Yep, being a moron, I thought it would be fun to jack up my car about 1/3 of the way into my panhard rod on the passenger side...so duh, it bent...it's not like 45 degrees, but more like a 10 degree bend...not huge, but here's the question:

Do I need a new panhard rod?

Besides centering the rear, do they have any performance application? Or do they just hold the rear together? What exactly do these things do? Thanks..

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'89 RS LO3- 140,000 miles
14x3 K&N Open Element
Ram stock replacement clutch
Edelbrock TES (Jet-hot coated)
Catco cat
Edelbrock 3" Cat-back
KYB GR-2 Struts and Shocks
Pioneer DEH-P77
Midland 77-115 with 3' Firestik and 100 watt police PA
Dual .50 caliber machine guns just under ground effects

Coming:
Edelbrock Strut Tower Brace
Spohn subframe connectors

When your buddy reaches for a 10-pound sledge and says "I think we're gonna have to modify the floor pan, okay?" the answer is NO.

 

you might wanna get that fixed because now your rearend is off center,
if it was me. it would just give me a reason to buy a performance one!

just my opinion!

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Jarrad
1990 IROC-Z L98 350 TPI
TH-700R4
G92- 9 Bolt Borg-Warner 3.27gears
Bright Red Hardtop/ Grey "Custom" Interior
NOT STOCK, NO WHERE CLOSE!
NEW RED PAINT and WELD PROSTARS.

DAILY DRIVER: 1991 GREY S10 2.5L/5SPD -FOR SALE. leaving for army.

 

Since it now has a bend in it there's a possibility that it could buckle due to compression under cornering forces. That 10 degree kink is more than enough to significantly reduce the safe compression load that the PHR will withstand.

A PHR that attaches to the axle on the left and the chassis on the right is loaded in compression in a right hand turn. And it can be resisting a load on the order of 1000 lbs or so in a fairly hard corner.

Buckling failures tend to occur suddenly without much warning. Definitely not a pleasant thought. Replace it.

Norm


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1979 Malibu w/some cornering tweaks and a few other interesting things

 

ya i agree with replacing it... now you whole rear end is off center and considering it rear wheel drive that a bad thing. replace it will a good aftermarket one ( spohn i would recommend) .

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91 camaro RS
- 305 TBI
Mods: Performer TBI intake, 1" TBI spacer, K+N, jet fan switch ,160 thermo,Accel control module, Jet Stage 2 chip, edelbrock TES headers, Compleate 3" Flowmaster exhaust, Edelbrock springs, KYB struts and shocks, 700R4 built by TSI, SLP tq converter, b+m trans cooler, white guage faces, megashifter..
next month: spohn LCA's and panhard rod, BMR relocation brackets, 323 gear

 

I've seen one that was bent by a jack, they broke a few weeks later(I got to work on it). He said "when I turn the back end feels really loose and when I go over the tracks too fast I slide all over the road and almost went in the ditch. I think I need an alignment" I drove it in the parking lot for a quick test drive, man was that thing a handful to turn. I found the problem, showed it to him and said "It's not save to drive" and quoted him a price. Then he said "I live about 3 hours from here by interstate and I have a welder"
Fix the problem for you kill yourself and/or somebody else.


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350 with stealth intake, holley carb, 470 lift cam. 700r4 with .5 boost valve, vette servo, tci lock-up kit, B&M megashifter. Richmond 3.73 gears, powertrax locker, timkim bearings, synthetic lube. Custom 3 inch single into 2 2.5 pipes. 1 1/2 drop springs, 1 5/16 solid front sway bar, 1 inch rear bar, custom subframe connectors, custom LCA relocation brackets. Kobel ground FX, current red metallic paint. Lots of other stuff...
82camaro