torsion bar and ps box upgrade

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DirtySwiffer

DirtySwiffer

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Brattleboro, VT.
with my tax return im planning to do some upgrading to the 75 duster i have...

4.10s in the 8.25
upgraded ps box (steering coupler from flaming river?)
torsion bars
ss springs
uca/lca bushings
id like to find a rearend bearing kit for the gear installation

so what is hot on the market now? i looked at a borgeson for the ps box, pst 1.01 for torsion bars, think i found some mopar performance ss springs on local CL, offset bushings or stay with normal bushings, and i havent found anything on a bearing kit for the rear end. any suggestions on a ring n pinion? i also have an open read end housing and i would like it to be locked.

please guys send me in some good directions for these upgrades, cant wait for responses and ordering!! oh and of course the installation
 
For steering, consider one my bolt on steering box upgrades -

http://bergmanautocraft.com/products.php?cat=1

My coupler allows direct bolt on and retains the original plunge feature of the column. A solid connection is not recommended as the column was not designed for it. My fitting kit allows the use of stock hoses.

My upper control arms offer the easiest alignment and widest adjustment range on the market and include greaseable delrin bushings.

I also have a black delrin lower arm bushing that doesn't require the outer shell, and is quiet due to its hardness.
 
GMachineDartGT said:
For steering, consider one my bolt on steering box upgrades -

http://bergmanautocraft.com/products.php?cat=1

My coupler allows direct bolt on and retains the original plunge feature of the column. A solid connection is not recommended as the column was not designed for it. My fitting kit allows the use of stock hoses.

My upper control arms offer the easiest alignment and widest adjustment range on the market and include greaseable delrin bushings.

I also have a black delrin lower arm bushing that doesn't require the outer shell, and is quiet due to its hardness.
Click to expand...

I hate to hi-jack but maybe these questions will apply as well...

So..that steering gear is completely bolt in now? No other mods? Other than the coupler and hoses, right? No surprises? The price seems to have come down since the last time I looked at it too! Nice!

So, will this remove the road wandering? That's what I hate the most with my steering, but right now it needs a complete rebuild anway.

DirtySwiffer said:
with my tax return im planning to do some upgrading to the 75 duster i have...

4.10s in the 8.25
upgraded ps box (steering coupler from flaming river?)
torsion bars
ss springs
uca/lca bushings
id like to find a rearend bearing kit for the gear installation

so what is hot on the market now? i looked at a borgeson for the ps box, pst 1.01 for torsion bars, think i found some mopar performance ss springs on local CL, offset bushings or stay with normal bushings, and i havent found anything on a bearing kit for the rear end. any suggestions on a ring n pinion? i also have an open read end housing and i would like it to be locked.

please guys send me in some good directions for these upgrades, cant wait for responses and ordering!! oh and of course the installation
Click to expand...

Seems like are going in the same direction I am. I'm also spending some of my tax return on the Duster.

Have you looked into Firm Feel's torsion bars? They are 1.06 and larger if you want to go that way.

You might need Bilstein shocks too. Looks like GMachineDartGT can get you a good deal on those.

Since you are going this far, might as well get upper control arms that way it takes care of the bushings and gets you better adjust-ability. I'm looking at Firm Feel or Reilly Motorsports for those.

There's Hellwig for sway bars, but I don't know whether to go solid or tubular.

I wish I could do all that, but I might end up spending it on rebuilding the 8 3/4 rear end instead.
 
The steering box deal has been a direct bolt in for 2+ years now. The second gen box started about a year ago and has become cheaper by 100+ dollars. I still don't know why anyone would want a tubular upper arm over my bac/spc arm. Ive proved on the track its rigid, has greaseable delrin bushings and best of all the easiest alignment and widest range of adjustment. Am i missing something?
 
