I finally got all the parts in for my new LCAs. I've got one put together, but I can't finish the other til I get the other left hand threaded rubber end. Here's the one I have: Assembled: rod end: Detail of Reducers/spacers: rubber end: rubber end 2: To adjust the length, you just have to loosten the jam nuts and turn the aluminum tube. One end of it is left hand threaded and the other is right. They weight just a little over 2 lbs per side.

Sweeeeet!

nifty. I was going to do this, but not use threaded end on the rubber side. Yours is easily length adjustable. Slick.

Did you make the rubber bushing end? What is that, the threaded part? Is it an off the shelf threaded... something, that you welded to a piece of tube?
The rubber bushing, is that a normal LCA bushing?

Where'd you get the Aluminum bar? With the hex ends, and the tapped threads? What thread size was used?

So why use a spacer/reducer, rather than a bigger bolt? Also, where'd you get the reducers?

Gotta give more info here, pics look good, but I hunger for information!

look pretty nice.

The rubber ends and the tubing are off the shelf pieces. I can PM you a link to them if you want (with part numbers). You just have to order them with the correct jam nuts and assemble them.

I can PM you link for the parts. The threads are 3/4.

I used the spacer/reducers so I wouldn't have to drill the bolt holes on the mounting points to 3/4 of an inch...and then get new bolts to fit.

Here is a pretty crappy picture of the parts disassebled. This may help you show you how it goes together.

Is aluminum ok to use on these suspension parts? I'm only asking because all the vendors I see selling them use mild steel or for lighter weight chrome moly. At 2 pounds per side thats a pretty nice weight savings if they would hold up. Anyway I'm interested to hear more on this if anybody has some answers.

These parts are aluminum. They are rated to 26,200 lbs tensile strength and 18,300 lbs compressive strength. The rod ends are rated to 28,000 lbs compressive strength...soo, why make the tubing stronger than the rod ends?
I got this information from the site I got the idea from.

hey, post up links and part #'s, i'm sure i'm not the only one who wants to know.
Very slick setup, i'd be more inclined to buy common off the shelf parts (locally), rather than the semi-preassembled setup you did - but hey, I can't argue with your results, that's awesome.

The aluminum will eventually fatigue. Just watch it, I doubt it'll fail in your lifetime, but who knows.

I was thinking of using a delrin bushing, 3/4" OD ->1/2" ID, rather than your spacers. Just to add a bit of cushining. Either way is good though.

YES. Post links and part numbers. Sonix is not the only one who wants to know...

I've got a friend that has derlin bushings in either his LCAs or a-arms and he doesn't like them. That is what I went with rubber and rod end. If this was a track only car, I would do dual rod ends (like I am on the PHB).

I've got a pretty complete Excelle sheet with part numbers, site links, prices. It's fully functional, too. You put in 4 instead 2 in the quantity for something, it will change the total for that piece, as well as the grand total. I'm kinda proud of it. I spent several hours compiling it and making it work. <--me.
If you guys would PM (or post) your emails, I'll tweak it to what I got (and delete my mods list) and email it to you.

I think I'll replace the tubes every few years, just to be on the safe side. Aluminum fatige can be a really bad thing. I'd hate to finally get the car out on a road course, and the flipping LCAs snap on me...

**Again, I can't take credit for this desing/idea.**

If it was mine, I wouldn't be handing out free info, I'd be making and selling these things. I just "copied" (on a site showing how to make them, with some slightly different parts) what I saw somewhere else and got a good product. Well, I hope it's good.

Just something that ran thru my head while reading this post, I seen last winter an early camaro base model rolling down the highway ahead of me a good 10-20 cars and from that distance I could see something under the chassis "bobbing" up and down. I eventually positioned myself behind and next to the car to see something I thought would be a tailpipe or other debris but to my amazement the car was going along perfectly fine with the driver side control arm and frame mount springing up and down from the rear end bushing mount.

you can post an excel file as an attachment.
Or if you don't feel like giving it away to everyone, then you can email it to me at
jayknopp@hotmail.com
Let me know if you do so I'll check that addy, I almost never do.

Didn't like Delrin eh? Do you know why? I was thinking poly where you have rubber, then delrin instead of the steel reducer on the rod end. Please tell me why, I know very few people use delrin, and there must be a reason..?

