prototype sway bar links, custom sway bar end links Options

[97GTinKC]

http://us.f2.yahoofs.com/users/81f6d5b0_m4...h2w_ICBgXOT26H0

Got my prototype end links done, installed the right side only to see how/if I notice any difference or problems, I will bring them to the KC celica meet next Sat...



Bad news is I haven't found a reasonable supplier, still going to be around $150 /pair. (but that is better than the 1st supplier, they wanted approx $75 PER END = 600/car? )


Had them on a year, still tight,,, still too expensive,,,

This post has been edited by 97GTinKC: Mar 1, 2005 - 12:07 AM

[ghostdog]

wow those are heavy duty. too bad I already got new ones on my car.

[SpedToe169]

why so expensive??? you should be able to get rod ends cheap. Whos your supplier?

[97GTinKC]

[97GTinKC]

...and spedtoe169, if you know of a supplier, let me know.

by the time I put these in the lathe and shorten them, plus get decent mounting hardware, it will be around 120-150/pr.

and after dissecting my original, I find they are steel ball and socket and NOT the potted rubber (at least on my 97GT) so kind of a moot point,
At least the stainless will polish up nice!

[SpedToe169]

Yah, the metric makes things tricky but what I would do is just go SAE with them and have everybody drill the holes a little bigger in the swaybar. Waaaay cheaper and more convenient. If you don't wanna do that you can get some smaller SAE ones and have aluminum adapters turned for them. Give ground control a call, they very likely already have what you're making for cheaper than you can make them. Ask for Jay (hes pretty busy tho). Even if they don't have the exact end links you want they will likely have whatever rod ends you need.

Rod ends rock but even the high dollar ones wear out fairly quickly. We replace every rod end on the racecars at least once every season. Some of the ones in more severe service get it twice a season. Thats on a car that sees very little weather and very few miles. If you can feel any play in them at all, they're junk. They should be pretty hard to move around without anything through them for leverage.

[FallenHero]

that's a load of cash for such a small piece of equipment...

Jon

[Rivo]

Hey, if that gets me around that corner that much faster, it's worth it to me.

[Cormudgen]

the allen in mine is STRIPPED to hell right now so i need some new ones. i cant tell how those screw on. do they have an allen(hex) bolt on the other side. they look sturdier. since my allen bolt is stripped i cant tighten my rears all the way up right now so it makes noises. i would be interstesed in some rears.

cormudgen

[Cormudgen]

n/m i looked at the pic again. it apperas to be a different piece. i need the linkage that connects the rear swaybar to the strut assembly.

cormudgen

[97GTinKC]

I'm not sure what the ST looks like in the rear, but these are what hooks the sway bar to the strut/control arm on the GT, the pic is of the front ones, the rear are the same thing, only longer, approx 105MM center-center and the front are only 60MM center-center. they are bolted on with 10MM bolts and nuts, no Allen. I originally started this as an alternative to the Toyota ones as someone on here reported they wanted $75 per side, at first I thought the OE ones were the molded rubber like Mazda and some others use, these would have been an improvement over those. But since the OE Toyota ones are actually a steel ball and socket design, (at least on the GT, not sure about ST).

Anyone wanting to do this themselves could go the SAE route and do it a lot cheaper, rather than drill out the sway bar, I would find a shouldered bolt that fit the 10MM metric hole and had 3/8 SAE threaded part, I know aircraft suppliers have these as I have some around, they would most likely be anodized. the front is a male and female end screwed together (you will need to cut approx 1/4 inch off both to get them short enough for the front. the rear would need 2 female thread ends with some threaded rod between them, a short SAE thread stud from a parts house would work fine,
Or for the rear you could use male ends with an internally threaded shaft between them (my preferred route, as less threads exposed to corrode, finding or making the shaft would be the hard part, just some kind of internally threaded bushing approx 1.5 inches long should work. )
If you chose to drill out to next SAE size, it would be 7/16 SAE.

I am not going to pursue this any further, I will see how long this set lasts and post then.

This post has been edited by 97GTinKC: Oct 11, 2003 - 1:07 PM

[Cormudgen]

i am still interested if for soem reason you do decide to pursue this any further.

cormudgen