How To Square a K Member and Why It's Important
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- Опубликовано: 18 май 2017
- This video starts by answering what K Member is. For those of you who may not know, the K member is the support for the engine and front suspension on some vehicles.
This video shows how to 'square' the K member in your vehicle. I demonstrate this on a Ford fox body, but this procedure is pretty much universal for all vehicles. In fact, you could use this to check how square your vehicle is with the procedures shown in this video.
Here are the instructions for installing and squaring a K member from Maximum Motorsports: www.maximummotorsports.com/ass...
My K member: www.maximummotorsports.com/MM-...
My K member spacers: www.maximummotorsports.com/K-M...
Maximum Motorsports: www.maximummotorsports.com/Def...
Special thanks to Jack Hindley and Kolton Sinclaire for all their help.
Previous video in the #FairmontProject series: • Ford Fox Body Rear Sta...
The #FairmontProject playlist: • ETCG Gets a New Car! -...
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Check out the ETCG Blog for the latest info: www.ericthecarguy.com/blog
Camera: Brian Kast
Thanks for watching!
Discussion about this video: www.ericthecarguy.com/kunena/...
Tools
Plumb bob: www.amazon.com/Stanley-47-973...
Trusty Cook Hammers: trustycook.com
Torque wrench: www.rakuten.com/prod/282405511...
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How To Install a Maximum Motorsports Torque Arm For Better Traction!: • How To Install a Maxim...
How To Install a Panhard Bar: • Take Corners Faster! H...
Rear Stabilizer Bar Installation Ford Fox Body: • Ford Fox Body Rear Sta...
Installing the New Differential #FairmontProject: • Installing the New Dif...
Parking Brake Cable Modification #FairmontProject: • How To Fabricate Parki...
Removing the old engine from the Mustang: • 1982 Mustang Donor Car...
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Due to factors beyond the control of EricTheCarGuy, it cannot guarantee against unauthorized modifications of this information, or improper use of this information. EricTheCarGuy assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. EricTheCarGuy recommends safe practices when working with power tools, automotive lifts, lifting tools, jack stands, electrical equipment, blunt instruments, chemicals, lubricants, or any other tools or equipment seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of EricTheCarGuy, no information contained in this video shall create any express or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not EricTheCarGuy. 
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Circumstances were that I never had a place, the time, the tools or the know-how to do my own repairs. Plus, I have a disability - I was a liberal arts major and I'm Irish. So, I'm just not a details kind of guy. This video - I'm impressed; down to the 16th's. I was worn-out by the time you said you'd have to recheck the measurements. I was ready for a nap! But, you've given me the courage to go out and bleed the brakes on my '97 Dodge Ram 1500.Thanks for the inspiration.Kindest regards,Paul
I don't think comments get any better than this. Thank you very much.
One thing to note for anyone who is going to do this on their own vehicle on jack stands.... Make sure you don't have the stands anywhere on the front control arms or K frame like most people normally put them. They must be somewhere on the frame rails or uni body that is not going to interfere with moving the K frame
I like the way you changed to incorporate useful information like your old style videos, but also working on the Fairmont. great work Eric keep it up!
busuttilj1 Yes! Love useful information in videos
Very interesting indeed!
I share the same sentiments as many of you guys do. Eric has given me the ability to do things for myself, my family's vehicles and even as a side weekend job to help support myself financially. The biggest step Eric has pushed me to make was the HVAC repairing. I have successfully completed MANY jobs with my own equipment I bought just from watching his videos. KEEP IT UP @EricTheCarGuy !! .. All the way from TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
@EricTheCarGuy
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I have heard a LOT of folks talking about swapping a K-member, but no one ever mentions the measurement process. In all the other conversations and videos, one would assume that the old K-member is unbolted and removed, and the new K-member is bolted in and the process is complete.
I knew this process was not that simple, but had no idea how to take the measurements. It is 10:27 AM in Nampa, ID, (my home), and I learned something new. Time for another cup of coffee.