I'm seriously considering making these, along with a panhard. I boxed mine and put in poly, and have barely gotten to use it, but this is slick!

Polyurathane isn't what you want in this particular place. I ran poly bushings on mine for a while (just removed them last night), and I noticed a couple of things I didn't like.
First, the noise. Good, Lord, did they get annoying.
Second, at certain points entering and exiting turns (hard), the poly seemed to bind under the stress of the turn and then release. Essentially, snapping the rear of the car around in unbredictable ways. Not something I enjoyed. It might be because they were dual poly ended, but I still don't like the noise that even on poly end would generate. Call me sissy...lol

The guy I know that is running derlin is running sloid derlin at each end. He thinks that it would bind even more than the dual poly. I don't really know how your idea would work. Steel on steel is fine for me

I am running my set-up this way because this is what alot of the serious (ie, competition) auto-crossers preffer this for street driving/track. The rod ends will eliminate most bind, the rubber end is quiet, but thick enough to keep the rear from flopping. Plus, the aluminum tube won't deflect like the stock will.

I'll send you that email in a while. I'm going out to eat right now. lol

send that file to me also if you dont mind.
FSTFBDY@GMAIL.COM

instead of Alum. Id like to make a pair of these outa molly tube.

send it here also please.
rv1890@yahoo.com

myself as well would like that excell spreadsheet

brandon.chamberlain@swa.army.mil

those are awesome..

if you could:
Camaro302ci@yahoo.com

Thanks.

Count me in too!

Dragracer_brett@yahoo.com

Thanks,

Brett

Count me in as well kevin_barger@hotmail.com

thanks
Kevin

No problem guys. Sorry about the delay, I've just been really bust with exams at school. Haven't had time to rework the spreadsheet. I should have it out by tomorrow sometime.
This is $5 a head, isn't it?

I did the same thing but with dual rod ends and hex aluminum tubing. Got the tubing, spacers, and rod ends here:
http://www.colemanracing.com/catalog...?cPath=49_1024
http://www.colemanracing.com/catalog...oducts_id=7567
http://www.colemanracing.com/catalog...p?cPath=75_728
http://www.colemanracing.com/catalog...p?cPath=39_735

LCAs= 2 tubes 16" long, 2 right thread rod ends, 2 left hand thread rod ends, 2 right thread jam nuts, 2 left thread jam nuts, 8 spacers, and 24 1/2" washers. The washers were needed because the spacers were not wide enough. I put 5 washers on each side of the LCA to center it in the hole since I would find the perfect size spacers. I then drilled 2 spacers to 3/4" ID and pressed them onto the inside of the spacers. This allowed the rod ends to have no play and also push out the spacers.
PANHARD= 1 tube 39 1/2" long, 1 right thread rod end, 1 left thread rod end, 1 right thread jam nut, 1 left thread jam nut, 4 spacers. No washers were need for the panhard bar on my 4th gen rear.

For the rubber ended LCAs, I used a 15.5 inch tube. But other than that, that's pretty much what I did (other than the spacers).
Didi you powder-coat those or something?

Have you driven you car on the street with the rod ends? How does it drive? I am worried about too much vibration and road noise.

Did you have to do any fabrication to those? If not those are really cheap to make.

I'm also wondering if any fabrication was required for either of you guys. Was it all pretty much buy and bolt together?

I had no required fabrication to make mine. It was all bolt together. Just make sure they send you the right parts, lol.

i would like to know this as well. i think im going to order all this stuff but i think the aluminum main rods are going to be an issue is there anything out there that is just made of steel that would work better or do you guys think the aluminum is not going to be a problem?

also what size tie rod end did you use?

I used 3/4 rod ends and the spacers are stepped down to 1/2". I did have to enlarge the bolt holes a tad bit on the mounts. You could just hammer the 1/2" bolt through because it is almost the same size as stock. Just a thousandth or two bigger. I have not installed the rear end yet since I don't have a garage to work on the car in. Right now it is in my basement along with the tires and tons of other parts. The reason I used rod ends is because it won't be a daily driver. There is a place, I can't remember where, that sells bolt in rubber mounts. The hex tubing came with that maroon anodizing finish. It is pretty cool. I like it.

