
333
Location
Utah
Well I was driving on the freeway today when all of a sudden the duster started handling wonky and wandering erratically, like if its alignment was off somehow.

After driving back home. I tore into the front suspension.
Yep upper ball joints are gone and the lower balljoints are not looking to good either. (these ball joints are only a year old)
Bushings are ok.
Then I found this gem on the drivers side. This is where the lower control arm spindle goes in to.
View attachment 20160402_181907[1].jpg
View attachment 20160402_181918[1].jpg
View attachment 20160402_181955[1].jpg

SO...

Is it even fixable? Like maybe welding around it or is it even recommended?
Or am I better off getting another K-member?
I know QA1 sells a tubular K-Member for like $600... *ouch*
 
You can get a used good shape factory k frame for a couple hundred bucks.
 
Looks like it can be welded ok. why did the ball joints fail so soon?
 
You can weld it up. In fact it is recommended to weld these up for re-enforcement on all models using the K-member. They are known to be a weak point. Do the other side while you're at it.
 
dukeboy_318 said:
You can get a used good shape factory k frame for a couple hundred bucks.
Click to expand...

That's if I can find one locally or close by where shipping won't kill you.

The salvage yards here only have the slant 6's. I know there are slant 6 to V8 motor mounts for $159.

If I can talk them down to below $100 I'll be good. But unlikely.
 
You can weld the pivot tube back in. It's not uncommon for them to break free, a lot of time they weren't held in by much more than a few tack welds. Since yours has broken free, you'll want to spend some time making sure it's parallel and level with the pivot tube on the other side, assuming that one hasn't broken free. If the other one has broken free and you can't get them located with reasonable accuracy, it might be best to buy another used K and start with that.

All of that is best done off the car. While you're at it you can seam weld the K-member and box in the steering box mount. I seam weld, gusset, and reinforce all of the stock K's on my cars before they go back in. With some 3/16" plate and some heavy duty washers you can save yourself the trouble of shipping your K frame to Firm Feel as long as you can weld and have some patience...

IMG_1651_zpszs785a36.jpg


IMG_2790_zpsj1t3mbyg.jpg


IMG_2787_zps3quv7ejw.jpg


IMG_1662_zps275ympwd.jpg


IMG_1661_zpsgwvzjpy0.jpg


IMG_1660_zpsrmepykzq.jpg
 
Mopar Tim said:
Looks like it can be welded ok. why did the ball joints fail so soon?
Click to expand...

There was so much play in LCA's. I'm assuming this had something to do with it?
It also could be that the LCA bushings weren't replace in time last year. (I drove for almost a month with bad LCA bushings with the new ball joints before replacing the bushings)

Yeah I know... Bad.
 
Here are two pics that show the original welds that hold the pin tube in. This k-member was very crooked so I took it apart (removed the bottom half) to make it easier to straighten. Then I added some internal strength where you normally wouldn't have access. I then added half washers to the inside for strength. I have also cut square holes in one other k-member to just weld around the outside to the tube inside the k-member. This was an area that did not receive enough attention when they were originally built.
 

Attachments

  • DW213185.jpg
    35.1 KB · Views: 485
  • DW213186.jpg
    44.8 KB · Views: 502
  • DW153954.jpg
    41 KB · Views: 479
  • DW213187.jpg
    33.9 KB · Views: 470
I wouldn't fix that K member. My experience with welding stress cracks is that cracks will come back next to the welds. If it was a rare piece maybe, but run of the mill K members are easily found.
 
Tantibus-74 said:
That's if I can find one locally or close by where shipping won't kill you.

The salvage yards here only have the slant 6's. I know there are slant 6 to V8 motor mounts for $159.

If I can talk them down to below $100 I'll be good. But unlikely.
Click to expand...

shoot, ive got a slant 6 k laying here, i'll sell it to you cheap just to get it out of my way. stripped, shipping shouldnt be too bad, the k itself doesnt way but maybe 40 lbs.
 
I see no one mentioned that 340 cars had these pins reinforced with large crescent- shaped pieces, welded on. Then a washer was welded front and center making them easy to identify,when installed, by just bending over and looking for the washer..
I must really be getting old, cuz my naked K felt more like 350# back in 98.Well not really 350, but I guess I'm not as strong as I once was.
 
dukeboy_318 said:
You can get a used good shape factory k frame for a couple hundred bucks.
Click to expand...

