Re: adjustable strut rods....
[Re: Dart 340]
#452165
08/28/09 09:15 AM
08/28/09 09:15 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,071
Niles , Ohio
therocks
oh wait.but hey.lets see.oh yeah.
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oh wait.but hey.lets see.oh yeah.
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,071
Niles , Ohio
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I used RMS in my 65.They are a nice piece with heavy heim joints.They are like 190 bucks for the pair but Bill makes quality stuff.Rocky
Chrysler Firepower
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Re: adjustable strut rods....
[Re: Noblewk]
#452166
08/28/09 09:33 AM
08/28/09 09:33 AM
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,195
Snowing in the north!
Dart 340
OP
moparts member
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OP
moparts member
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,195
Snowing in the north!
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Quote:
Quote:
What I mean by that is that the lca will move
backwards when I sweep it up and down. When I bolt
the arm in place without strut bushings, the
flange of the strut rod is even with the hole
in the frame. I'm sure over the years something
was knocked around but I dont see and damage that
has caused it to change, but the rod is now about
1/4-1/2" too long and pushed the arm out of place
rearward. My easiest fix thought was to just use
an adjustable strut rod and that should keep the
front end alignment in place correct/
Is the pinion bolt torqued to 145Lbs? There shouldn't be any lateral movement from the lower control arm. If its torqued then I would be looking real close  at the Control Arm bushing or the K-Frame mounting holes....
They are poly bushings so they float on the kingpin which is torqued down to 145. I did
take a close look at everything and cannot find
any structural bends or damage. Poly strut
bushings are always thicker than the rubber but
I did trim them down. The issue is still something
either from day one at the factory or over the
last 40 years has made it so the strut rod is
"long" and tips the lca out of position. The
rubber bushings I removed were way worn to one
side which coincides with what I am finding upon
reassembly with the poly, and subsequent kicking
back due to the strut rod length.
I was thinking an adjustable strut rod would fix
this. I see FFI has some and use them for a similar purpose.
Hodgekiss has some but way pricey and ESPO also.
I see some also adjust angle with a ball type end
that might be nice as I think mopar strut rods
had some inherent binding issues.
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Re: adjustable strut rods....
[Re: Dart 340]
#452168
08/28/09 07:49 PM
08/28/09 07:49 PM
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Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 2,825
Sk. Canada
RemCharger
master
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master
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 2,825
Sk. Canada
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Quote:
What I mean by that is that the lca will move
backwards when I sweep it up and down. When I bolt
the arm in place without strut bushings, the
flange of the strut rod is even with the hole
in the frame. I'm sure over the years something
was knocked around but I dont see and damage that
has caused it to change, but the rod is now about
1/4-1/2" too long and pushed the arm out of place
rearward. My easiest fix thought was to just use
an adjustable strut rod and that should keep the
front end alignment in place correct/
The control arm is being pushed forward ?? Is the king pin mounting hole pushed forward? Wrong bushing washer on the strut rod?
I'd personally want to know whats wrong first rather then bandaiding it.
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Re: adjustable strut rods....
[Re: Dart 340]
#452170
08/29/09 08:58 AM
08/29/09 08:58 AM
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Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 3,277
West Coast, USA
jbc426
master
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master
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 3,277
West Coast, USA
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Are you using the poly strut rod bushings as well? If so the strut rod bushings usually have to be trimed to shorten them about 1/4 inch, so they are the same heigth as the stock rubber ones. I read that on this site from some knowledgable posters.
Also, there is something written up on Firm Feels website regarding "wandering toe" as a result of the issues in the parts you describe, and the cure for it. I'd look on their website and give them a call.
The added benefit of having adjustable strut rods is that you can adjust(read increase), eliminate the bind. and match up your castor from side to side to some degree. I need to put a few sets of them in my cars as well.
I made a mistake and passed on buying and installing them when I rebuilt the front ends in my cars, and wished I hadn't now. Now I'm going to have to put in a little extra work and $ to pull everything back apart and install them, plus the cost of another set of alignments...
1970 Plymouth 'Cuda #'s 440-6(block in storage)currently 493" 6 pack, Shaker, 5 speed Passon, 4.10's
1968 Plymouth Barracuda Convertible 408 Magnum EFI with 4 speed automatic overdrive, 3800 stall lock-up converter and 4.30's (closest thing to an automatic 5 speed going)
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Re: adjustable strut rods....
[Re: jbc426]
#452171
08/29/09 09:39 AM
08/29/09 09:39 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,071
Niles , Ohio
therocks
oh wait.but hey.lets see.oh yeah.
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oh wait.but hey.lets see.oh yeah.
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,071
Niles , Ohio
|
Plus the RMS ones let the arms swing easier.Bill makes a good part.The heims he uses are big so they should last a long time.It will give you a little adjustment for caster also.Rocky
Chrysler Firepower
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Re: adjustable strut rods....
[Re: jbc426]
#452172
08/29/09 11:39 AM
08/29/09 11:39 AM
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,195
Snowing in the north!
Dart 340
OP
moparts member
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OP
moparts member
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,195
Snowing in the north!
|
Quote:
Are you using the poly strut rod bushings as well? If so the strut rod bushings usually have to be trimed to shorten them about 1/4 inch, so they are the same heigth as the stock rubber ones. I read that on this site from some knowledgable posters.
Also, there is something written up on Firm Feels website regarding "wandering toe" as a result of the issues in the parts you describe, and the cure for it. I'd look on their website and give them a call.
The added benefit of having adjustable strut rods is that you can adjust(read increase), eliminate the bind. and match up your castor from side to side to some degree. I need to put a few sets of them in my cars as well.
I made a mistake and passed on buying and installing them when I rebuilt the front ends in my cars, and wished I hadn't now. Now I'm going to have to put in a little extra work and $ to pull everything back apart and install them, plus the cost of another set of alignments...
I did read that posting on shortening the bushings
and ended up cutting them down to near what the
stock rubber one piece were. One side it is about
a half inch thick and the other is only about
a quarter inch think. This gives me a pretty
stable arm location sweeping it up and down. If
I have any fore or aft movement it looks to be
limited to about 1/8" at the most.
100% of everything on this beast was 40 years old
and shot bad. Hopefully this will get it back to
if not perfect, decent driving shape.
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Re: adjustable strut rods....
[Re: Dart 340]
#452173
08/29/09 11:56 AM
08/29/09 11:56 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 27,467
So Cal
autoxcuda
Too Many Posts
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Too Many Posts
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 27,467
So Cal
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