racerdude5
Well-Known Member
Has anyone built there own adjustable strut rods? I want a set but can't fork out $200. Let's see what you guys have done. Thanks
Custom Strut Rods
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AJ/FormS
68 Formua-S fastback clone 367/A833/GVod/3.55s
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What in the world do you need those for?
i ground down the lip on the strut rod and welded a new lip about 3/8 inch back. Then I threaded the rod as far down as I could. This was need because I couldn't pull the LCA far enough forward to get the alignment correct.
Adjustable strut rods?
To properly locate the LCA. The stock "one size fits most" strut rods are not ideal by any means. Even in completely stock form it's not unusual for them to be something other than the perfect length to locate your LCA's and prevent binding. Throw in replacement strut rod bushings that aren't a perfect reproduction of the originals, or use polyurethane LCA bushings, etc, and it's pretty easy for the stock strut rods to be the incorrect length for your application.
I use adjustable strut rods on my Challenger and my Duster. And neither set is exactly the same length as the stock ones were.
On most cars they aren't absolutely necessary, but if you start making changes to the suspension, ride height, etc, they're very helpful to set everything up correctly and without binding through the LCA's range of motion.
AJ/FormS
68 Formua-S fastback clone 367/A833/GVod/3.55s
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Oh,as a 6 year veteran in the alignment world, I understand perfectly what a guy can do with an adjustable strut rod.I also understand that yanking the LCA forward puts a huge strain on the inner bushing.I also know that the Moog offsets can get upwards of 3.5 degrees caster @ -.5* camber, with the stock rods. I also know that the caster changes as the LCA moves up and down.And that 3.5 is plenty.
-What I dont know is why a fella wants to dick with strut rods who cant afford them in the first place.
-So racerdude; What say you? What are you thinking?Whats the plan,man? Gimme a Clue,Stu.Set me straight,Mate.......
-What I dont know is why a fella wants to dick with strut rods who cant afford them in the first place.
-So racerdude; What say you? What are you thinking?Whats the plan,man? Gimme a Clue,Stu.Set me straight,Mate.......
Wow.
So, as a alignment veteran, you should be well aware that the suspension points on these cars are often only within a 1/4" of specs, at best. And you should be more than aware that using the same exact length strut rod on cars with suspension points that are a 1/4" apart will provide quite varied results when it comes to setting alignments.
And I would expect that you would know that the intent of the strut rod is to locate the LCA without any binding through its travel, and that you've seen more than your fair share of stock strut rods that did NOT locate the LCA without some kind of binding in some part it's travel range.
That last bit I assume you've seen because I've seen it. On my own cars in fact. The stock strut rods aren't always the right length. Even on factory cars. Not all of the strut rods on my cars were right. Some were, some weren't. Hence, my adjustable's are not the same length as the stockers were.
You're right, the strut rods should not be used to push or pull the LCA's in either direction just to fiddle with the alignment. But that's not the purpose of adjustable strut rods. The purpose is to set the suspension up without binding, which is not what the factory strut rods do in every case. They were "one size fit most", and based on my own experience, they didn't fit "most" cars all that well to begin with, let alone 40+ years later with replacement bushings, wear and tear, etc. As far as 3.5* of caster being enough, it's not in all cases. I think 3.5* of positive caster is fine for a manual steering box car, but I run +5* on my Challenger. Obtained properly with adjustable UCA's, I might add. I'd run more if I could, pretty much every modern car on the road does.
As far as the OP, who cares? If he can build a set for less than $200, more power to him. I know for a fact that it can be done. I could probably make a set myself for less than $200. But after I factor in my time, its far easier just to buy them already made. I'd rather spend my time working on something else, the money out of pocket savings on a set of adjustable strut rods isn't enough to warrant the time it would take me to do it. But that may not be the case for the OP.
AJ/FormS
68 Formua-S fastback clone 367/A833/GVod/3.55s
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Oh boy, Here we go.
Firstly, Im sorry if I pushed your button.
Then,I tell you what; You build it your way, and Ill build it my way. Im sure well both get good results.I know I did, do, and will continue to.
I still want to know what the OPs thinking.
Firstly, Im sorry if I pushed your button.
Then,I tell you what; You build it your way, and Ill build it my way. Im sure well both get good results.I know I did, do, and will continue to.
I still want to know what the OPs thinking.
racerdude5
Well-Known Member
The main reason I want adjustable strut rods is for the benefit of a heim joint on one end, that way the arc of the strut rod and the arc of the LCA will no longer bind up. Also I want adjustable strut rods so I can position the LCA in a place with little tension on it so it will pivot on the shaft more like it is supposed to and also, without the bushings there will be much less fore and aft movement of the LCA on the pivot shaft, hopefully increasing life of LCA bushings and making it more of a precision piece of engineering.
Ahhh..... perfection is so hard to find, and in my 32 years of aligning,modifying,resurrecting
and correcting it don't happen by itself very often! When my co-worker and I were pulling the
stabilizer/strut rods out of the pass. control arms of 1 yr. old camrys in '90 so I could cut 3 /16
of an in. off the frt of the thru bush. sleeve then re-assemble w/an xtra washer on the backside
to correct the pull all of them had....... I would have appreciated an adj. there instead!