Hey Eric. I been binge watching your fairmont videos for the past two weeks, among some of your other videos, and they're AWESOME. Mostly because I myself have a 4 cylinder 1982 notchback mustang project that I inherited from my uncle, I've got a 351w bored 60 over (currently sitting on a engine stand) that has a ton of work done to it, although it's been sitting for a long time... a TKO 600, K frame, Driveshaft, ford 9 inch and some other parts that ALL need to go in it. While I don't quite have the space to do any of the work right now, your videos are helping so much, showing me I'm going to need a LOT more suspension parts hahaha and giving me a lot of confidence in attempting this build instead of just trying to pay someone else to do this. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention there's a B&M 144cfm blower that's going to be mounted on the 351w, supposedly going to have in the neighborhood of 480 hp and 510 ftlbs. This series has gotten my so exited for my build, and I can't wait to see your end product! Thank you
Great job in squaring in your K member. I'm a carpenter, and have to square up a lot of things in my business to insure of things being straight so that the next parts being installed are easier to install there after. Keep up the good work and thoroughly enjoy all your hard work in showing your videos. Thanks, Dave from Maplewood, MN
Hey Eric, I love how you're incorporating the style of your informative and repair videos into the Fairmont project. I'll admit that I have been skipping watching some of the build, but recently I've become really interested in seeing every detail with the new format. Cheers!
really cool stuff, Eric! Nobody ever talks about doing the tedious things like this, they just show a video of them chucking a k-member under the car and bolting it up with an impact. I like your attention to and representation of the importance of the detailed things you're doing on this car.
I will be doing a full Maximum Motorsports suspension install on my 98 Cobra soon so these videos are extremely useful. Thanks for posting these installs in such extreme detail.
Good watch! It always neat to see how similar the the strategies across all car makes for basically doing the same thing. I have done a good amount of suspension work, only some rear end 4 link setups on a late model mustang, most of the other stuff has been mostly Honda and just recently Porsche. What I have found getting the measurements as close to dead on helps so much in the end, this comes to alignments too. It drives me nuts seeing alignment shops put the measurements in range the thing pulls like hell or just has less than confident feel. I know there is a lot of theory with OEMs alighting their cars to certain types of roads, conditions the list goes on. For me I feel having everything equal, camber same on both the front along with caster and toe and the same for the rear but obviously differing amounts gives a more consistent feel to the car and less it taking you for a ride and having to counter steer. Having the front off from the rear I have noticed will tend to cause the front to push under acceleration or under hard braking. You can measure that the k member will be off from the alignment if it follows suit might be something like you can get more camber out of one side on the front than the other. btw wish I would have thought about the dot on the tape then move it under :p Its a pita to mark under those plumb bobs.
Nice video, Eric. That's a great way to square up a k-frame at home. I've had to do a lot of k-frame/engine cradle replacements while working in my company's bodyshop. Fortunately, there is a little bit of room to move the frame/cradle around while doing an alignment. I see why Max Motorsport recommended that point in the rear, as that point is usually square to the body. I've had to explain countless times why the rear end alignment is so critical to the front end alignment. A lot of people don't realize that the rear end alignment affects the front end alignment. Keep up the good work!
G'day Eric it's like a work of art! Very exacting work to align the k member interesting how you went about it, explained well thanks Eric regards John
Thank you Eric! This was very helpful and I know feel more confident when I go to change my K member on my cobra
Good idea with marking the K member with the drill bit Eric. I don't plan on building a project car anytime soon, but I still find these videos really interesting and informative :) Thanks for sharing.
I just finished installing a Maximum Motorsports K Member into my Foxbody Mustang. Thank you for this video, it gave me the confidence to do it myself.
Hey Camera-man Brian! Thanks for your contribution to Eric's videos! I have a coworker named Bryan at my job, and I always joke with him that "every good technician needs a Bryan!"
Very cool vid and helpful. Thank you. Note to add, without a flat lift, with jacks you may need to make sure your surface to frame is parallel or measurements may get skewed.
Loving the new faster yet still very informative format of the videos. Was getting a little burnt out on 45 min. Fairmont videos. Actually watched this whole vid. Loving it again Eric.
Hey Eric, all this "K" member talk is great! For some reason it sounds familiar. Thanks, Kevin Kenneth Kline!!
