k-member repair

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sjatm941

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So i picked up this v-8 k-member yesturday for my 74 dart. when i got it home i was inspecting it a little closer and noticed this hole repaired. Looking into this it the driver side lca pivot pin hole. im conserned after looking at some post . is this repair adequate ? im trying to grasp the function of this hole and the pin is just bolted thru this hole so there is no movement of this pin going thru the hole correct ? any opinions would be help full.
DSC01487_zps5a3fddab.jpg
 
so, what was wrong with your original k' cuz if yer jus lookin fer mounting a v8 , you can accomplish this with conversion mounts. you should already have spool mount w / big ball joint upper control arms. if you have disc brakes all the better, no reason at all for swappin the k.
 
funwithfuel said:
so, what was wrong with your original k' cuz if yer jus lookin fer mounting a v8 , you can accomplish this with conversion mounts. you should already have spool mount w / big ball joint upper control arms. if you have disc brakes all the better, no reason at all for swappin the k.
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huh whats wrong with swapping k-members ? big deal it only took me about 1 hour to get the old one out by my self . $100 k-member vs $180 for conversion parts. Its my time this what i love is working on the cars . I just didnt have experiance with this fatigue problem on this peticular hole .Ive got a call into the seller see what he can do . shoot there's another one down the road for $100 if this one doesn't work out. i'm just hoping the guy will work with me . i was just hoping despite the ugly repair it would be ok but. ..... not sure i should chance it though , that why i'm asking for more experience people with this particular issue.
 
wow, not knockin you for wanting to swap out. Just questioning wether it was needed. Meant no offense, sorry I asked.
 
I think cracks in that region are fairly common. Assuming this K-Member isn't bent I don't think this K-Member is junk.

Firm Feel welds in reinforcement plates on their reinforced k-frames in this area.

While that weld looks like crap, I think a little investigation and effort will determine what if anything you need to do to the k-member.

Use paint remover to remove the paint and then do a thorough visual inspection looking for cracks, thoroughly inspect the weld to insure that it has good penetration. If you think the weld is suspect, grind out the weld and have it welded again.

Here's a picture of the Firm Feel Reinforced K-Member.

http://www.firmfeel.com/reinfkfram_e.htm

Hope this helps,

Regards,

Joe Dokes
 
If you can find another good unit for the same basic price and return that one, why face the potential work.

If you want to fix that one, it can be done.
 
Joe Dokes said:
I think cracks in that region are fairly common. Assuming this K-Member isn't bent I don't think this K-Member is junk.

Firm Feel welds in reinforcement plates on their reinforced k-frames in this area.

While that weld looks like crap, I think a little investigation and effort will determine what if anything you need to do to the k-member.

Use paint remover to remove the paint and then do a thorough visual inspection looking for cracks, thoroughly inspect the weld to insure that it has good penetration. If you think the weld is suspect, grind out the weld and have it welded again.

Here's a picture of the Firm Feel Reinforced K-Member.

http://www.firmfeel.com/reinfkfram_e.htm

Hope this helps,

Regards,

Joe Dokes
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x2. repaired is a good thing! Since you have it out anyway, not a bad time to inspect and strengthen. I swapped my k and did a full re-weld and added reinforcements similar to what is linked above witha few enhancements.

Here are the pics of mine (about half way down):

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=186036&page=2
 
Fixing that one is no big deal, if it even needs to be fixed. I wanted to reinforce the LCA pin tubes on the big block k-member that I built for my Barracuda so I cut out about a 2-3" square below the pin and welded the tubes from the inside and rewelded the pieces I cut out. I would add 1/2 a washer to spread the force out, but it's not completely necessary.
 
I did this last fall, started about where you are right now. Get that sandblasted clean and pressure wash the crap out of it. It will probably have a ton of mud in it. I had new sleeves made at a machine shop, cut out the old ones and gave them and new pins to the machinist. I made plates out of 1/8th steel stock to reinforce the opening. Welded it all up and painted I used a tapered drill to cut out the old sleeves, it wasn't that hard.
 

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Thanks guys. The guy i bought it from says its fine . ill just have this one fixed and reinforced by my local welder. ya i could get a different one but shoot that one may want to be reinforced anyway. ill use what i got make it nicer

appreciate all your guys comments .
 
Hole location and position is very critical for alignment. I never welded a K-member that was damaged like this. I tossed them on the junk pile. there was a reason it cracked and was it in the right position when it was welded.

Don't trust the guy that sold it to you telling you its OK. He would need to return your cash if he said it wasn't. Looks like it was welded while it was in the car. probably not in the correct position.

Why was it covered with under coat? probably hoped you wouldn't see it.
 
Oldmanmopar said:
Hole location and position is very critical for alignment. I never welded a K-member that was damaged like this. I tossed them on the junk pile. there was a reason it cracked and was it in the right position when it was welded.

Don't trust the guy that sold it to you telling you its OK. He would need to return your cash if he said it wasn't. Looks like it was welded while it was in the car. probably not in the correct position.

Why was it covered with under coat? probably hoped you wouldn't see it.
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I agree with the sleeve placement. That's why I used a tapered drill, I took it to the original hole on both ends. The first step is to get it clean, then you'll see any cracks on the kframe. If it's really torn up then I'd look for another. Mine was good to go, the new sleeves dropped right in with no slop. Again, Ma Mopar wasn't too fussy on assembly. My original in the 67 was only welded 2/3 of the way around. I don't think they took a lot of time to throw these together.
 
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