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Old 04-07-2010, 07:41 PM   #1
Bad Noodle
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Default My DIY endlink thread

Was planning to buy a real set but after doing my taxes, it's a no go. so here's my attempt at endlinks.

I'm planning on doing a front and rear set, but started with the rear cus they're harder.

Here's what I did so far:










More to come as I make progress
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Old 04-09-2010, 06:39 AM   #2
indytruckboy
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i would strip that down with a wire wheel. it will weld like crap because it's coated
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Old 04-09-2010, 03:48 PM   #3
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yea, you might want to grind off the galvanizing off that. toxic fumes
also, being that you easly bent those pieces i am willing to bet that they will bend farly easy once installed. also what bushings are you planing on using?

i love DIY stuff as i am always willing to try it. so keep up the good work.
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Old 04-09-2010, 09:52 PM   #4
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So here's today's progress:











Looks like poop for now, but the dimensions are good. Next will be grinding everything down, cleaning it up, painting, then making the bushings.

I know they're not the best welds but I do suck at welding and these were done with a $180 welder and a harbor freight welding mask that just sucks balls. Can't see anything that's going on while welding and tend to move off the path I should be following
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Old 04-10-2010, 08:13 AM   #5
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I had thought about using some heim joints and making some adjustable ones for the front. Not sure how I would do the rear yet.
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Old 04-10-2010, 09:06 AM   #6
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soo much work for something thats so cheap to buy?
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Old 04-10-2010, 01:14 PM   #7
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getting ready for bushing molds:



clean up step 1
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Old 04-10-2010, 08:27 PM   #8
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utilizing Heim joints for the fronts yields a clean result. pretty straightforward and painless via mcmaster carr.
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Old 04-11-2010, 12:45 PM   #9
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Ummm... please don't do that. That's very poor quality steel. You'd be doing yourself a huge disservice by continuing on. Just my 2 cents. Be better off with stock crap.
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Old 04-14-2010, 03:09 PM   #10
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I'm pretty sure you could use straight end links on the rear if you take your lateral links and flip them to the opposite side.
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Old 04-14-2010, 05:58 PM   #11
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If you are looking for a cheap alternative. instead of welding I have heard of guys using these from McMaster:

http://www.mcmaster.com/#rod-ends/=6nujra
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Old 04-14-2010, 08:27 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WhiteHawkSTi View Post
If you are looking for a cheap alternative. instead of welding I have heard of guys using these from McMaster:

http://www.mcmaster.com/#rod-ends/=6nujra
You need to be extreemly careful buying rod ends from a place like that. You don't really know what brand they are, and it is easy to order something that sucks.

For automotive applications like this you really need a joint with a good self lubricating Teflon lined race, stainless steel or hard chromed ball, and a chromoly housing. They are not cheap. Aurora makes good joints. The line that would be best here is the AM-T, AB-T, AW-T, and AG-T series. FK Bearings also makes great joints that are similar in quality to Aurora but a bit cheaper. The JMXT is the one to look at.
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Old 04-15-2010, 09:22 AM   #13
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before you install them, can you test them under load to see the deflection difference between yours and the stock ones? use a long bar in the hole and some weights for repeatable testing.
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Old 04-15-2010, 10:01 AM   #14
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^ great idea. Any idea what kind of forces they see?

Everything's going well with the project, I just can't find a 5/16" ID tube locally that I need for the front arm bushing.
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Old 04-15-2010, 10:26 PM   #15
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DIY's are awesome but come on man, endlinks are cheap. Those are going to be worse than stock, and probably cost more in materials and definitely time.

Good luck
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Old 04-15-2010, 11:26 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bad Noodle View Post
Any idea what kind of forces they see?
There's a whiteline tech paper floating around that estimates the maximum load on endlinks to be somewhere in the 2.7kN - 3.5kN range, which is equivalent to 275kg - 357kg.

So, if you happen to have an 800lb weight around the shop, hang that off your endlink and see if it bends!
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Old 04-16-2010, 11:40 AM   #17
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The end links look cool, but they are not ganna work. Try again man, dont sweat it. I have as many failed fab projects as ones that turned out good.

Try improving the endlink mounts, very easy to do. Just weld a bar or pipe between the two ends. I used some old bike frame.



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Old 04-16-2010, 01:10 PM   #18
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^ wow those are good.


I think you guys are right about the endlinks not working. I'm having trouble finding the correct size piece of pipe to use in the middle of the bushings. but at this point, it would probably be easier to get some whitline ones and call it a day
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Old 04-16-2010, 01:15 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bad Noodle View Post
^ wow those are good.


I think you guys are right about the endlinks not working. I'm having trouble finding the correct size piece of pipe to use in the middle of the bushings. but at this point, it would probably be easier to get some MSI or Kartboy ones and call it a day
Fixed
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Old 04-16-2010, 01:47 PM   #20
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I was opting for whiteline because they make ones that look like:




Those look like they would fit a cobb sway bar the best on a wrx wagon
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Old 04-16-2010, 02:44 PM   #21
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They look like they fit exactly the same as the others, only they aren't made nearly as well.
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Old 04-16-2010, 02:50 PM   #22
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I'm on spt springs and with a cobb sway bar, the endlinks look like they're bent 30 degrees off verticle when the car is down. My stock endlink busing wore out because of that. Those whitelines looks like they can take it though
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Old 04-16-2010, 02:54 PM   #23
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Run a spacer between the bar and endlink so they are not angled.
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Old 04-16-2010, 02:58 PM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wrxracer519 View Post
Run a spacer between the bar and endlink so they are not angled.
Well that coulda saved me a **** load of effort and a thread
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Old 04-16-2010, 02:59 PM   #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wrxracer519 View Post
Run a spacer between the bar and endlink so they are not angled.
This. Kartboy sells spacers for this purpose.
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