Great vid! very useful information in here!
liking the new style now, wasn't so sure about it to begin with!
keep it up dude!
Love the vid! I was worried that you were going to do another voice over, but this one was perfect having both "real time" work and a few cut ins giving tips. Keep it up!
Awesome video as usual Eric! Keep it up 🤙🏽
Excellent information.
I like the detail you give in all your videos Thank you
I've been wondering about how to do this in an easy way for a while.
Thanks Eric!
Another well done video. Don't know if you mentioned it but the rockers should be pretty much parallel to the floor. Maximum Motorsports is the best stuff out there and their customer service is second to none.
When the mounting bolts are fairly tight, drill a couple of (one on each side) and drive Spirol pins (coiled preferably) in before torquing down those bolts; things wont move about. Great video as always.
All great tips. Much appreciated!
Thanks for the video EricTCG, great info.
i love your fairmont videos! keep it up!
Seems like really good Info to know. Would've never thought of this.
Installing a complete UPR K Member kit on my 78 Zephyr Sport Coupe. Very usefull vid. Wondering if I should use the rear bumper bolts ( on frame) as a mesuring point ? I might also use the tubular lower holes like you did. I actually might use 2-3 mesuring points on each side just in case the body twisted over the last 41yrs !!
I love the turbo set up and the sleeper look, but damn the fairmont would look so nice with a massive blower sticking out the bonnet haha
TacticalBBQSauce imagine if he did a supercharger AND a turbo
Great video Eric. Lots of good info as usual
Thanks for making this. I just finished. 89 and 72ft lbs took some doing. I'm within 1/32 all square!
The challenge was interesting. The solve was worth the time. The tips were 'Golden'. Thanks
Great video Eric!!
Hey Eric! I just wanted to say im a long time fan and have enjoyed your videos for a long time! I recently came up with a video(s) idea that i think could be mutually beneficial for everyone involved!
I am personally a huge fan of Regular car Reviews and the way he narrates his videos to make them entertaining and informational at the same time. So i was thinking, to maybe throw some change on the channel, maybe try a pilot episode of you and him collaborating creatively however works best for you and call it Regular car Repairs? :D i think the name is catchy and i think it could maybe spice up the average repair video!
All of this is just a suggestion and ill keep watching regardless of what you do. Much love to the best mechanic on youtube!
Loved the Video! Thanks!
Your fairmont product inspired me to redo a vehicle #97tbird. Keep up the great work.
wow that looks like a serious pita, glad you got it done! great video!
I work in a body shop. I would just use tram gauges. They are pretty cheap and accurate. Also very useful in a mechanic shop for cars with subframe damage.
I’m looking to buying this complete kit front and back my question is how hard if possible to install this with a floor jack in a garage with jack stands? On your back
Great information, thank you!
great info and video!!! Thanks Eric!!
The instruction for using the bolts in the rear for measurement is because you are actually taking info from the actual frame and not some after-market component to square the K member, plus those random holes you find sometimes in the body are not always in perfect correlation.
Lasers are always better for these sort of situations.
Other than that great video Eric.
just a thought, would you have been able to use a longer bolt in the rear so the plumb bob could clear your reinforcement instead of going the route of hanging it from the control arm?
The drill bit becomes a makeshift key. I like it...clever ..love ur vids
This is the best and most informative video I’ve seen.
good job this helped me out keep up the good work
Cool video, thanks Eric
Thank you this video help me out a lot
Good job explaining it , it help me a lot thanks keep up the good work !
Eric, do you have a foxbody rear centering video?
Good work I didn't hear a word you said for about a minute once I seen those overhead welds at 5:17 no worries it doesn't have to look good it just has to work.
You and steady hand camera man Brian are working extremely hard on Peak - a - Chu. The end results should be Phenomenal. Slow and steady that's the way to do it !!.
Awesome video Eric. I want a project CRX so bad 😭
Does this apply to factory K members also?