The rod ends I used are steel, only the tubing is aluminum.
I hadn't seen the adonized. I like it too. I'm thinking about powder-coating (I have a friend that can get my stuff coated for the coast of the powder).
I used the bolt in rubber end because mine is a daily driver. I am having the same issues with the bolts. I am having to order a set from Spohn. They are the 12mm (grade 10.9) bolts from Spohn. These are them. At least I think they are the right sized, they are what Herron Performance told me would fit. I am going to order some and install mine when they get and I'll let you all know.

where do you get the rubber mounts at?

Let us know when you get these installed what the ride is like.

I got the rubber ends from lefthander. There is a link to thier site in the spread-sheet.

I don't know if fatigue is going to be much of an issue. With rod-ends, the load on the LCAs is pretty much all compression and tension, there's not a lot of bending going on.

speaking of spreadsheet....?

They can still fatigue in compression and tension.

While we’re talking about things failing… be careful with those adjustable bushing ends, they are not nearly as strong as rod ends and really should be reinforced to prevent things from being pulled out of round and torn

Read this on a link from another site.
Panhard bars
You can also make your own PHB with parts from stock car part vendors. Aluminum is also suitable for this application and can save weight over steel, but either choice will work fine.
link here. whole lot of info for suspension
http://audiemurphy.net/fbodysuspguide.htm

I love it when I see people make their own stuff....That is the way it used to be done...you did a Jam Up job on those...They should work very well, and still have a little give....I have some solid aluminum ones, but they are wat to rough for a street car...Once again, my hats off to ya....Tom

Update guys: I finally got around to getting the right hardware for the LCAs. I went to the local Fastenal (<--- search for one near you, hahaha). They were around $10. That's 4 new grade 9 bolts, nuts, and washers. That's cheaper than the Spohn (because of shipping). If you get the reducers and spacers through Herron, these work nicely. Just thought I'd let you all know.
I should be installing before the weekend, I'll get some pics before and after the install. I R EXCITED to try them.

Looks good boss, let me know when my set is done.

Send me the payment and they will be at the door.

Here are some pics of the new bolts in the spacers. Nice fit!
flash

no flash:

so what you're saying is, that you'll sell them??? if you do the rodends on both sides i'd deffinately take a set! (im just lazy) pm me with a price and i can have the money to you ASAP!

I too have made these, I am using Seals-it rod end covers though in a potential effort to get a little more life out of the rod ends They will go beween the bearing and the reducer. I am making my own adapters though, Like Spohns idea, a solid 3/4" OD 1/5" tube the length for the rear and then I have cut 2 smaller spacers 1" OD 3/4" ID tube to slip over the inner tube. I also went and got Poly ends from Spohn rather than the rubber ones from Lefthander. I did consider them but figured the Poly would have a longer life on the car than the Poly, and if it is only on one end of the LCA shouldnt make too much noise. Seals-it 3/4 rod end seals

Guys,

The info on how to build these has been on the net for a long time.

Jon A from FRRAX (http://www.frrax.com, at least, that's how I know him) wrote up his page a long time ago.

There's no witchcraft or voodoo involved. Buy the parts from the circle track vendors and put them together.

I've had them on my race car for 2 years and they work fine. Though, like Jon says on his page, rod ends may be a little harsh for a daily driver, so you can use the rubber bushings in one end.

Here's the site for the LCAs: http://www.jonaadland.com/Z28/Mods/L...minumLCAs.html

And the PHB: http://www.jonaadland.com/Z28/Mods/PHB/AluminumPHB.html

I never said it was my idea, and made it a point to let people know that it wasn't. I just posted what I got when I tried it.

I understand, but I just posted the links up for everyone who was interested instead of needing to get a spreadsheet from you.

The info has been on the internet for years, so I just let everyone know where to find part numbers.

That's cool. I just made the Excell when I was finding parts for mine. With the sheet, you don't have to do any searching on the site he lists. Everything is linked and has prices, quantities and part numbers listed. Just though I could help some fellow third genners (is genners a word?) out with it.

Does anyone have a part number and source for the standard rubber bushing end? Thanks!

Here you go!

You the man!!