I could go on but to the point, if you are having a problem,you should determine the
cause 1st. Is the k-frame shifted? I fix a lot of cars where the subframes will move w/this method.
many don't have cam/caster adj. up frt. now. If your goal is more caster STOP! This is not the
method, the stress on the pivot LCA pivot will cause binding as bluNblu stated, and the free non-
binding travel IS the goal for these pieces.
racerdude, I admire Your initiative, and as someone who has had to fab many things for
many projects, use the time you would've spent cobbling up your own to earn the $ for the very
excellent products available to You. 30 yrs. ago I wouldn't have believed what we lucky Mopurists
can purchase for every facet of our hobby/passion , make the most of it!! Cheers!!
and correcting it don't happen by itself very often! When my co-worker and I were pulling the
stabilizer/strut rods out of the pass. control arms of 1 yr. old camrys in '90 so I could cut 3 /16
of an in. off the frt of the thru bush. sleeve then re-assemble w/an xtra washer on the backside
to correct the pull all of them had....... I would have appreciated an adj. there instead!
I could go on but to the point, if you are having a problem,you should determine the
cause 1st. Is the k-frame shifted? I fix a lot of cars where the subframes will move w/this method.
many don't have cam/caster adj. up frt. now. If your goal is more caster STOP! This is not the
method, the stress on the pivot LCA pivot will cause binding as bluNblu stated, and the free non-
binding travel IS the goal for these pieces.
racerdude, I admire Your initiative, and as someone who has had to fab many things for
many projects, use the time you would've spent cobbling up your own to earn the $ for the very
excellent products available to You. 30 yrs. ago I wouldn't have believed what we lucky Mopurists
can purchase for every facet of our hobby/passion , make the most of it!! Cheers!!
Oops You posted just as started composing
well, my final advice stands & your on the right track so best of luck to you & your project!!
Ok, here's some things that could actually be useful.
Adjustable strut rods are very simple. All they are is a tube with threaded ends, or even a plain tube that's had bungs welded into the ends. That takes care of the LCA and heim attachments. The hardest part of the entire deal is deciding how to mount them to the K-frame. That's been done a couple of ways. QA1 (with CAP's old design), uses a custom machined bracket. Very slick. Pretty much everyone else just uses a plain old fabricated bracket you can buy from Speedway with a bolt welded into it. Yup, that it. And Hotchkis, RMS, and PST all do it that way. All that method needs is some large "spacers" that take the place of the original bushings. One is flat, just looks like a 1/4" thick washer. The other one has a machined shoulder that fits into the hole in the K frame.
So really, the only "trick" part of building an adjustable strut rod is the machining needed on the mounts that replace the K frame bushings. Otherwise you could just order some aluminum threaded rods and a heim from speedway and call it a day.
I have three different manufacturers versions myself. My Challenger has an original CAP set, all aluminum. They've held up great for 50k+ miles. My Duster has a set made by another member here. They look just like the Hotchkis version, but with heavier steel spacers, biscuits, whatever you want to call them for the K. Actually my favorite set of all of them. And the only set other than the QA1's with a flat to adjust the length easily with a wrench, what the hell are these companies thinking? I also bought an RMS set, it's the last picture below.
But seriously, nothing fancy. See what I mean? Anyone that can sort of weld, and has access to a lathe, can make them.
QA1's adjustables- Plain old threaded aluminum tube, with a fancy machined mount for the heim
Hotchkis- hollow tube with threaded inserts welded in. Generic steel bracket with misalignment spacers, fancy "washers" to take care of the K mount
RMS- similar to Hotchkis (and everyone else!!!) Tube with inserts, steel bracket with misalignment spacers, fancy washers. One's flat, one has a stepped shoulder for the K.
Adjustable strut rods are very simple. All they are is a tube with threaded ends, or even a plain tube that's had bungs welded into the ends. That takes care of the LCA and heim attachments. The hardest part of the entire deal is deciding how to mount them to the K-frame. That's been done a couple of ways. QA1 (with CAP's old design), uses a custom machined bracket. Very slick. Pretty much everyone else just uses a plain old fabricated bracket you can buy from Speedway with a bolt welded into it. Yup, that it. And Hotchkis, RMS, and PST all do it that way. All that method needs is some large "spacers" that take the place of the original bushings. One is flat, just looks like a 1/4" thick washer. The other one has a machined shoulder that fits into the hole in the K frame.
So really, the only "trick" part of building an adjustable strut rod is the machining needed on the mounts that replace the K frame bushings. Otherwise you could just order some aluminum threaded rods and a heim from speedway and call it a day.
I have three different manufacturers versions myself. My Challenger has an original CAP set, all aluminum. They've held up great for 50k+ miles. My Duster has a set made by another member here. They look just like the Hotchkis version, but with heavier steel spacers, biscuits, whatever you want to call them for the K. Actually my favorite set of all of them. And the only set other than the QA1's with a flat to adjust the length easily with a wrench, what the hell are these companies thinking? I also bought an RMS set, it's the last picture below.
But seriously, nothing fancy. See what I mean? Anyone that can sort of weld, and has access to a lathe, can make them.
QA1's adjustables- Plain old threaded aluminum tube, with a fancy machined mount for the heim
Hotchkis- hollow tube with threaded inserts welded in. Generic steel bracket with misalignment spacers, fancy "washers" to take care of the K mount
RMS- similar to Hotchkis (and everyone else!!!) Tube with inserts, steel bracket with misalignment spacers, fancy washers. One's flat, one has a stepped shoulder for the K.
76orangewagon
Well-Known Member
I made these along with tie rod sleeve's several years ago, I made one end identical to Hotchkiss and a spare end like CAP (QA1 Now). I had about $125.00 in both. I had a set of Hotchkiss to use for a sample.
Ok I know this is an old thread but I'm thinking about making my own adjustable strut rods and I figured it be easier to ask in here and others might benefit from the info already in here. Anyway, I'm shopping around on QA1s website for the different parts I need (their website is AWESOME btw!!) and I was wondering if I really need the misalignment spacers or just regular spacers?
Ah. Looking at the pics above it doesn't look like any of the aftermarket ones use misalignment spacers. Duh. Lol
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