I've had a spool-type for sale for $100 or less for over a year and can't sell it because the front lip has a small dent in it. Oh well, spend more if you want it to be perfect.

Anyway it's just metal and can be welded easily. In fact if you look at the quality of the factory welds it's advisable to remove it and reinforce it. Or, spend the $600.
 
TylerW said:
I've had a spool-type for sale for $100 or less for over a year and can't sell it because the front lip has a small dent in it. Oh well, spend more if you want it to be perfect.

Anyway it's just metal and can be welded easily. In fact if you look at the quality of the factory welds it's advisable to remove it and reinforce it. Or, spend the $600.
Click to expand...

V8 or slant ?
 
I took my mini-truck 280 miles to pick up a 65 K member, I could have bungied it to the back of my motorcycle once I realized how light it was, or at least drove my A/C equipped Lexus. My steering box mount cracked and I should have just got it welded. Those through tubes look like there isn't much stress on the tack welds.
 
Well... I might have a solution... I have a motorcycle I haven't sold yet. I don't ride hardly anymore after my last accident. So I'm going to sell it to pay for the aftermarket K-member and tubular upper control arms.

It's a 2005 Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 Classic it should more then pay for the setup.
240321_1862568137666_3244715_o.jpg
 
gdrill said:
you can weld it up. In fact it is recommended to weld these up for re-enforcement on all models using the k-member. They are known to be a weak point. Do the other side while you're at it.
Click to expand...

Hell yes.

Tantibus-74 said:
Well... I might have a solution... I have a motorcycle I haven't sold yet. I don't ride hardly anymore after my last accident. So I'm going to sell it to pay for the aftermarket K-member and tubular upper control arms.
Click to expand...

Don't cop out man! Short of needing the room for a new hemi, there is absolutely NO reason to NOT use the factory K member and torsion bars. Auto-x and road racing included.
 
Woods74 said:
Hell yes.



Don't cop out man!
Click to expand...

Well... I can try and get another K-member. But I do have a slight problem, all I have is a craftsmen flux welder. I do not have a good MIG welder. My welding skills are at a novice level.
What would be the most economical solution for me? I can try and reinforce another one with my boogerish welding skills? Or pay someone to weld it for me, but then who knows how much that person will charge me?
I do want to get this thing on the road as fast and safe as possible, as it is my alternate means of transportation as my Chevy K2500's transmission is acting up.
 
Seems we read of the LCA tube weld problems more in later cars (1973+). Probably another case of the factory trying to save money. Same deal for the torsion bar anchors, just a few spot welds in later cars. I would think the washer repair would work fine, since you are then welding to new unstressed metal on the K-frame, plus much more area at the washer OD.

You might want to re-angle the tube before re-weld, since best to move the lower ball joint forward for more caster. Of course, the LCA rubber bushing will flex to allow that, but better if aligned closer to where you want it. Some after-market strut rods are adjustable, allowing you to pull the end of the LCA forward. Most people use offset upper control arm bushings to move the top ball joint aftward.
 
dukeboy_318 said:
shoot, ive got a slant 6 k laying here, i'll sell it to you cheap just to get it out of my way. stripped, shipping shouldnt be too bad, the k itself doesnt way but maybe 40 lbs.
Click to expand...

I estimated $48.71 in shipping using UPS ground. So not too bad. I don't know your exact location so I guessed Zip code 47501 to my zip code of 84015.
I used the weight 35 lbs to estimate.
 
HF flux welder would do just fine, nothing in the car is over 14G anyway. Just wire brush the metal real good to get down to some shine, then go to town an inch at a time. Before the smoke clears, pein the 1" bead with a flux hammer, then chip slag off and continue.
 
Tantibus-74 said:
I estimated $48.71 in shipping using UPS ground. So not too bad. I don't know your exact location so I guessed Zip code 47501 to my zip code of 84015.
I used the weight 35 lbs to estimate.
Click to expand...

If you want it, 35 bucks plus the shipping.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top