hardline_42 sent me this link about aluminum links the F body guys are using and it looks like something anyone with a link setup could use.
Enjoy.
http://www.jonaadland.com/Z28/Mods/LCA/AluminumLCAs.html-----
greencactus3
i enjoyed it. something to think about.... eventually i would want to ditch the 50 lb SD links lol
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s10cyncrvr
Sweet, nice find. Do you think those would be strong enough in a triangulated version, since they will be getting force from two directions?
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hardline_42
I've used them for both LCA's and as a PHB in a torque arm suspension setup on a daily driver for over a year with no issues. I wouldn't hesitate to use the links in a triangulated configuration. If you check out the link posted above, you can see the kind of damage that the links held up against even thought the impact was from the side of the axle, which is precisely the kind of loading a triangulated link will experience.
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s10cyncrvr
Cool. That link to Coleman Racing is dead. I looked on their site but couldn't find them. Do you have a new link to them?
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hardline_42
Here you go:
http://www.colemanracing.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=9296I just picked the size closest to what I used but if you do a search for "trailing arm" you will get all of the sizes. I think they range from 4" to 40" long.
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s10cyncrvr
Thanks. I may end up going with these. Cheep, stronge, lite, and cool looking, what more can you ask for.
I had to misspell those words on purpose. I got a message saying the forum doesn't accept pharmacy or casino keywords, lol.
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hardline_42
Here's the link to making the panhard bar:
http://www.jonaadland.com/Z28/Mods/PHB/AluminumPHB.html-----
greencactus3
triangulated, parallel, pan hard, all the forces exerted on any of those configurations onto each link are the same.
compression and tension.
only if there are any other loads (spring/shock mounted on bar etc), or a bind occurs, will there be any other force on a correctly set up 'link' setup.
*assuming we are talking fre eely moving ball joint s/heims, not bushings.... which will fall under the 'bind' category*
-edit- wtf. fre_ely is a casino/adult term?
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s10cyncrvr
I've always read that triangulated bars need to be a bit beefier then a parallel set-up because they are taking the side to side force along with the acceleration and front to back forces.
Whereas with the parallel set-up, the side to side locator absorbs most of that force so that the forward links only see the acceleration and front to back.
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greencactus3
ah i guess i didnt read it right the first time.
i thought you were asking about the strength of the bars in directions other than tension/compression
so yes, what you are saying makes sense. should just be the a^2=b^2+c^2 for an ideal simplified case for the extra load due to the triangulation, where in a parallel with panhard would see b force for accel/braking and the panhard c force for the side to side. again, in a simplified ideal case
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hardline_42
Although in theory what you're saying is right (all links acting only in compression and tension) it's not the type of loading that changes with the application (parallel vs. triangulated) but the amount of force. A parallel link deals with purely axial loading in compression (in a perfect world) and tension when accelerating and braking while a panhard bar or watts link etc. absorbs all of the lateral loading. With a triangulated setup, you're now absorbing both lateral and axial (in relation to the car) loads with two links instead of three. That's not to say that the same diameter link won't hold up in both cases. Just that the triangulated setup exerts more force and you should size the links accordingly.
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off camber
If your setup relies only on triangulation as the means to locate the axle latterly, then yes they do have to be stronger. If you have triangulation and a PHB, Watt's, Mumford (sp) etc. then the links only need to be as strong as a parallel setup. I'm getting them.