So with this k member you have on your car, is it maximum motor sport? I’m looking for a adjustable one, since my one side of my car the wheels sticks out more the. The other and it has been in a accident, but only damage I seen on frame was right where the bumper supports go I don’t see any other damage or kinks, could just be the body off when they lined it all up but I want to see if I can maybe add a adjustable member and move it just the slightest bit to center it,
I saw you had a spacer between the k-member and chassis. How did you approximate the vertical position of the k-member? If its a swap kit for a specific car, no sweat, but custom..?
Great step by step video
I like your Tie Fighter drawings Eric lol great video
Needed this info. Thanks.
Great video, thanks
I have a unrelated question Im hoping for a solution. How do I fix uneven brake wear on rear drum brakes? I have found plenty of info on disc brakes but next to nothing on drum brakes. The outter shoes on both tires are worn but the inner ones look like theyre not even touching the drum.
@EricTheCarGuy I am sure you are ahead in the restoration from the video timeline and i have a question.
Do those plates for lowering the k-member alter camber?Because the mount of the lower control arm (theoretically) will be at a low(er) point pushing the ball joint "out",thus increasing negative camber.
I would like to know the result because i have thought about it for my application but haven't got to it yet.
Would I have to align a k member on a 1998 mustang gt?
Quick question would a 99-04 k member fit a 2009 Ford Taurus
Haha! The safety glasses, don't get a plum bob in your eye mate, love your sense of humor haha
So can we use this technique on basically any Unibody car?
Help please I have a 2005 Acura TL and it's giving me a p0340 code but the cam sensor is good . I have source power and ground and 2.8 volts at the signal wire
hi from Venezuela, I have my crv 2006 (110.000mi) but went i turn on the AC the engine start to vibrate but the rpm its fine (700-750) what could be the problem? (the engine mount are new)
Great handy hints Eric, but transferring inches to mm definitely showed me the fine alignment you were dealing with: 1/16 inch = 1.588mm. Fantastic work, regards Stewart.
Every time he says something in imperial units, I have to convert it... I'm American, but I've only ever worked with European or Japanese vehicles, so I have no frame of reference for how large a 3/8ths socket is.
3/8 inch or 9.525 mm is exactly the drive size for many ratchets and sockets.
Haha, ok, so that was a particularly poor example, but say I need a 3/4ths or 11/16ths socket. I have to do Maths to figure out what size is bigger...
Was all intended to be humor.
For me converting in to mm and vice versa gets to be second nature after a while and the equivalent sizes are just known without even thinking.
No worries :) I would imagine so, but like I said, I've never worked on a car with imperial bolts/etc, so I'm just not familiar with it.
Very knowledgeable gentleman!
Eric, you wanted manual steering in the beginning - is there a reason why you switched to power steering now anyways? I'm driving first car ever that has power steering, and boy is it weird. Especially if you've been driving without since almost 20 years... ;) I am always afraid it might go kaputt when I tilt the steering fully or something like that.
After rethinking the front suspension I decided to go with power steering. It just seemed to make sense. I'm already putting AC on the car, might as well do PS too.
EricTheCarGuy well better to change your mind now than when the car is completely put together
Although I liked the original format, after seeing this new more condensed version, I can say the new format is great!
Can you square a factory does k member? I don’t want a tubular, it’s not even safe as for accident and what not, and I don’t need no weight reduction, but I would like to know if Ford has any adjustability? Maximum motor sports says there is a bit
OK, I am having a problem with my car, on Petrol (Gasoline) it idles rough, the revs start low then raises up a little then dies down to normal.
When I switch over to LPG, t idles well for a few minutes but then it backfires when I push on the accelerator.
I have changed the spark plugs but that doesn't do anything at all.
The engine is a 2002 GM Ecotech V6 engine, not supercharged with after market LPG system installed.
When I drive the car, it is fine for a little bit but then it stalls without warning.
What do you think I should do?
Sooooo, how about when you need to lift/raise how the engine/transmission sits in the engine bay (lowered car?)
Man eric I've learnt a lot in this video
Any more Fixing it Forward Videos coming? Those are the best!
Would soaking the tip of the plumb bob in a little paint work better then having to move it and mark with a marker
Eric, I wish you build the Teggy on a future project!
