Steeda K-member install

[bubblehead93]

So after shopping around for a long time, an aborted attempt with a AJE Road Racing K-Member that did not fit, and some discussion with forum members I decided on a Steeda K-member... I wanted to maintain a coil spring suspension for now, with the capability of coil-overs in the future, with a k-member that could support the abuse of auto-x all while gaining ease of access with my LTs as well as taking some weight off the front end...

Here is the kit...


Install is pretty straight forward...


Support the engine, remove all of the front suspension as well as the steering rack (it just swings out of the way towards the front of the car, it ends up upside down supporting on a couple of jack stands).

This K-Member installs very nicely...




On the driver's side you need to remove a screw which attaches a ground wire from one of the motor mount bolts to the chasis, I drilled a couple of new holes to reinstall it an inch or so forward... on the passenger side you need to pry the brake lines forward as you bolt it in place, need to put some chafing protection there as well... otherwise I just had to run a 9/16" drill through the spring perch bolt holes as the powder coat made them a bit tight to get the bolts through. Also on the passenger side spring perch I had to grind a bit on the flange to relieve it so it would fit due to the weld fillet on the k-member (you can see where I had to do that, its the black paint area).

Here are a few pictures which shows both the improved access as well as the quality of this k-member...

 

[bubblehead93]

I used the MM K-Member guidance to square it relative to the rear axles and center it side to side...



overall, pretty straight forward install, can't wait to get it all back together and on the track... still waiting on two new half-shafts in the rear after that carnage drag racing...

Enjoy...

 

[94slowbra1]

Good looking piece for sure. I think if I were to with an aftermarket k the steeda one mat get my vote. Especially since you can keep coil springs.

 

[bubblehead93]

now I just need to add a stifflers fit system to it... I have their driveshaft loop and love it...

can't get over how slick the k-member went in... I was expecting a bunch of tapping and fiddling to get it square fore to aft and left to right, instead where it went in was where it was supposed to be, first try... better lucky than good, but I think the luck was mostly due to the jig Steeda uses to put these together...

 

[03' White Snake]

Wow, that looks really strong and well built.

I just had the Stifflers matrix system installed on my brothers car. Very nice setup. Haven't gotten to drive it yet since its winter here.

 

[svtmemo]

Very nice piece indeed, I will definitely be looking into this in the near future!

 

[SVT_Troy]

what steering rack bushings are used with the steed rack?

 

[bubblehead93]

I transferred them straight off the factory k-member... they are MM urethane rack bushings...

 

[01cobravortech]

Very cool OP. Also, very interested.

Are you ready to provide a review of your driving impressions with the Steeda kmember, vs. oem?

 

[bubblehead93]

I will let you know this weekend, been busy, but going auto-x this sunday... that should be a good test I would say...

 

[bubblehead93]

So went auto-x'ing... my general impression is that it stiffened up the front end... I had figured that no difference would be a good outcome... but the reality after one afternoon of auto-x is that I think that the new k-member removed some additional compliance out of the front end... I'm not talking a big difference here, but after one afternoon of driving, there was a difference, it was for the better... I think another track day event will allow me to be a bit more precise on how it is different, perhaps a little reading so I can put the right words to what I saw and felt... problem is the a-arms that I installed with the Steeda k-member had urethane bushings versus all my previous outings with the stock k-member which had stock rubber LCA bushings...

at the end of the day, it is lighter, gives better LT and starter access, and is a solid piece you can auto-x with without it folding up like the light-weight drag racing type k-members...

definitely glad I spent the money on this unit...

edit of my post... my setup is H&r race springs all the way around with MM race series MM2 dampers at all four corners with MM everywhere you can install it front and rear...

 

[Bdubbs]

Nice review, steeda is the only k member I've considered. Still undecided on sticking with oem or going that route.

 

[Daywalker]

Any idea how much lighter than the OEM unit the Steeda one is? Very nice by the way, congrats!

