custom trackbar, DOM size?

VAhasnoWAVES · May 29, 2013

i am going to be doing crossover steering. im pretty sure ive gotten the steering under control. ruffstuff did all the hard work for me, though i think ill source the DOM locally if it saves on shipping. i know i shouldnt need 5' sections either.

but what about my track bar? i want to use 7/8 x7/8 heims with 1.5x0.25 DOM again (same as drag link) to minimize the amount of different size heims that i need. is this sufficient?

BRIANHO13 · May 29, 2013

Yes that is plenty.

Lowrange2 · May 29, 2013

Yup, that's what I use.

sunburned · May 29, 2013

Judging by how it looks on the front of my jeep, it seems like overkill, but having a bunch of the same size heims is a good idea for spares.

camojeep88 · May 30, 2013

i recently used 1.5-.188 wall chromoly on mine with 7/8 rod end and i like it

EricsXJ · May 30, 2013

VAhasnoWAVES said:
i want to use 7/8 x7/8 heims with 1.5x0.25 DOM again (same as drag link) to minimize the amount of different size heims that i need. is this sufficient?

sufficient?? If anything its overkill due to wall thickness that will likely never (shouldn't) ever see contact with anything. But your materials for the track bar are exactly how I'm building mine (just welded the inserts in tonight) and I like it.

PatrickXJ · May 30, 2013

1.50 x .250 wall is overkill unless you're running hydraulic assist (or full), or you're turning tires bigger than 38's. I understand the idea behind running all similar heims (which 7/8 by 7/8 heims are overkill too unless you're running 40's) but keep in mind all steering parts and at least 50% of the track bar all add to UNSPRUNG weight.

More unsprung weight = more expensive shocks (or a less desirable ride).

My vote would be 1.25 x .125 DOM (not ERW) and keep it straight with no bends. With heims at both ends you'd have to be jumping the Jeep or get into a nasty car crash to bend that.

rockclimber · May 30, 2013

PatrickXJ said:
1.50 x .250 wall is overkill unless you're running hydraulic assist (or full), or you're turning tires bigger than 38's.

when properly set up, hydraulic assist or full hydro will actually lessen the amount of force the panhard sees.

I understand the idea behind running all similar heims (which 7/8 by 7/8 heims are overkill too unless you're running 40's) but keep in mind all steering parts and at least 50% of the track bar all add to UNSPRUNG weight.

while I don't disagree with your statement about weight, 7/8" heims are hardly overkill for a panhard, any smaller and you will wear out the races way too fast. you can get away with 3/4" heims for a while, but the 7/8" are almost no more weight, but are better for wear.

More unsprung weight = more expensive shocks (or a less desirable ride).

no.

My vote would be 1.25 x .125 DOM (not ERW) and keep it straight with no bends. With heims at both ends you'd have to be jumping the Jeep or get into a nasty car crash to bend that.

I agree with this. you will also enjoy the extra clearance you get having the smaller diameter material

but instead of running 7/8x7/8 heims, I would run 7/8x3/4" heims... but if you already have the heims, it doesn't matter any.

VAhasnoWAVES · May 31, 2013

well... plans changed a little, but im still going with heims all around.

i was told on a few accounts that D30 knuckles really dont have enough meat to run a 3/4" bolt. Im using WJ knuckles. some measuring showed that the large side of the tape for the TREs was barely over 5/8", so ill be going with this steering kit:
http://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/catalog/34STEER.html

also going with the 7/8x3/4 heims as you suggested rockclimber:
http://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/catalog/PANKIT.html

best part is a guy from the local chapter is selling them to me. i found a deal (when i was ACTUALLY looking for one, go figure) and cant believe how fortunate i am for the price im getting.