GMachineDartGT said:
The steering box deal has been a direct bolt in for 2+ years now. The second gen box started about a year ago and has become cheaper by 100+ dollars. I still don't know why anyone would want a tubular upper arm over my bac/spc arm. Ive proved on the track its rigid, has greaseable delrin bushings and best of all the easiest alignment and widest range of adjustment. Am i missing something?
Click to expand...

Those arms look great for the track, but what about a daily driver? As far as preferring tubular arms, I guess it's just because I've had tubular suspension arms on my desert truck that having that type of product is just something I'm familiar with and have first hand experience that they can take a beating even in a daily driver.

I definitely need to put your steering box on my wish list though. Maybe I'll hold off on rebuilding the rear end and do my suspension/steering instead. ;) We'll see in a couple of months.
 
i was looking at the box you offer and it looks great. i have a question regarding the coupler though. it looks the same as the stock coupler (dimensionally). and that is where my major problem is, my couple will just barely hit my header. so i need a coupler that is smaller in diameter than the stock design. i read a thread on here about a guy who put a steering box in and used the flaming river coupler and had ample amount of header clearance.

regarding the torsion bars, 1.06 seems a little excessive for a dd... or am i wrong? this car will most likely never see a track. (doesnt mean i wont drive it like its on one though)

the upper arms i would love to get, but uncle sam claimed a whole hell of alot more of my taxes than i thought he would. i really plan on uppers and lowers in the future though.

anybody got anything on my plans for the 8.25? mostly looking for information on a gear installation kit of some sort. i can get the gears and locking mechanism.
 
The coupler is based on a stock one with the added length and correct spline count for the new box. I'm not sure what headers you have as they fit with TTIs and every other header I know of. If you insist on using a universal joint I can supply those too, as they are on the site as well.
 
okay i would have to use a different coupler for sure then. i actually had togrind the steering shaft end in order for me to drive the car to various places for me to work on it. that way it wouldnt wear completely through the headers. (im not sure on the brand). id say next friday i will likely be ordering a box from you.
 
Watch the bearing there are two sizes for the 8 1/4 I think the change is 73 or four,
 
ok so my car being a 75, i will be looking for the later model bearings.

i also picked up my ss springs from a craigslist guy. on my car, i have these sort of "drop brackets" for mounting the rear of the spring. there are 4-5 holes i can choose from to "lift" the rear of the car. is this something i can use with the ss springs, or are the brackets used for stock springs only?

i ask because i read about the ss springs leaving the car unbalanced side to side. could i just mount one spring lower or higher than the other to make the car sit level?
 
Yes the carrier bearings are different sizes, found that out the hard way in my 74. Sounds like those brackets are the universal spring hangers guys used to jack up the car. I have a set on mine but just use the lowest hole. They came with the car so I used them. Poly bushings help out a lot also.
 
1.06" torsion bars aren't too big for a daily driver, as long as you pair them with the right shocks. I run 1.12" torsion bars from Firm Feel on my Duster, and with the Hotchkis Fox shocks I run with them they're awesome on the street.

What is the application for the car though? Just curious, because the SS springs aren't something you really want if handling is your end goal. They lift the rear of the car too much, are too stiff, and aren't the same spring rate or arch side to side. They're great for hooking in a straight line, but corners aren't what they were designed for.
 
the springs i bought are 2 passenger side springs, therefor they are the same part number spring. application for the car isnt really anything more than a play toy. and a driver when i need to park the cummins for repairs. if the springs are stiff, not a problem for me. with the 4.10s i ordered, good hooking springs will be nice. (i saw a picture of a duster on fabo that i fell in love with the appearance of ((jimmyrays)) i dont see where his car sits all that high.

as for the torsion bars, i think i will go with 1.06s and some bilstein shocks to match from gmachine down the road.

so the list
4.10s- bought
borgeson box- purchasing from gmachine
torsion bars- 1.06 (bilstein to come)
springs- bought
lca bushings- derlins
uca- undecided
axle bearings still in search

thank you guys for the input and information, i really appreciate it. gonna post a thread in another section about the bearings.
 
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