I got my K-member no instrucitons...First timer...how do you install it? How ling does it usally take...do I need to take my suspension apart...?

 

more issues than a magazine subscription! I've never put one in, but I think it should be safe to assume that you put the new one in the same way the old one comes out.

 

what company did you buy it from?? you might want to email them and ask.

 

fyi, all this was with headers off the car by the way, so if you're doing those too, now is the best time
1. jack car up put on jack stands, do all normal safety stuff!!
2. take front wheels off,
3. take all cotter pins , should be 4 total if i remember right, (probably need new pins when done) out of the castle nuts, take a pickle fork and undo the steering shaft from the knuckle
4. unbolt shock from a-arm, are you doing tubular a-arms as well? might as well if you can afford imo.
5. undo all the clips holding brake lines and ABS wires to the arms, use some wire to tie the spindle with attached brakes out of the way, you want to make sure its tied up and tight and that there is still slack in the brake lines when secured you dont want the lines to be tight and possibly tear and break, then let the lower arm hang
6. you are gonna need some way to support the motor, i used an engine hoist with a chain wrapped all the way around the motor, had a packing blanket around the chain so i didnt tear anything up, worked fine that way for me, i was told you can do it by lifting on the crank pulley, i did not feel comfortable that way
7. unbolt the steering rack from the stock k-member (2 bolts) and support it with some wire, the best way that you can, do not let it hang loose! might even be best to tie it 1st then unbolt it so it doesnt really move anywhere...
8. undo the clips holding the metal line (power steering or brake?) that runs along the k-member by the steering rack, i forgot to do that and those little clips held the entire k-member in place undid them and it dropped onto the ground.
9. with the motor securely held in place, take out both motor mount bolts, passenger side is a lil tuffer to get to then the drivers but still not real hard, i found it easiest to get both mount bolts out when the motor was raised up just a hair, relieves some of the weight off them making it easier to pull them thru, you'll see
10. with a jack under the stock member, undo either all 6 or 8 k-member bolts (cant remember off hand) then lower it down and out of the way, slowly so just in case you forgot to undo something
if you are doing lower a-arms as well you need to assemble the a-arms and k-frame while its outside of the vehicle, because it needs to all go in at once, i dont know about putting the stock arms back on the tubular k-frame, it will work but i didnt do it so i cant help ya there

someone jump in here with the small things i forgot to tell him, i know there is some stuff, its been a year since i did mine.

it probably would've taken me 5-6 hrs. to do it but it ended up taking 2 months, waiting on parts and ordering extra stuff, figured while i had that much room to do things underneath might as well go for it!

hope that helps some, its really self explanitory once you get under there and start really looking at things! just take your time putting it back together as not forget stuff and go over it again and again and again

Steve