Overall opinion

[Gumby]

I bought the steering lower bearing posted on a sticky in this thread at the top. Got a Firm Feel stage 2 box. Boxing in the lower control arms. Bought a sector shaft bearing. Going to weld up the K member. Instaling U.S Car Tool Chassis stiffing kit with rad. support brace. Probably Mity mount motor mounts. Probably put in off set bushings in UCA. Poly the rest. Don't have a front or rear swaybar yet. Stock upper control arms. Edelbrock IAS shocks. Firm Feel fast ratio pitman and idler arm. 11/16 steel tie rod ends. Wow, once you dive in, it can snowball pretty fast. HaHa, my roads here are flat and straight. I might want to take it to the Sandhills Shootout, nothing crazy. Working on a 400 stroked engine. ANY thoughts will be greatly appreciated. Will be mostly street driven , but I want tight new car feel. Thank you. Any advice, thank you. Mostly will be a daily driver. Thanks for any input.

[Super Blue 72]

Sounds cool, Gumby! 

Whatcha gonna do for torsion bars and leaf springs?  How's about rims/tires?

I think my questions just set you back $2,000! 

[dodj]

, but I want tight new car feel.

Then you really should put in the front and rear sway bars. IMO, nothing makes as big a difference in handling as sway bars. 

[Super Blue 72]

No sway bars yet?  I thought maybe gumby didn't pick aftermarket ones yet or something.  I think his car is a rally's car so should have front and rear sway bars from the factory.

Did Any challenger come without at least a front sway bar?  This is making me wonder a little. 

[Road_Runner]

Your handling recipe is very close to what I'm doing to the Barracuda.  I have a set of ESPO XHD rear springs, .960 torsion bars, 1 1/8" Hellwig front bar & OEM 3/4" rear bar, and Ede IAS shocks all to go on mine.  I'm going to also pick up the U.S. frame connectors and looking at some of the other bracing you mentioned.  I'm going to go with either the level II or III firmfeel steering upgrade so our two cars are going to end up very close.  I want to get the trunk pan & partial floor pan installed at the same time as the braces so I'm holding off putting on any of these parts until I have a solid foundation to hang everything off of.  Let us know how these changes work on your car.

Later, Jim

[dodj]

Did Any challenger come without at least a front sway bar?  This is making me wonder a little.

Mine.

Actually lots came without sway bars. Companies market weld on and bolt on sway bar tabs for the lca's.

[tman]

Quick question Gumby.  When you got your Firm Feel box, did you have yours rebuilt or get one off their shelf?  Thx.

[73EStroker]

Gumby, I am going to post a complete stock 73 340 Rallye front sway bar set if you are interested. Includes the bar, poly bushings, bushing brackets, bracket holder bars, new end links, all bolts. the only thing you have to do is mount the top tabs on as I will give you the tabs that came in my Hellwig 1-1/4" hollow kit that I now have on. Very little in the way of rust pits and in good condition. $120 shipping included to the USA. Can post a picture this weekend as I will be at my other place. If shipping is less than $50 then the price will drop to $100 total.

Barry

[aris_unlimited]

Put in any subframe connectors? Or inner fender braces? I noticed a big difference on the body/frame stiffness of mine when I installed them way back.

[HP2]

My '74 came with power disc brakes, but no sway bar.

My opinion on your list;
steering lower bearing - good if your car is together, a waste if you properly brace the box mount.
Firm Feel stage 2 box - I like em, have one and they feel great, but they don't actually help handling.
Boxing in the lower control arms - without big sway bars, neglible to no gain.
Going to weld up the K member - this is never a bad idea. Put some extra metal in the steering mount and you can avoid the lwoer bearing.
Instaling U.S Car Tool Chassis stiffing kit with rad. support brace - foundation of everything. Do this first.
Probably Mity mount motor mounts - little to no gain with this unless you have a big power mill that breaks rubber units.
Probably put in off set bushings in UCA. Poly the rest - not a bad idea and will help with alignment figures.
Don't have a front or rear swaybar yet - get a front one at least. Unless your stepping up t-bar rates, don't bother with a rear.
Stock upper control arms- fine with offset bushings.
Edelbrock IAS shocks - if you have them great. If you don't they are no longer available.
Firm Feel fast ratio pitman and idler arm - same as their box, nice but not 100% required.
11/16 steel tie rod ends - little to no gain over simply using 9/16 ends with solid sleeves.

[Gumby]

Phil was correct, in that I DO have factory front and rear sway bars, much to my surprise. (I had to go look just now. My car came with many "missing pieces") I DO have the IAS shocks. (They will be replacing Air Shocks in the rear, no name in the front) I DO have a Firm Feel Stage 2 box. U.S. Car Tool set will be the first thing added. I just got it. Motor mounts wanted because "back in the day" I seperated many rubber mounts on my Charger, mostley from oil leaks weakening the rubber, or just cheap rubber. Poly shouldn't do that if it happens again. Plus I am building a higher output engine. Have the Firm Feel Fast Ratio pitman - just ordered the idler. Many of these parts were bought for my 67 Coronet. They will now be installed on my Challenger instead. Have the 11/16 tie rod ends. I have Energy suspension poly stuff. I have factory front disc brakes, but have new Master cyl, Wilwood calipers and the "cop" rotors and correct spindles to mount for an upgrade. I also have a rebuilt hydroboost unit that I am going to install. Wheels will be 17" x 8" MOMO Arrows that I got off ebay a few years back ($300 for all four! Extremely nice shape.) with Michelen Pilot Sport tires. I have a new Gear Vendors OD unit. My car has 3.55 gears in the rear now, but I have a 3.91 sure grip from Randy's to install. I have been slowly, slowly buying this stuff over the years to put into my Coronet, but luckily most stuff will fit the Challenger. I also have a pinion snubber. Haven't heard much info on them, as if they are much help at all. I haven't done a whole ot of research into torsion bars and rear leaf springs yet, except what I bought for my Coronet. Many people seem to prefer smaller or "looser" torsion bars. Many people say to go way over 1" stiffer bars.  Thank YOU to everybody that responded. It's good to get feedback on this stuff.