K MEMBERS / SWAY BARS

The 67 - 69 Barracuda either came from the factory with a front sway bar or without it. As mine is a generic lo-po car it did not have it. The difference between the cars is the sway bar setup itself, and the addition of sway bar tabs welded on the lower control arms near the ball joints. Cars that never had sway bars can buy aftermarket kits to accomplish this goal. However, most use weird clamping arrangements to the lower control arms or to the strut rods and look like crap.

Best Alternative and Loads of Work
Replace stock K member with a 73 - 76 K member that has the sway bar unit (not all do!) and both lower control arms . The 73 - 76 K member is different than the earlier K members as it has holes in it to allow the sway bar to pass through. The sway bar is also shorter and stiffer than the early sway bars and the sway bar tabs welded on the lower control arms are in a different location than the early 67 - 69 control arms. They are not interchangeable!
If you swap over the newer K member you will now have a nice factory sway bar setup and you will also benefit as the later unit has the new style one piece spool type motor mounts.

K Member Modifications
You can reinforce your K member by welding in metal plates around the steering box support as this is the most flexible area. This is important for tightening up the steering.
Other things you can do:

1) Weld perimeter of K member as it is only spot welded together.
2) Weld washers around the tubes where the lower control arms bolt in to. This area tend to break.
3) Weld on a lower skid plate as the bottom of the K member can get beaten up.

Rear Sway Bar
You must go aftermarket as they weren't installed by the factory except for some obscure 1976 A body cop car that had them from the factory. You may not need them as with mopar leaf spring rear ends the springs act like virtual sway bars as they resist twisting.


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