87350IROC

iTrader: (2)

Has anybody tried these?

http://rodneydickman.com/catalog/pro...products_id=97

It seems like a good idea, but I'd like to hear some opinions before getting them. The Fiero crowd seems to like them a lot.

Thanks.

DJP87Z28

Pass, more then twice the price for a good Front & rear sets. Just bought them from Spohn front & rear for $40 and change including shipping. For questionable results.

89_RS

I'm pretty sure Spohn has nothing like that for a Thirdgen. The end links I was seeing were poly bushing end links.

DJP87Z28

I didn't say that Spohn had that design. I stated that theirs were a better buy then some untested overpriced ones from someone I never heard of. Go ahead and pay $100 for them and test them out. I see no advantage unless you are racing on a track and need something like that. Again my opinion.

87350IROC

iTrader: (2)

Exactly. Thats why I brought these up. I'm not adverse to spending the money, as long as its for good stuff.

Also, DJP87Z28, you may not have heard of him because he mostly caters to the Fiero crowd. He is considered a god among that community, sort of like Top Down Solutions for us. Check out his site, he has a lot of cool stuff.

Roostmeyer

iTrader: (3)

I'd be interested if he could make them adjustable for length to allow you to take preload out of the sway bars. After seeing how simple and easy it is to throw rod ends on a Miata and adjust for preload I hate the old school GM solution. The poly end links are going to be OK as long as they aren't ran at much of an angle, its just a royal PITA to put washers or trim down the center sleave to adjust sway bar preload side to side.

1988-305-tbi

i've been looking for something like this for our cars for awhile now, my car is very low and ihad to trim my endlink length down to get the swaybar to be parelle with the ground and this made it so the holes in the a-arms and the holes in the swaybar about an inch passed eachother, it's very importaant for the swaybar to parrell to the ground and have theswaybar in line with th arms to remove all the slop for better response out of the swaybars,


if the lenghth was adjustable i would buy them right now

Guest

I would be curious to try them, looks like a nice product.

87350IROC

iTrader: (2)

I'll probably end up getting them. I just need get the car lowered first, then measure how long I will need.

89_RS

Yes that is your opinion. However, for those of us who do have an understanding of how ball & socket joints work, they are rather intriguing. No bind, no deflection, and full range of motion. Yes while I agree that it probably is only useful for a race setup, it could turn out like the Spohn Pivot Joivt or UMI Roto-Joint and actually increase performance while not killing streetability.

$100 for a part that will outlast the car is a pretty inexpensive investment in the long run.

89_RS

From the looks of it, it wouldn't take much to make them adjustable. Cut it in half, thread it, drill & tap some hex material to the same threads as the link, and get some jam nuts. Screw it all together and tighten the jam nuts and you'd be good to go.

Sonix

iTrader: (1)

Hmm, that looks pretty slick.
Double the price yes, but when "double" involves $50 of extra expense (roughly 1-2 tanks of fuel nowadays) it's negligable.
If I was into cornering more, i'd probably buy a set...

Sonix

iTrader: (1)

OP - Anyone want to re-post on the aftermarket part review board? Maybe someone else has used them already and can comment? Plus it's a good place to put up your review, should you choose to buy them.

//<86TA>\\

iTrader: (14)

only concern i have is the strength, there is no load rating for the pivots parts, would have to have it pull apart in a turn

Guest

The only thing I question is there durabilty.

First thing I would recommend is getting the longer length to take up any misalignment angle (think of it as "Connectiong rod angle"). the sharper the angle the more abuse the joint will take. The longer pivot rod will have less angle. Also, the greater length will keep the linear rate of the bar more percise rather than kink bind building and decreasing rate pressure of the swaybar.

Some of this crap gets so difficult to try and explain..sorry.

