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Straightening a bent K frame?
https://slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=60581		 Page 3 of 4
Author:  Dart270 [ Sun Dec 25, 2016 8:09 am ]
Post subject: 
Honestly, I have never seen a problem with the stock K-members. I tend to run lighter weight A-bodies, but with large and fairly sticky tires... What is your car weight (or projected), Reed?

I think a major problem is that many people do not torque all the bolts high enough, then a little play develops in some part (LCA pin, st box...), and then things work back and forth, fatigue, and break.

I personally overtorque things about 10-20% above stock with a beam-type wrench and have not had failures or significant wear on any of my cars. Make sure to install tbars, leave the LCA pin nut slightly loose, lower the car to ride ht, then torque down. --> YMMV, buyer beware, disclaimer/liability is not mine if you kill yourself! ;)

Yep, I like Dennis' idea. Sell the reinforced K and use the stocker! More $$ for other parts. If the car tracked straight with the old K, then you are good to go if it is not damaged at the motor mount, st box, sway bar, or LCA pin points.

Just another 2 cents...

Lou
Author:  Reed [ Sun Dec 25, 2016 8:54 am ]
Post subject: 
Hmmm. I have to think there is a reason why firm feel gets away with charging $450 for a reinforced k frame, but this judt be a daily driver, not a racer orvauto crosser. You guys knowvwsy more about the effectiveness of modifications for handling than I do. Maybe I will just take the reinforced lvas and the c body tie rod sleeves and let the bent frame go.

I still need to find a good k frame for another board member, though.
Author:  DusterIdiot [ Sun Dec 25, 2016 10:06 am ]
Post subject:  It's business...
Quote:
I have to think there is a reason why firm feel gets away with charging $450 for a reinforced k frame
They are a business Reed, and they may TIG some of the welds than MIG them... my welding buddy and I did the K that is now installed in the FDX hull and this is what it entailed going sole MIG process:

45 minutes of pressure washing the grime off the exterior of the 1976 Duster K I used (30 year of road grime and oil leaks that never ever got cleaned up....

1 hour of heating the K up to burn off any oil/grease/ crud that worked it's way into the crevices the pressure washer would not go....(it isn't good when you are welding along and suddenly you get a 'fire' then a blowout on your bead)

30 minutes + of sand blasting said K- member....

1 hour building a jig out out of heavy scrap box iron and all thread....
(if you are a good nimble all angle welder you can bolt it back into the car and do all the outside seams and gussets) It is just insurance incase the K warps if you are going to do long continuous welds...

Bolted K member to Jig.

3 hours of welding the outer seams, fixing any broken welds (common on the underside middle of K for some reason....Reweld cracked seams at spool mount attachments, cut shape and tack metal for full gusset/reinforcement of steering box (again some cracked factory welds in this area as well...), welding the LCA tubes solid to the K and reinforce them and the tie rod openings with washers continuously welded to the K.

Other than the Jig... We had about 6 hours into the K..say $50 billable shop hours= $300 + add time for unforseen issues, prime/paint/cold galv the new welds and overhead/profit/no one else offers this service...$450 is about right....


If you have a mig welder and some .035 flux core patience/time, you should be able to do this at an acceptable level...

