I am getting a MIG welder in a few weeks and I wanted to strengthen my LCA's and Panhard Bar. I was thinking of buying new bushings from jegs for $38 and then welding a peace of steel along the bottom of the LCA's and Panhard bar. Is this a good idea? Anything else I can do?

 

Be careful not to warp the panhard rod when welding it. I've seen them that look like a long bow.
Might be a good time to buy or fabricate subframe connectors.

 

How do you prevent the Panhard bar from bowing when you weld it?

 

Just don't weld a long bead. First spot weld it maybe 8 spots per side to keep it all straight before you really put the heat to it. Then just stitch weld it, little sections at a time, alternate from one side and one end to the other- maybe weld like a 2" bead, then switch. This gives the bar time to cool and retain it's temper.

 

Its not a bad idea at all, its what SLP does actually and resells the panhard bars and LCA's back to us. Check it out on their site, all they are is the stock units with 1/8" flat stock welded to the bottoms. I got a chance to take a look at a set yesterday at SLP Day at E-town and they did indeed stitch weld it like IHI said.

My suggestion would be to get a thick piece of flat metal or a strong worktable top and vice grip the panhard rod to it on both ends to keep it from warping when you weld it. Do just like IHI said, spot weld the ends, first, then the middle, alternate sides and stitch weld it, like 1" weld with a 1" space in between or you could even go farther apart. Keep the welds light, the material's thin and you don't want to go through it. Another good tip would be to heat the whole bar up with an oxy/acetalene or propane torch just before you start welding so the bar doesn't get "shocked" by the sudden heat change.