i was looking for some genral info on building a triangulated four link for my truck. some questions i had were; is there any angles i need to be concerned about to much to little? what is a good length to make my bars? what is a good place to buy the rod ends. thanks
20", or longer, front to back. At least 60º on the upper bars. Use urethane or rubber bushings. Rod ends (heim joints) don't belong on the street, as far as I am concerned. Here's a good spot for parts: http://thorbros.com/catalog/4-link-parts
They transmit every single vibration to the ch***is. They cannot be reliably lubed. They are open to dirt and grit, and subsequently wear. Some use sealing washers to cover them, but I have watched those disintegrate with long-term use. The vibration issue alone is enough to make me avoid them. I drive my stuff hard, far, and long, as do our customers. We won't install them in the our shop.
very very helpful thank you. one other question i purchased a ifs front end from s.h. in cal. and had many problems. i have solved all but one it has to do with the turning radius. i am able to turn the wheel further to the left than the right. i have a manual rack set up and when i installed it i centered the rack as in turning left and right . i also had the wheels straight and then connected the rods to the spindels. when i turn to the right it is out of throw. i need about another 2 inches of throw out of the rack but dont have enough adjustment in the rods to compensate for it. any suggestions ?
Rack extenders. If the IFS setup is wider than the stock width (common to many kits), the rack needs to be widened too. The inner tie rod ends unscrew from the rack bar itself. There are machined steel spacers, female to male threads that go in between, making the rack wider. If it is a MII style, the tie rod pivots should be adjacent to, if just a little closer to the wheel, to the lower control arm pivot bolts, when the rack is centered. If they are not, then the rack is not wide enough, or off-center, or both. Check out what you have. If they are not there, you need extenders. If they are there, and you still need a longer span, Fairmont tie rod ends are longer and will fit. If the rack is off center, and it won't be easy to center, i.e. one pivot is in the correct place, and the other is not, you can (although the instructions don't reccomend it) use both spacers on one side (or just one, on one side, if that is all that is needed). I suspect you need rack spacers: http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Inner-Tie-Rod-Extention-Kit-Speedway-Mustang-II-Manual-Rack,8066.html In the picture, the two spacers are screwed together. In the unlikely event it is just a length issue, these are the tie rod ends: http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Mustang-II-Extended-Length-Outer-Tie-Rod-End,30561.html Don't be tempted to use the longer outer tie rod ends if the inners are the issue. Not having the pivot of the inners in the correct place WILL cause bump steer, and may cause you to lose control of the vehicle. Do what you have to do to get those inner tie rod pivots in the correct location.
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