Just sayin'...
Author:  Reed [ Sun Dec 25, 2016 2:12 pm ]
Post subject: 
Hmmm. Great points DI. I think for a daily driver that is never autocross a stock K frame will do my brother fine. If, at some point in the future, he decides he wants a reinforced K frame, we cna get a straightone and install it. For now I just want to move this project along....
Author:  Killer6 [ Tue Dec 27, 2016 7:45 pm ]
Post subject: 
Yeah, DI has it, You could probably make your own in the time it'd take to
"fix" the bent one. You can't save the world brother, if FF don't want to tackle
it, you probably shouldn't either. Being reinforced is like the body shop I
knew who did almost all the dealer jobs for the "T" brand, if the frame was
bent on the smaller tks.(fully boxed) it was murder to try and straighten 'em.
You have to "over-pull" them so far & so many times before they end up
where you want them. I'm pretty sure I have one of those late K's for
a slanty here, got it a long time ago B4 I knew what my next project'd be,
now I have two '64 GT's. I'll be making my own spool mount brackets for
the early A K-member so........
Author:  Reed [ Tue Dec 27, 2016 10:26 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks. I actually have a line on a couple K frames. If I can get them shipped to me for between $100 and $150, I will go with that rather than spend the time to try and save this bent one. Having to work for a living sucks. It leaves me with no time for my hobbies. :x
Author:  slantzilla [ Wed Dec 28, 2016 12:31 pm ]
Post subject: 
I just cut one up to get the 340 in my Duster with Schumacher mounts and a Milodon 8 qt. pan. :D
Author:  '67 Dart 270 [ Wed Dec 28, 2016 7:54 pm ]
Post subject:  bent K or car?
I'm wondering the same thing, if the hole is 3/4" off something is bent pretty far. If you're sure the car frame is OK, then I'd get another K frame. Even if you get the holes aligned, when you get to alignment, if there are issues, it'll haunt you that the K frame isn't right.

Are they really that rare? i got mine from a junkyard in Tennessee or someplace pretty quickly. That was a few years ago, I suppose.

Brian
Author:  '67 Dart 270 [ Wed Dec 28, 2016 7:56 pm ]
Post subject:  yep
Reed, just get another one, sounds like you have one or two lined up.

You can gusset and weld them up pretty easily if you have a cheap stick welder and some 1/8" thick sheet metal. That's what I did.

Brian
Author:  Reed [ Wed Dec 28, 2016 8:02 pm ]
Post subject: 
Yeah, I have a line on a couple I think I can get for under $100 each. That's the plan.

I actually have a stick welder and a wire feed, but I haven't had the time to learn how to weld worth a darn. :? Someday I will get around to it....
Author:  slantzilla [ Wed Dec 28, 2016 8:33 pm ]
Post subject: 
If you know neither one, start off wire welding. I taught myself how to do it here at work in less than 15 minutes.

I knew how to stick weld though.

Wire is lots easier. :D
Author:  '67 Dart 270 [ Wed Dec 28, 2016 9:19 pm ]
Post subject:  stick and wire
Reed,

You have to consider, yes, those TIG welds are beautiful and strong, but you don't have to have perfect welds to get sufficient strength. Your welds do have to have sufficient penetration, but they don't have to be beautiful and they don't have to have perfect penetration at every mm along the weld, especially with a K frame where you are welding along many inches. You can look at how others have done it, including skid plate and gussets to the steering box, and you'll be strengthening your K frame a lot. Just tack along the seams first, make sure you don't weld large sections on one side before the other side and you don't really need a jig (my opinion, others may disagree).

http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/ubb ... tures.html

Brian
Author:  Reed [ Wed Dec 28, 2016 10:07 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks Brian. If I do weld it myself I will probably find some way to thoroughly clean the frame and somehow clean the inside and then weld it with the unit bolted to a car to minimize warping.

Someday I will save up and get the gas attachment for my wire feed, but right now I am actually better with my stick welder. :roll: I would like to be able to weld aluminium....
Author:  Killer6 [ Wed Dec 28, 2016 11:26 pm ]
Post subject: 
Quote:
Thanks. I actually have a line on a couple K frames. If I can get them shipped to me for between $100 and $150, I will go with that rather than spend the time to try and save this bent one. Having to work for a living sucks. It leaves me with no time for my hobbies. :x
Cool, agreed, & I hear 'Ya!
Author:  emsvitil [ Wed Dec 28, 2016 11:34 pm ]
Post subject: 
Just use the twisted frame as a reference to figure out how to strengthen frames.............

:wink:
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