My question has nothing to do with this video , But I have a 1999 Plymouth neon that cranks , but has no power source as to no lights and fuel pump doesn't turn ,anything that turns on by the power doesn't turn on , it only cranks?
don't most cars have like dowels or dimples in the rail for aligning the k-member? or is that just something on more modern cars?
More modern cars. Cars of this vintage were not manufactured to todays standards. As a result, they needed 'adjustment'.
Hey bro crossing fingers ill get a reply on a 3 year old video but its worth a shot. I'm going to be removing my oem k member to restore the finish and then reinstall the same oem k member ill this centering need to be done or is the oem a non adjustable unit and centering in your video is only something that needs to be performed with an aftermarket k member?
Is this necessary on all vehicles or just older ones?
I think this would be good to know on any build I was working on.
Ive had to measure things "square" like that before and its crazy all the minute things you have to make sure you have in place before you get accurate measurements. I was doing it on things that were suppose to be less than 1/8" in square and they are 36ft. long... crazy
Great work and ideas! I'm thinking vehicle should be level checked so strings don't have any kind of angle hanging down. You probably said it and I wasn't paying attention. Very helpful video anyways.
hmmmm, I never got any notifications at all on my phone!! I just logged to YT, it showed you uploaded 7 hours ago. I totally missed this video. I did check my bell and made sure I got all the notifications from you. everything is all set. But nothing popped up on my phone at all. :(
Correct me if I'm "doing it wrong" but it looks like this would be useful if you're doing collision repair as well say straightening a front clip or something like that.
That's exactly correct. In fact, if you look at some body shop equipment they have these long metal measuring tools (tram gauge) just for things like this. There's also a book with different make and models that lists the measurements you should see and what points to measure from so that you can check the squareness of the chassis.
EricTheCarGuy This video proved my life sucks. My birthday was today and you didn't wish for it to be a happy one. Thanks 4 the unhappy birthday...... jack. ;) JK BTW......keep up the good work!
It wasn't an ETCG1 video. BTW Happy Birthday. Nobody's life should suck.
Sorry, my mistake. Thought he did it on all of his channels. By the way, not my birthday, life not sucking at moment, and JK means just kidding.
Great vid Eric! Can you please make longer vids please 😁.. I hate waiting all week for a short vid or throw in more tip vids during the week.. Please please please..
Seems like you're losing some ground clearance under the difference with that torque arm. Any issue with that?
Not really. The benefits of the torque arm far outweigh any ground clearance issues. I've talked to builders and they say that as long as you have 4" of clearance you're good.
Very good. It looks pretty stout, like you will have no worries is you go of road with it. ;)
Great job eric, i like the extra locating holes drilled, smart thinking.
Wish I could claim credit. That's actually in the Maximum Motorsports instructions.
You did the job, shut up and smile lol :-D
if you wanted to take it a step farther, i bet you could drill and then tap the hole so you have a dedicated locating screw that helps hold things in place as your torque the k-member bolts.
I agree. That would also ensure the k-member doesn't shift as you drive, if you hit a large pothole or scrape a curb.
Could a video be made of how a 4-barrel carburetor works?
great video
not too long, clear and concise, professional as always
good vid.
when and why did you get a power rack? i rember you talkin about a manual one
It is a manual rack, but he just keeps calling it power steering since mostp eople will have one.
After deciding to change the front suspension. I figured, I might as well go with power steering. After all, I'm running AC, might as well make it easy to steer too.
I had a 1994 S-10 Blazer with 4 doors, and that SUV had problems which I didn't know about when I purchased it, but found out about it later. First, I would apply the brakes when stopping and the vehicle would go into a skid instead of stopping directly. The second thing was that it would not turn correctly at an intersection and I ended up wrecking that vehicle on a country road because of sand which was on a gravel road, and when I tried to turn the steering wheel, the vehicle would not turn as I wanted it to and when it did, I had no control and it slid off the road on the opposite side of the road, and overturned in the ditch twice.
I figured out that the vehicle had been wrecked, and the dealership I got this vehicle from purchased it after the frame was supposedly straightened up correctly. Needless to say, I never purchased another vehicle from that Chevrolet dealership again. I have seen other vehicles which didn't have the body within the tolerances you showed us here, and they ended up with the vehicle not going down the road straight.