Adjustable Strut Rods

yep, I have a bushing made of 3 washers, they fit nice and tight too.

 

These look sweet, overall are these worth having over stock?

 

Yours look great , and saved a lot of money.

 

I think there better than stock, I'm happy I switched them , also used there lower arms ( no more rubber squiking)

 

Very interested in this thread. These mods are both on my wish list.

I installed poly bushings in mine and broke a strut rod going over a speed bump at low speed. It had cracked at the base of the threads. Looking at the pieces afterward, that crack had been there a while, because it was rusty 1/3 of the way through the crack, next to shiny metal going the rest of the way through. Mine broke because of repeated flexing, and the crack was at the start of the taper from the threads, the last thin spot before the bar goes up to full diameter.

Food for thought.... now that the stress point is relieved by the Heim Joint and the rod is free to move in an arc, I don't think that having a flat piece of poly or rubber in compression, front and rear, between the frame and large washers would be a bad thing. I still like the bushing filling the hole. I imagine the washer faces being the areas transmitting the harshness. I doubt it is the bushing, again because the bar now pivots. I would opt for poly if you can find it in this shape, like the washer itself. Maybe a poly bushing cut on a bandsaw would get it done.

 

OK, am thinking about adding a 1/8" layer of rubber between the mounting surfaces of the strut rod bracket where it attaches to the front crossmember, any thoughts on this?

 

Sandwiching rubber in there sounds good. I imagine it would get squished pretty thin, and that leads me to wonder if poly would be better. Either way, I think this would be on the right track to help this.

 

well, I dont have a clue as to where to get the poly sheets, so the rubber being more readily available is going to be my first "try" at quieting the ride.

 

I think that would be good and maybe something around the washers

Just an idea but how about using thin 2 sided tape where the brackets mount and some silicone around the washers , then tighten the bracket , the metal would be cushioned then . The only think that could possibly make noise would be the heim joint if it had any play in it where it's mounted I would think .

 

I also have the Global West Adjustable strut rods, as with 73curtis, no noise.......you may want to replace the 3 washers with just one collar, like the GW units. How much "play" do you have between the washer's ID and bolt?? The GW have next to nothing, by eliminating as much, you reduce the possibility of any movement between the washers/bolt, which can cause a slight "clunking" noise. Even though torqued down, if there is enough play, there will still be movement.
One other thing I noticed, the nuts on either side of the heim ball, you may want to "cone/taper" side against the ball so to prevent any possible bind against the body, this is what GW did on their units. They have machined sleeves which are coned/tapered against the heim ball. Figure you must have access to machine shop, so fabricating should not be a problem, as you did a great job on your adjustable struts!
What size heim are yours?
David

 

Thanks for the ideas, will work on that. My washer ID are 5/8, same as the bolt.My heims are 5/8-18 thread by 5/8" bore, tried to use the biggest bolts I could, for strength.

 

If you are going to fabricate a one piece collar/spacer, could even tap the ID so would thread onto the bolt, that will
eliminate any play whatsoever, definitely would be more solid! Good luck and let us know how it works out!
David