foxwar71 · May 31, 2013

Steering and trackbar on mine are all 1.5x.25 dom with 7/8x3/4 hiems. The tie rod and track bar dont need and misalignment so they just have standard spacers and 3/4 bolts. Drag link has high misalignment spacers and uses 5/8 bolt. I also have hydro assist on the tie rod. Personally I wouldn't run anything smaller then that (even on a 30), maybe some 1.25x.25 tubing drilled/tapped without inserts if the space is needed. I prefer a 7/8x3/4 hiem over 7/8x7/8 hiem too since the body of the joint is a lot larger too and gives the hiem a stronger overall rating. Same applies for a 3/4x5/8 vs 3/4x3/4 hiem.

vetteboy · May 31, 2013

rockclimber said:
while I don't disagree with your statement about weight, 7/8" heims are hardly overkill for a panhard, any smaller and you will wear out the races way too fast. you can get away with 3/4" heims for a while, but the 7/8" are almost no more weight, but are better for wear.

I ran 3/4" heims on both sides of my front upper link, both sides of the panhard, and both ends of the uppers in my rear 4 link. I replaced 2 in over 5 years, half of which were spent racing. Don't use junk, it'll last longer.

rockclimber said:
no.

He's actually not wrong there. Unsprung weight sucks for damping.

sunburned · May 31, 2013

VAhasnoWAVES said:
i was told on a few accounts that D30 knuckles really dont have enough meat to run a 3/4" bolt.

Hope my knuckles don't assplode.

supertubesocks · May 31, 2013

Re: Re: custom trackbar, DOM size?

VAhasnoWAVES said:
i am going to be doing crossover steering. im pretty sure ive gotten the steering under control. ruffstuff did all the hard work for me, though i think ill source the DOM locally if it saves on shipping. i know i shouldnt need 5' sections either.

but what about my track bar? i want to use 7/8 x7/8 heims with 1.5x0.25 DOM again (same as drag link) to minimize the amount of different size heims that i need. is this sufficient?

You dont need 5 foot sections for a d30.
50" and 40" would still leave you plenty of extra tubing.

rockclimber · May 31, 2013

vetteboy said:
I ran 3/4" heims on both sides of my front upper link, both sides of the panhard, and both ends of the uppers in my rear 4 link. I replaced 2 in over 5 years, half of which were spent racing. Don't use junk, it'll last longer.

What brand Heims? He's talking about the ruffstuff ones, which are Midwest control iirc. I've run Both on my panhard and went through 3 3/4" before switching to 7/8" on advice from ruffstuff. I've yet to kill one of them. There is a significant amount of difference in race size between the two. Not all Heims are created equal.

vetteboy said:
He's actually not wrong there. Unsprung weight sucks for damping.

Yes, but saying that you need expensive shocks because your panhard is too heavy is silly...

You need expensive shocks because you need them, for whatever reason that may be. Usually because you want to go fast and you want to tune them.

The weight difference between a .120 wall panhard and a .250 wall panhard is not significant enough to affect the ride quality of a rig.

PatrickXJ · May 31, 2013

rockclimber said:
The weight difference between a .120 wall panhard and a .250 wall panhard is not significant enough to affect the ride quality of a rig.

^^^
That kind of thinking, when applied to an entire vehicle's build, can add up to quite a bit of weight.

I totally agree with the 7/8 x 3/4 heim though.

PatrickXJ · May 31, 2013

rockclimber said:
when properly set up, hydraulic assist or full hydro will actually lessen the amount of force the panhard sees.

Lol, not when you're pinned between a rock and a hard place. When you're moving boulders the size of Volkswagen bugs with your tires, there's quite a bit of stress on the track bar. That's why the track bar on my buggy is 2" solid bar.

On the street though, absolutely...less force on the track bar because the tires turn without much resistance.

rockclimber · Jun 1, 2013

PatrickXJ said:
Lol, not when you're pinned between a rock and a hard place. When you're moving boulders the size of Volkswagen bugs with your tires, there's quite a bit of stress on the track bar. That's why the track bar on my buggy is 2" solid bar.

On the street though, absolutely...less force on the track bar because the tires turn without much resistance.

physics disagrees with you.

custom trackbar, DOM size?

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