 

[weaselp1]

The steeda unit is 19 pounds lighter than the stock K member

 

[BMR Tech]

Nice! I am a big fan of the Steeda 79-04 K-Member.

 

[bubblehead93]

resurrecting an older thread of mine...

after converting my MM2 race dampers to coil-overs for auto-cross purposes, I've been hunting around for a IRS capable front-rear drag coil-over set-up. In the end, it came down to AFCO versus QA-1...

the goal was to have two sets of coil-overs, one for auto-cross the other for drag racing...

Ended up going with the QA1 setup front and rear...

For those who have tried, the rear is where it gets interesting... I would have to say that the customer support I received from AFCO, QA1, and MM was great... in particular, MM, recommending shocks for drag racing that they don't carry themselves...

Over the next couple days I'll provide some pictures and part numbers to include what modifications are required to the spring pocket to fit a 2.5" coil-over in the rear. In parallel, I am installing a MM upper shock mount (spherical bearing), as well as a rear shock tower brace, so I'll have a couple of pictures of that as well... then some track results... hopefully this coming weekend... of course, it will be a bit of a journey, getting the front and rear DA struts/shocks dialed in...

suspension porn at its best...

 

[1Fast-Turbo-Cou]

Nice looking k-member. I've been thinking about replacing my
QA1 one day. Been looking at Afco's as well as the MM. Now you have me looking at the Steeda.

 

[bubblehead93]

Have a couple minutes at lunch here...

front struts are QA1 Pro Coil Front Strut system, double adjustable, HD603S... have 150# and 175# 14" springs, we'll see what happens...

for the rear shocks, QA1 Proma Star, double adjustable, DD701... also purchased and installed the SS110SDM stud coversion (converts upper spherical bearing to a stud) plus SIB10T-102PK (spherical bearing with a 5/8" ID, needed to manufacture a bushing so that the 13mm stock bolts fits snug)... running 10" 400# springs...

I run a 28" Hoosier slick in the rear, with Moroso DS-2s in the front on a set of FR-500 rims I had narrowed...

I have a Kenny Brown rear shock tower brace, but I am not happy with the fit, currently modifiying it to fit better, perhaps making my own to weld in...

more to follow...

--
Andy

 

[bubblehead93]

A few pictures...

The QA1 strut and shock package...



A Kenny Brown rear shock tower brace... finish was nice, fit was not...



I liked the overall design, took a cutoff wheel to it and notched, sectioned, bent, hammered it to make it fit... just need to weld it up... used the inverted shock bushing washers, installed backwards as a centering tool in the factory shock mount and brace holes... the MM race upper shock mount will go on top of this...



once it is all installed, then I'll spray some paint

the MM rear race upper shock mounts should show up today, finish mocking up, a little grinding, then some welding...

pictures to follow on the clearancing required for 2.5" ID coil-overs in the rear on an IRS car...

--
Andy

 

[bubblehead93]

only getting a hour or two afterwork to work on the car, after dinner and the kids go to bed...

the MM rear race upper shock mounts came yesterday... got two sets of the "thrust cones" which go on the shock stud, one for my MM auto-x coil-over setup and another set which I shortened so that they would fit properly on the shorter QA1 rear shock stud while still properly engaging the spherical bearing in the upper shock mount...

I'll take some pictures, but I had to shorten the "thrust cone" by about a 1/2" due to the shorter stud on the QA1s... that was most of my work last night, wish I had a bench-top lathe, on my wish list...

Still need to drill a couple more holes to fit the upper shock mount, only have 2 of the 4 holes required on each side drilled... two you can come at from the trunk (the inboard ones)... the outboard ones on each side really need you to use the re-inforcing bracket as a guide so you can drill from underneath, from the wheel well... again I'll snap a couple pictures and it will make sense...

after cutting, bending, hammering on the cross brace, I was considering tack welding the brace to the rear shock towers rather than trying to bolt it in, after all the hammering and bending, it could now be physically bolted, concerned the bolt heads will interfere with the coil-overs (it is that tight with the 2.5" ID springs)... we'll see...

--
Andy