Death Wobble

I see where you're going. If your truck is stock set up (ie no lift) I would think bushings would last a long time. i wonder if you could source a press in heim joint, or uniball into that end of the trac bar?
 
thatguy69 said:
Looks good, what'd you turn that on?
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Thanks. It's a SHARP-1440V. I could have taken more time on finishes, but I'm just going to coat it with some thick black paint in the end, so I didn't care much.

Chassisman said:
I see where you're going. If your truck is stock set up (ie no lift) I would think bushings would last a long time. i wonder if you could source a press in heim joint, or uniball into that end of the trac bar?
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I don't want a heim. I went down that road on my 12V and they only last about 2 years worth of corrosion with the best 3/4x3/4's I could find. And it transmitted a lot of noise into the cab.
I did look for some press in bushings that were considerably stiffer, but they all seemed to be standard sizes that didn't match the Dodge bushing diameter or width. I probably would have gone that route otherwise.
My truck has a 1.5" coil spacer, but the amount it moved my axle laterally was so little, I don't even care. I have 37's on my 12V and it took me down the path of making my own track bar. I just want this truck to be a great family/5th wheel hauler that my wife can drive without a second though!
 
There , are some like Johnny joints, Ballistic fab etc that make uniball and heims with Poly races. They're smooth and quiet you can just cut that bushing end off, and bang weld a new one on.
 
Chassisman said:
There , are some like Johnny joints, Ballistic fab etc that make uniball and heims with Poly races. They're smooth and quiet you can just cut that bushing end off, and bang weld a new one on.
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Oh yeah? Mind sending me an example? I did look at Johnny Joints. I've tried them before on other things and likes them other than the small shank that would bend.
 
Currie makes good stuff, I re did my long arm lift on my tj with all there stuff. It's pricey but it's quality
 
I've been pretty busy (probably won't slow down until April), but I managed to get the other bushing done. I decided to move the barbs a little more inboard. This will be worst for displacement, but hopefully better for contamination. Either way, it'll be kinda cool to have both setups and see if it effects bushing life.
I was pretty happy that I got them within a thou of each other without spending any time comparing the two, just going after my nominal targets.

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The joy of having CNC equipment at your convenience. Good looking parts. You also turning the bushings to press in? Interference fit?
 
Red Sleeper said:
The joy of having CNC equipment at your convenience. Good looking parts. You also turning the bushings to press in? Interference fit?
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No CNC here! Just a manual lathe with a DRO. And thanks!
I would have been really tempted to put some stylish touches on it if I had a CNC.

Yeah, I'm going to turn the bushings. I need to do a little reading on speeds with it so it doesn't melt or gunk up my tool. Interference fit for sure. I'm going to start aggressive with ~5-6 thou and take some off if needed. I'm guessing the Delrin will be compliant with some pre-load though.
 
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I would be very careful with the delrin. While it has excellent self-lubricating wear properties, in extreme cold and extreme dryness can disintegrate and crumble/crack. I would hate to have you loose some aspect of steering if that was the case...
 
WUnderwood said:
The more time I spend on this forum, I realize that we have some ridiculously intelligent members here...
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It's all for show. I can't even figure out how to do the laundry the right way I'm told :lolly:

sootie said:
I would be very careful with the delrin. While it has excellent self-lubricating wear properties, in extreme cold and extreme dryness can disintegrate and crumble/crack. I would hate to have you loose some aspect of steering if that was the case...
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Good call!

Actually, after talking with my buddy from work, I'm going to go with UHMW instead. It's got better shock resistance and likes the cold more. Just way more of a pain to machine, so Mike's going to cut a couple for me on his fancy mill.
 
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I made my own caltracs and made the bushings for lead springs out of delrin instead of UHMW. I forget my reasoning for choosing delrin but I’ve had no issues in the past 10k miles with them. I can hear them squeak or pop sometimes when the springs flex,so I just turn up the radio.
Don’t see why UHMW wouldn’t work for your application.

I know Caltrac uses aluminum bushings which made no sense to me.
 
Red Sleeper said:
The joy of having CNC equipment at your convenience. Good looking parts. You also turning the bushings to press in? Interference fit?
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If he did that on a CNC lathe you wouldn't see machining grooves/ lines in it since it would be fed at a steady rate. I have some parts that I made on a CNC lathe 20 years ago and the surface is so smooth, it's like it was polished... there is no rust, or oxidation even on them. Assuming he programmed in the correct feed and speed. Today's software does it for you, but some of the old or cheap software you might have to set the parameters yourself.
 
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