Building adjustable LCA's
 

I'm building a set of lower control arms, what Hiems do people like the most? Strongest that last awhile?

Also for the Panhard, will be the same

Keep in mind when it comes to heim joints, cheaply priced means cheap quality. Don't be afraid to spend good money on quality heim joints.

We can make your life easier by selling you some heim joints and stepped bushings to make this a little easier on you.

No doubt, I'm picking up a set of chromoly swedge tubes from speedway and they have some Heims that are pretty heavy duty.
What Heims do you guys have?

And if you have Heims that are the right width and don't need spacers I would definitely be interested

You have to run a spacer, there isn't a heim wide enough to make up the width. We use a mixture of different manufactures based on application.

That's what I was kinda thinking.
I'm just trying to race on a college student budget.
Speedway has a set of Heims that are pretty heavy duty but don't have a lot of articulation. I'm thinking they'll do just fine for what I need

Also I don't need a misalignment heim do I? They should be just center to center, correct?

Offset? You should not if the picture in your sig is yours.

I'm not sure what you will end up spending and ending up with the wrong heim joints but we offer something similar that is called our economy lower control arm that is $129 and comes with the tube, good quality heim joints, and proper bushings.

Not sure how you are going to make a swedge tube work for a PHB since they only come in equal lengths, the tube will be to long and being swedge tube you can't cut it.

For the Panhard they have drag links that I think will work. I haven't been home to measure how long center to center the stock Panhard is?

They have every length up to 37" and 45"-50"
Can anyone remember the length of PHB off the top of their head?

Well from what I found on the Internet 43 1/2? Looks to be the stock length..

Actually just found aluminum drag link that I can get any length up 50" so that'll be perfect
Thoughts?

It still comes in even length so it will end up to long or to short. You could cut down an aluminum one and tap the threads. All though we don't suggest aluminum suspension components on every day driver vehicles.

I appreciate the advice.
I'm kind of confused on what you mean by even lengths? Wouldn't the heim adjustment make up for the increments the tube is cut? I figured if I need 43 1/2 center to center stock. I'd get a tube 1 - 1 1/2 short so that there's plenty of adjustment?

Their lengths are even numbers 42,43,44 and so on. By the time you add in the heim joint and the jam nut you either end up to long taking away your adjustment or to short limiting the safety range of your adjustment by having to many threads showing passed the jam nut.

Ok, so say I need 43.5 being the stock center to center. What length would I want to give me enough adjustment, yet be within safe range of threads on the heim? 1" short?

I've ran a variety of rod ends in a 900hp dirt sprint car for a lot of years from the "so called" cheapest to the "so called" best without any catastrophic failure from either one. The key to making rod ends last are keeping them working freely.

If rod ends are what's best for your application you'll be fine with any reputable manufacture.

Craig

That's just it you can't. The premade tubes are going to be to long or to short to work for a PHB with in it's adjustment range. You would need to purchase the longer of the two lengths the correct length fall's in between and it will keep you from centering the rear end up in the vehicle.