@74valiant sounds like you have a cool project going there a 4 door valiant with a stroker could make for a damn fine sleeper!
Your B-body rear has the 4.5 bolt pattern so you'll want the same in front. ...
His car is a '74. IIRC, a few '73s made it out with the SBP but in general, they switched over to the BBP (5x4.5") pattern by then. I think he should be ok there but if not, that's definitely good advice.
...A 2" drop spindle would work and you'll need the large ball joint UCA's for those. HD Rear leafs, minimal arch. Shocks? I'm not going there because everyone seems to have their favorite. ...
I don't know that drop spindles are necessarily going to help with handling. IIRC, a better/cheaper solution might be heavier/clocked torsion bars and lowering the car through the usual means (torsion bar adjusters).
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The Mopar suspension design is pretty sound and can be made to handle. (google Green Brick or get the most recent Mopar Action for a recap on what a Valiant can do with stock-based components) It's those GM and Ford guys who need to radically change their stuff. Aftermarket K's/coil overs have their place but only you can answer if you want to spend the money.
100% true. The torsion bars work. Green Brick (and Red Brick) guys figured a lot of stuff out. Definitely check them out for inspiration.
Most folks here will also tell you that the coil overs only offer benefits for clearance, if you're planning on switching to rack and pinion steering, etc. Otherwise, there's no real handling benefit and you'll have to reinforce the front structure of the car since it wasn't designed to take stress at that point in the chassis. Basically, unless you have a real specific reason to throw away Ma Mopar's lovingly engineered torsion bar suspension, doing so is a "tax on stupid" (like so many things in this hobby!
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So here's my approach...for whatever it's worth.
QA1 upper and lower control arms.
Uppers are more important as they provide improved geometry (more caster)...and you're going to want the fresh balljoint anyway, so why not?
Lower control arms are helpful too, as they save a couple lbs (a big deal on suspension parts) and the stock ones require some welded reinforcement if you keep them. Plus, the QA1 pieces will come with sway bar tabs if you don't already have them.
Hotchkis Sway Bars
Someone might be able to recommend a cheaper/comparable set but sways do benefit these cars quite a bit. The pair will cost ~$600
Chassis reinforcement
Subframe connectors seem to be a bare minimum requirement- I went the lazy route and bought Mopar Performance pieces which aren't the stiffest and they weren't cheap either. Most guys will tell you how easy it is to cut/weld your own. I'm also planning on installing the factory style torque boxes (from US Car Tool) which supposedly help a lot.
If your motor is out, also consider having your K-Member seam-welded. I didn't do this yet (I learned about it too late) but it should help strengthen the front end as well.
Springs/torsion bars
Your 1" torsion bars are going to be a huge improvement over stock but the consensus seems to be that bigger is better these days. I am running 1.14" bars from Sway-a-Way and they're not overly harsh. Rear leaf springs- I went with Hotchkis 1.5" drop springs which actually ride a little higher than the stock/worn out leaf springs...but they seem well matched.
Shocks
I went with the Hotchkis/Fox 1.5 shocks and so far, they're fine and they definitely have enough damping for the heavy duty springs/bars. Again, there may be cheaper/comparable/better choices out there/
Wheels/Tires
Here is where you have to commit to having a "resto mod"/protouring type of car or if you want it to be a classic hot rod. The classic look would likely call for ~15" wheels which means that you're SOL for performance tires. 17" wheels is the minimum that seems to have modern performance rubber options...this also allows you to run an 8" wide wheel up front (as the diameter clears the upper control arm). 17x8 with a 5.5" backspace seems to be the sweet spot. IIRC you'll be able to run a 235 or 245 tire.
Not sure if any of that helps...good luck and keep us posted!
