Dented K-Member

[Earl]

OK, so the other day, driving down the highway, going 70, in heavy traffic, couldn't change lanes, pull off the road, or do anything to avoid it...road construction going on (widening of HWY 281 between Marble Falls and Burnet TX) there was a pretty good size rock/chunk of concrete in the middle of my lane.

Put TWO good size dents in the K member...did not damage anything else...

Should I be concerned about this to the point of replacing the K-member?

car drives steers and tracks straight and true and fine still...

gotta get some different springs and get this thing off the ground...just not practical for daily driver duty....

[thunderclaw]

if it did,t bump your aligment off i wouldn't worry about it. i ran over a small boulder and dented the k member, cracked my steering rack and basically did a whole body job on the floorboard from front to back. was fine for years till i got in a wreck(not related to this)

post some pics of the damage if your not sure

[Earl]

It really isn't too bad...car will be getting a FULL front suspension rebuild soon anyway....probably just replace that too while I'm there...

[CrystalPistol]

In 1983 or 4, I was at an in-service school and one night, being bored and so far from home, I went to visit a second cousin of mine whom lived maybe an hour from the academy. The driveway was rough, being some gravel with rocks so that one had to drive slow. The place dated back to the 1850s.

Well, I went, visited, we talked motor bikes and went through some old family photos, kiled a pot of coffee, and about midnight I left to go back to the academy.

I hit a big flat rock with the K-member of that '82 Plymouth police car and the rock wedged itself and raised the whole front of the car as it flipped over.

Had it hit the oil pan, I'ld have had to call a wrecker. It put a big serious dent in the K-member, but never wore tires worse or showed any symptoms ...
... other than everytime I put it on a lift someone wanted to know what in the hell I hit.

Get the front end allignment checked if it worries you, or just start watching tire wear really close and often for signs.

driving down the highway, going 70, in heavy traffic, couldn't change lanes, pull off the road, or do anything to avoid it...road construction going on (widening of HWY 281 between Marble Falls and Burnet TX) there was a pretty good size rock/chunk of concrete in the middle of my lane.

Not unusual, partly why I slow down in construction zones (sure, those ahead will pull away, but those behind will slow down too?).