I Have a 89 firebird car is at mechanic and is getting ls1 and auto tranny and koni yellows front and rear and sportlines. About 3 weeks ago in snow i slid into a curb in the snow and slightly bent my a arm and banged up my stock k member found out this stuff was messed up this week. the car is going to be setup for autocross/street. What would be the best kmember and a arm replacement?

 

Cheapest and most stout would be stock pieces from your local boneyard. You know they'll survive an accident if, heaven forbid, anything were to happen again.
Aftermarket, From what I've gathered, UMI seems to be the vendor of choice for those two items.
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/ltx-...-k-member.html
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/susp...mber-best.html
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/susp...nber-arms.html
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/susp...arms-82-a.html

Make sure you get your chassis checked for straightness and have your spindles inspected. You'll probably also want to replace your tie rods too if it did that much damage. Better safe than sorry, you definitely don't want to put all that money in the car and have it be really sketchy when you get it back.

 

thanks bro!!

 

I installed UMI k member on mine. The fit and quality are both very good.

 

Looks like i am going wit the AJE k member and a arms!!! hope they are you to the task.

 

My Black Ops mechanic has just finished with the eibach sportline springs koni yellows AJE kmember and Aarms and also sway bar end-links. Front end wise, what else does anyone recommend???

 

Great to hear! Thanks for the feedback

Ryan

 

wonder bar ... strut tower brace ... frame ties ..... that will keep you busy for a minute.

 

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resi...t=photo%2c.jpg

 

Is there a struttower brace that works with the our cars and a ls1 swap??

Also have decided to go with BMR everything (panhard, Lcarbs, SFC, steering barce).

 

A search would have shown you several threads about this. What I found when I searched the same question was, any STB will work with the LS1. Just make sure the STB you get will work with you strut mounts.

Why BMR? Poly or Rod ends? Have you researched the pluses and minuses of each option?

I also seen your using an AJE k member and plan to autoX with it? I admit I'm not familiar with the AJE but be warned. Most tubular K members aren't up the the stresses of autoX. A little research would go a long way for your build.

 

i have searched the topic of the k member and on the org it seams to me as its just myth and word of mouth fear (rare proof). I have also searched it on ls1tech and its the opposite response most people have the k member replaced haven't had issues. 1 guy said his flexed but after 4-5 years of abuse. My buddy is running the AJE on his mustang for years and he says its fine not an issue and drives the car on the street (street racing). i cant wait to finish my build so i can Poop on everyone with a stock k member and there fears of the Candyman coming out of the mirror because you chanted his name three times.

Installing an aftermarket Kmember aka "Candyman effect"

I chose am going with BMR for no particular reason, parts haven't been ordered yet so i can adjust, I have been looking at founders alot for the price but looking back on what i have done so far price really hasnt been a theme. (time solves Price issues)

But what do you an your research suggest? (as in poly-roto rod bushing ect.)

 

 

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Hey mealonwheels.

We have hundreds of K-members out there and have never had a customer complaint concerning failure on their daily driver. The main benefit is decreased front end weight. As other threads have mentioned, the stock K-member is the strongest but when something is over-strong (such as the factory) it leaves room for us in the aftermarket to make something completely suitable at a lower weight.

As a side note, Ryan (UMI President) heard from a customer that one of our K-members plowed a groove in a dragstrip when the front end came down too hard. The only damage was chipped paint.

As for a strut tower brace, since that thread is pages and pages long, my two cents is they are an easy upgrade and I choose them on all my vehicles. Quantitative data or not.
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We sell anywhere between 400-500 K-Members a year and we seldom, if ever, have customers call us up and tell us theirs is broken. So, if it were a real concern, I would expect at least a call every month...or every other month...or every year. Not really the case. Just a seldom isolated incident here and there. We did, however, have some issues with our first design, but not with our new design that was changed about 5/6 years ago.

You should be just fine!
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LOL..how true how true...
go with what works..
or you can stick to the. i saw it on the net... it must be true...

 

I only want to help my fellow 3rdgen enthusiast, please forgive me if you were upset by my post.

Nothing wrong with BMR. A very quality product. I was going to use their SFC's but UMI was on sale that day. I don't know everything and am not going to claim to, I was just checking to see if you had been researching and not just ordering what was in a Jegs catalog. Sounds like you have done your homework and I think you'll be fine. Since your looking to autoX, check out frrax.com. A lot of good autoX/road race specific knowledge their.

When I get to the rear suspension I am going to use UMI roto joints. But a poly/rod end combo is also a good option for an autoX/street car. Poly only, can bind. Last I knew BMR only had poly and rod ends so i wanted to make sure you had seen the roto joints as I believe they are a great option for a autoX/street car.

BTW, I'm also doing an LS1 swap but I'm using a 6speed. I got my donor car, just need a few swap parts and some warm weather to start wrenching.

 

I opted for the STB back in the day when Kenny Brown still made f-body parts.

 

I miss those days. KB made some great parts. I've had a set of LCA's from them but I sold them with the formula!! I have that strut tower brace pictured but unfortunatley it wont fit over my carb'd motor I'm about to install.

If you can find a KB stb it's a good quality piece. Edlebrock makes a nice set up too that will fit right over your LS1.

 

no show i will buy your stb bro!!!! i will pay fair price at-least help you cover enough funds to get the proper one you need.

 

Sorry man, my buddy already claimed it for his 3rd gen. I was just letting you know it's a great STB if you can find one; they come up on ebay every so often.

On the other hand you can still get a Edelbrock STB online at almost every parts supplier for around $150. Make sure you get the TPI version.

Here is a picture of one over a ls1. They look good and work well.