Heim joints on the street

[slngsht]

Are any of you guys running heim joints on the street? I'm about to do that to my rear suspension.

 

 

 

I've heard mixed things about their durability and harshness on the street. It's not a daily driver, and won't be in rain, mud, etc..., so I think it'll be OK.

 

 

 

Comments?

[soareyes]

I put these on my Birkin last fall and noticed an improvement in the rear compliance and ride quality immediately. Mine are a kit that Woody Harris puts together, and includes a set of new rear springs (175 lb vs. the stock 150 lb). Definitely less harshness with the upgrade, but I'll have to wait on the durability question (still good after about 3000 miles).

 

Stan

[slngsht]

good to hear. did you just do the rear or the front too?

 

 

 

There are no kits for me, so I ordered up some .5" heim joints, 1.125" .095 wall chromoly tubing and grade 8 hardware. Hopefully it will all work. The car should be tons more fun if I can get rid of the axle hop.

[soareyes]

good to hear. did you just do the rear or the front too?

 

 

 

Just the rear. It definitely reduced but didn't eliminate the axel hop.

 

 

 

Stan

[slngsht]

I'm also beefing up my links. I'm hoping after making the links and joints more rigid, I can play with the shock settings if there is still more hop. My rear spring rates are also 175

[JohnCh]

Westfield uses rod ends in the rear suspension and there are a number of posts in WSCC about durability. The factory items are fine (Goldline?), but there are a number of complaints about National Rod Ends, which apparently don't last that long. NMB/NHBB are regarded as the best, but they are pricey. Aurora Bearings are considered very good value (about 1/3-1/4 the price of NMB!). Apparently you can also purchase rubber boots that help keep out some of the grime.

-John

[slngsht]

Cool. I was thinking about rubber boots. Didn't know anybody made them. I got my rod ends from AutoFab race cars in Baltimore. They thought the regular steel rod ends should be fine for my application, as opposed to the high strength (and more expensive) chromoly rod ends. I followed their advice - we'll see how long they last.

 

 

 

If they eliminate or greatly reduce axle hop, I'll fork out more for better rod ends if they don't last.

 

 

 

My nephew showed me Johnny joints, which I had never heard of (he's into offroading). They look interesting as well, and probably more durable. I opted for the heims, because if they don't solve the hop problem, then link and joint stiffness is not the solution.

[powderbrake]

I am running Heim joints on all the suspension components. All Ultralites are ALL heim jointed. No rubber anywhere.

There is a little rattle on the street from the joints, but the rigidity, and the ease of suspension set-up are a definite bonus, if they wear out , they are cheap to replace and available.

 

Here are some pics of my front and rear ends.

 

http://www.usa7s.com/forum/uploads/powderbrake/2006-01-19_221450_005_2_Small.JPG

 

 

 

http://www.usa7s.com/forum/uploads/powderbrake/2006-01-19_221517_017_14_Small.JPG

[slngsht]

Jerry, thanks for the info.

 

 

 

I'm upgrading the front uprights, so I'll probably do the same on the front.

 

 

 

 

[slngsht]

Apparently you can also purchase rubber boots that help keep out some of the grime.

 

-John

 

 

 

Found these at Summit

 

>http://store.summitracing.com/egnsearch.asp?N=700+115+319542&D=319542

 

 

 

Seals-It Rod End Spherical Bearing SealsKeep your spherical bearings like new.

 

 

 

From asphalt and dirt track racers' high performance suspensions to precision flaps on aircraft wings, Seals-It rod end seals get the job done. They keep dirt, water, and other contaminants from damaging the performance of your rod ends. Exposed bearing surfaces let dirt in and lube out. Seals-It rod end seals are easy to install, and provide immediately effective protection.

 

 

 

http://static.summitracing.com/global/images/prod/large/sit-ws6250_grp.jpg

[slomove]

Some info on my home-made radius arms with heim-joints >http://home.earthlink.net/~slomove/id3.html