The abuse these things take, it all depends on size and strength of the joint. I have run multiple rod end setups (heim joints) of various sizes on both my race cars and my street cars. I have "RIPPED OUT" or "torn" the ***** out of the sockets of high end rod ends in a few cars, one being my vette truck. I carry alot of weight in this truck and the suspension is very ridgid but gets tweaked alot due to road dips and heavy payloads. I can not keep heims on this truck, not even 1/2" swaybar heims of very hugh quality/ my 68 vette however has 3/8" heims that have been on it for many many years but this car sees mainly light street use to carshows and racing events over the past 15 years. It also has much lighter weight swaybars than the truck or the Camaro. 3rd gens have massive swaybars to control roll wieght, so does my truck. My race cars have low roll weight.

This guy selling this product and being a proclaimed suspension god of Fiero's is working with alot lighter roll weight car. Food for thought.

lastly, the adjustable length appears to be already there. If you simply remove the center rod and replace it with threaded rod and adjuster lock nuts, you would have full adjustable end links. We do this sort of link setup with threaded rods and female rodends in our Supertruck specs and this setup allows me to adjust preload into the bar. the more turns I spread the LF endlink, the better grip we get off the corner in circletrack.

SDIF

I like the way these look.

I have been trying to fab up something similar and the cost of these will be less than the R&D $ and time.

I currently run a 3/8 threaded rod with double jam nuts 8 nuts total with two on either side of the bushing retainer.

This gives me the adjustability.

I set the car on scales after cross weight adjustments and then add and adjust the end links via the double jam nuts such that there is no pre load. I make sure corner weight do not change as the end links are tightened / adjusted.

I think I will contact and ask about adjustability.

Thanks for posting this link!

Guest

Hey Cash.

Or you could also quickly add some adjustment of the bar to scale the car equal Xweights with a little preload on one side or the other

Lonnie P

Be sure to buy good grade 8 threaded rod, & not common all thread (it is not that strong)

Guest

My bad, I just realized what I wrote. That wouls not be a quick adjustment with a threaded rod, You would have to pull the center bolt out of one heim to twis the assembly to shorten or lengthen.

We run male rod ends with a a sleeve that has standard and reverse threads and a wleded adjuster nut just like a minuiture tie rod sleeve so I can make quick on the fly changes to bar preload.

Here is a shot of me getting the bar neutral in the pits for testing. Notice I have the car in the same marked postion in the back pit stall with mason sitting on the drivers side simulating full running weight while I neutralize the bar preload and then put some rounds into it based on corner exit performance during the last test session.

nice flattering shot of my backside though.

87350IROC

iTrader: (2)

Guys I have been holding off buying these because I am in the process of a total suspension overhaul and need to measure the length of the end links needed at my final ride height.

I have found Guldstrand has a product similar to Mr Fiero guy. Except Guldstrand's appear to be adjustable length and look pretty trick. I also trust that Guldstrand's are well engineered and won't break with heavy use.

http://www.guldstrand.com/scripts/pr...?idproduct=170

What do you think? I wonder how much height adjustment they have. I may be calling them today.

Guest

I used to race for Guldstand, I also have designed a part he sells.

With that said, I have those very heim jopints on my vette and I replace them about every 5,000 miles which is about 5 years use of this car mostly track use without hitting dips bumps and potholes. I would NOT suggest those for the street, you will waste the rodends in no time.

Roostmeyer

iTrader: (3)

What type of rod ends do you use on your vette dean? Its an apples to oranges comparison, but the metric 10mm Aurura rodends I've got on the front sway bar of my Miata are going on two years old with at least 15k miles on them and (knock on wood) still no slop. Its an all weather vehicle too, although I have pulled them off during the winter.

The guldstand part there looks like a nice peice with the exception of mounting the rod end in single shear. I think they're a little overpriced for what they are though.

87WS6

iTrader: (1)

These look like the design GM should have had to begin with. I'd like to try a set and maybe I will one of these days. I'd be all over them if I hadn't just got finished installing polyurethane end links on the front and back of the car. I've not even driven it since I did the work.