Spherical rod ends vs. urethane vs. rubber bushings

[rjleiker]

I've been thinking... I wonder, with all the jolting a city street can put out, would spherical rod ends stand up to all the constant hammering and side loads? I would think they would break and bend and eventually start to rattle and fall apart? Are they realistically strong enough to handle it?

I kind of wonder how much bind a really well lubricated poly bushing would have... A Del-a-lum is just a greased solid bushing and they claim no bind...

 

[10secBu]

A Del-a-lum is just a greased solid bushing and they claim no bind...

No, Del-A-Lums are not just a solid bushing that's greasable. You may be thinking of the one Afco version which is solid with grease fitting.

G/W Del-A-Lums have delrin inner bushings as well as Delrin thrust washers on either end. The inner bushing has holes & grooves to move the grease throughtout the bushing. Super nice setup, best on the market for stock replacement bushings.

I would NOT use spherical rod ends on a car that's primarily a street car, not even a 50/50 street/strip deal. Rod ends require periodic inspection and replacement, plus they aren't cheap for quality pieces.

 

[rjleiker]

ok, so rod ends are pretty much out of the question...

I'm pretty ok with poly on the front, as there won't be any later movement necessary and binding shouldn't be an issue with just vertical movement... but the rear I have no idea what to do... I really wanted to go with all new pieces as far as arms and such for weight and strength and aesthetics, but my philosophy continues to be rooted in how fast I can make stock equipment go, so maybe a good box job would be quite a bit cheaper... How do the Del-a-lums fair in the rear arms... Binding seems inevitable with the triangulation of the uppers... I would really like my car to not get stuck in a position... I would hate to lose maneuverability on the street in an unsafe situation... I figure the axle mounted sway bar setup should help out tremendously, but the bushings seem like a necessity to change if anything...

 

[LS6 Tommy]

I've used GW's Delalum bushings & spherical bearings (they're nothing even remotely close to rod ends) before for YEARS & I'm using them again. They have a lifetime warranty. AFAIK, no one else offers a lifetime warranty, some of the bigger guys don't even offer a warranty at all. AFAIC, GW's stuff is some of the best in the business.

Tommy

 

[10secBu]

http://www.currieenterprises.com/cestore/johnnyjoints.aspx

 

[James Bond]

ok, so rod ends are pretty much out of the question...

I'm pretty ok with poly on the front, as there won't be any later movement necessary and binding shouldn't be an issue with just vertical movement...

actually the front is where the delrin bushings, del-a-lum's the 10secbu mentioned, work best.

 

[Doober]

I've used GW's Delalum bushings & spherical bearings (they're nothing even remotely close to rod ends) before for YEARS & I'm using them again. They have a lifetime warranty. AFAIK, no one else offers a lifetime warranty, some of the bigger guys don't even offer a warranty at all. AFAIC, GW's stuff is some of the best in the business.

Tommy

I definitely think I'm going with a set of Delalums wherever I can :shock:

 

[rjleiker]

:shock:
That's exactly what I want!!

What is the OD of the stock control arm bushings for g-bodies?


Also, I have seen them before but don't remember where... I've seen control arm boxing kits where you get a bunch of pre-cut pieces of sheet metal to weld in your arms yourself... Anyone seen these?

 

[Doober]

If you're just looking for something fairly cheap, take a look at DCA Racing's site (www.dcaracing.com). They sell tubular stock G-Body-length control arms for a good price. I'm not positive they have mounts for the rear sway bar, but it's worth asking shrug.gif You'll need to download the catalog to see the control arms though.

 

[rjleiker]

These Johnny Joint's are pretty slick and not too expensive, if I can get them in the right size/arrangement to fit my stock pieces...
But, these DCA racing bushings are a nice looking deal as well, and they are built for g-bodies...
When one speaks of 'suspension bind', are you referring to when the suspension tries to articulate at the peak of it's moveable range, or are you referring to it not returning to it's original location easily? I tend to drive relatively aggressively at times, as I'm sure we all do, and have thus far only been a victim of body roll and rear tire rub on the frame rail from either sidewall flex or lateral chassis movement (which I'm hoping to eliminate with the suspension upgrades). But, when I do get into my heavy suspension modifications, I want to do it right the first time... I love driving my car, and do notice it's limitations, but I don't want to upgrade something and then not like to drive it afterwards... Just looking for anyone's opinion here, I'm still really new at this whole game...