Adding a Heim to a stock Track bar

[Hal9000]

Anybody know if there's an easy way to add a heim to a stock Track bar?

Here's what I'm thinking: The '79 trackbar for my FW axle swap is about 4" too long to mount at the stock location on the axle, and about 2" too short to mount outboard of the spring tower (a-la lars' setup). But since I'm trying to maximize my articulation anyway, Adding a heim to eliminate bind at the trackbar would be a worthwhile thing to do. It would also let me make the bar adjustable to really fine tune the length.

Before I go out and buy a nunch of tubing and completely fabricate a new bar, I wanted to see if anybody had any ideas for mounting a Heim on the end of a stock bar... I think the biggest hurdle is going from a solid bar to an internally threaded tube that will accept the Heim...

Any ideas?

 

[carter2772]

maybe sleeve the end of the solid bar with pipe, then weld in the female thread into the pipe... Just a thought, and i am not sure if there is the proper parts to construct that available, but it think so....

 

[Tito]

The tubing is the cheap part, put heims and spacers at both ends, the weld in bungs makes it an easy job especially if you already know where you are going to mount it.

How thick is the stock bar? Unless the numbers are just right it would be a pain I think to try and sleeve and insert on one side.

 

[ken75ranger]

If the bar is solid just drill an tap it for the heim thread. Most machine shops should be able to do it.

 

[Hal9000]

Didn't want to construct my own just because of the time it would take to special order the tubing, or go get it from Phoenix.... But then I realized I'll have to do the same for the Heims, so no loss.

Probably what I'll do is get thick wall tubing with an ID that's the right size for me to just tap so I don't have to worry about welding at all. I was thinking bushing at the axle, and heim at the frame, but if I do heims at both ends, it'll probably save me quite a bit of time and effort.

 

[BroncoDawg]

Don't use two heims! Bushing at the axle and heim to the frame. Same theory used in 3 and 4 link setups. Smarter folks than I can explain more, but it will rattle bad.

 

[bludorbronc]

i think duffs has a new part,its a hiem inside an adjusting sleeve, inside a threaded piece that you weld inside a bushing that would work great for what you want. that way you would not have to drop one end to adjust trac bar.

 

[Hal9000]

Thanks broncodawg, I couldn't remember what the down side of double heims is, but I knew there was something.

i think duffs has a new part,its a hiem inside an adjusting sleeve, inside a threaded piece that you weld inside a bushing that would work great for what you want. that way you would not have to drop one end to adjust trac bar.

Really? I'll go check that out. Do you know what it's called or where it is on their website?

 

[bludorbronc]

its in bronco driver issue 40 ,page 10. sorry ,not duffs but poly performance, its called double adjuster tube adapter. polyperformance.com or call 1-805-783-2060

 

[Hal9000]

Thanks for the tip. That won't quite work. If they made an outside adapter for solid bar it would be perfect though.

 

[ken75ranger]

You could do a RH thread heim at one end and a LH thread bushing end on the other. Just cut the bar and get it drilled and tapped. The bushing ends look like this.
http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/Ballistic-Forged-Poly-Bushing-263quot_p_1646.html

 

[rcmbronc]

I just used two heims (LH & RH) and bought some heavy wall track bar tubinf from lefthander chassis. It is the same used on rear track bars on stock cars. But the tubing in my bender and bent it to match the stock arms. Add some spacers on the frame and axle and all done. I have not noticed any rattling, but if I drove it everyday that may be a problem. It is definately more solid than stock and works great.

 

[bludorbronc]

if they offer one the same thickness as stock then all you have to do is get a short piece of tubing the same i.d. and weld them together.

 

[needabronco]

Heims are fine for the track bar, just buy some good quality parts. If your in a pinch there are a couple of places here that have DOM, the Machine Shop in Chino is the best place here for DOM, and there's a shop I think called Industrial Supply (also in Chino) or something close that has heims, they even have Johnny Joints at times. Plus the owner is a Bronco owner, and great guy. BTW the machine shop can do just about anything you might need, and they charge a very reasonable rate.

 

[Hal9000]

Heims are fine for the track bar, just buy some good quality parts. If your in a pinch there are a couple of places here that have DOM, the Machine Shop in Chino is the best place here for DOM, and there's a shop I think called Industrial Supply (also in Chino) or something close that has heims, they even have Johnny Joints at times. Plus the owner is a Bronco owner, and great guy. BTW the machine shop can do just about anything you might need, and they charge a very reasonable rate.

Good info to know. That's better than Phoenix, but even that might be a bit difficult for me to take advantage of unless they have weekend hours. I'll have to look them up and give them a call

You know, it would be cool if somebody were to put together a resource list by state of local suppliers and shops that are of interest to the community....

 

[Hal9000]

I just used two heims (LH & RH) and bought some heavy wall track bar tubinf from lefthander chassis.

That's a cool site! I couldn't find the track bar tubing though. Seems like they only list up to .120 wall.

 

[garberz]

I have two heims on my Stone Crusher track bar, with a left and a right thread. It's fully adjustable, obviously. No rattling, I don't see why it would rattle. ?:? I drive it almost everyday and there hasn't been any wear on the heims. Maybe Thumping will explain why some people think, a two heimed track bar will rattle.

 

[Hal9000]

Personally I wasn't thinking about rattle in terms of sound, but as I remember, with two heims, the bar can rotate independent of either the frame or axle. Not really a problem with a straight link, but if you have a bend in the bar or link, then that's going to move around quite a bit as it rotates. (Since the bend is probably there for clearance, that would be bad).

Not the end of the world for a straight track bar, but with the threaded bushing available, I don't think two heims would be really necessary either. I'll probably fabricate the trackbar from scratch, or buy an adjustable one. I think the effort of modding the stock trackbar will be more trouble than its worth.

Anybody have an opinion on wether a single heim should go at the frame or the axle? I'm thinking frame, but admit I have no real reason aside from gut feeling for my opinion.

 

[rcmbronc]

That's a cool site! I couldn't find the track bar tubing though. Seems like they only list up to .120 wall.

I cant seem to find it right now either. Maybe I got it at Coleman Machine

http://www.colemanracing.com/store/shopexd.asp?id=179

 

[Hal9000]

So when they say 3/4' tap, does that mean it is sized to tap to 3/4" or that it's already internally threaded? I'm assuming the first.