hey there, I need some advice, i'm building a '36 ford pu, i was wondering what size rod end to use on my front wishbone? i have 5/8" rod ends with pete and jakes bushings, but are they strong enough or should i upgrade to 3/4" or larger? please help.........
I use Early Ford Tie Rod ends in mine with no problems. Why use Rod Ends ? Thats a bit over kill and IMO looks a bit to NASCAR for an Early style Rod.
pete & jakes use 3/4" on their `35-`40 front wishbone split kit..i suggest you do too, or 11/16 old ford tie rod ends
So what's the difference between a tie rod end and a rod end? I've always ***umed the terms were interchangeable.
Has anyone ever cut two wishbones, each on either side of the pivot balls and then used the now two original pivot balls to mount the split bones?
Tie rod end Rod ends (also refered to as heim joints) Try to guess which is which..... I don't beleive rod ends are made with the same thread that the Ford tierods commonly used have....
Speedway sells the bungs and the early Ford size tie rod ends for this exact application. The thread size is 11/16"X18. Rod ends on front wishbones are gay.
yes i was reffering to the urethane bushing rod ends i think i'll order a set of 3/4" ones, i could use my 5/8" on the rear suspension or something, thanks for the input
Yes, I've seen it.....maybe here on the HAMB or at one of the shows over the past couple of years. I think it looks cool as hell. -Bigchief.
You don't want to use urethane bushings on your front wishbones. Here's why.....People will take pictures of your car at car shows, put them on the HAMB, and everyone here will laugh their ***es off because anyone who would do that probably never even paged through an old car magazine before deciding to go out in the back yard and build a car. Please take my advice and order the bungs and EARLY FORD tie rod ends from Speedway and do it right. You owe it to yourself to do your homework before you go too far on your build. Parts are expensive even when you only buy them once.
I'd use ford tie rod ends, but heims are a lot stronger and require zero maintenance. And for those who think heims are not period, check out some linkage on some German WWII fighters....
do i really need to order the from speedway or can i just buy the tie rod from a local parts store??? i get screwed on shippng when i order from the US
Just because a certain part was used in a certain application, doesn't necessarily make that part "traditional" for use on a car....I'm sure German WWII fighers were in all the wrecking yards in the 50's, esp. in the U.S. sickboy.....I think the tierod ends can be bought at Napa. F-1 or F-100 pick up ends.
I think what Dave is trying to say is Heim ends have been around for a long time. Check out some of the race cars from that era, they use Heim ends. I have seen original hot rods with heim ends used. So your statement isnt so correct. For this application I like the look of the good old Ford Tie Rod End. Jimmy White
Sorry, the ch***is I'm doing has lots of PnJ components (including urethane bushings just about every where), take all the pics you like!
German fighters used nitrous too. And people have been robbing AN fittings and braided hose off of aircraft applications for a long time.
I'd go with the Ford tie rod ends up front... Save the other rod ends you've got to use out back where no one can see them.
Ionia Hot Rod Shop did this on a Deuce build. Used the original caps to secure them to the outside of the rails. Looked really sharp, but offers no adjustment so they gotta be in the right place before you weld them up.
Thanks Matt. I was just about to send them to your site and see for themselves. Have you guys road tested this setup to see if there are any durability issues? You are using two in place of the one centered so I'd imagine it wouldn't be an issue. Frank
Tim Thompson's Hop up coupe has this set up and he said it handles better than any 32 he's ever driven.
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