Anybody using adjustable strut rods?

[68 Sport Satellite]

Thanks man! We're looking forward to it. If we don't talk again till next year, have a great Christmas and new year's!

 

[PST]

They are in the works, waiting on the samples to come in for testing and approval.

Thanks
James

 

[Ryguytoodry]

I think I'm a little late to the thread but adjustable strut bars put way too much tension on the lower control arm. Think of your knee, its meant to move back and forth. If you put force on the bottom of your shin to the side and try to bend your knee you'll break or tear ****. Then the immense pain comes, similar to the pain you feel when you realize you wasted all that money and have to tear apart the car again instead of driving and enjoying it.

 

[68 Sport Satellite]

Hmmm, personal experience? I was trying to improve handling.

 

[Jim Bob The Dancing Bear]

I have a Hotchkis TVS, poly bushings (from PST), 1.03 torsion bars and drive my Charger every day unless there is snow or ice on the ground. With over a year and a half on the suspension and zero issues I would not hesitate to buy adjustable strut rods again.

I live in Oklahoma with some of the worse highways and streets in America. My heavy B body takes a beating.

FYI, the Hotchkis strut rods are a hexigon in the middle so you can get a wrench on to turn them.

 

[rrTor-Red]

I just assembled my adjustable strut rods from PDT. I'm putting my K member together wjile the body is being painted. They went in with realatively no problems and I like them. Ran out of time but plan on putting the anti-sway bar and assemble the brakes on the K. So far so good as far as the PST strut rods are concerned

 

[WileE]

I think I'm a little late to the thread but adjustable strut bars put way too much tension on the lower control arm. Think of your knee, its meant to move back and forth. If you put force on the bottom of your shin to the side and try to bend your knee you'll break or tear ****. Then the immense pain comes, similar to the pain you feel when you realize you wasted all that money and have to tear apart the car again instead of driving and enjoying it.

Ok, imagine this. Tie a large rubber band around your ankle with the other end around a tree. Slam the inside of your instep sideways with a rubber mallet. Then, do the same using a tight rope. {Warning. Do not actually do this,for illustrative purpose only }

 

[Plucked Chicken]

Nobody has mentioned that these must put more road vibration into the body - due to metal to metal contact. The only adjustable strut rods I see so far that accept the factory rubber strut rod bushings or aftermarket poly bushings are by Firm Feel.

They would be good to set the LCA’s at dead center, but not to control caster beyond that. Actually if you consider the slight arc the strut rods travel in, the LCA’s position is constantly moving back and forward.


Adjustable strut rods:

https://www.reillymotorsports.com/store/home.php?cat=266

http://www.hotchkis.net/dodge_a_body_adjustable_strut_rods.html

http://chucker54.stores.yahoo.net/dyadstba1.html

http://www.firmfeel.com/adjstrut.htm

http://www.qa1.net/qa1_motorsports/...amic-strut-bars/mopar-dynamic-strut-bars.html

http://www.p-s-t.com/Adjustable-Strut-Rods

 

[PST]

These adjustable strut rods really do not impact driving quality from a vibration stand point. I do understand that you are replacing the rubber strut rod bushing with a steel, but you are adding a swivel type joint for a smoother transfer of motion. Also it still mounts at the original point in the control arm and the road vibration is buffered by the rubber or poly bushing used in the lower control arm. But in most part the people that are looking into using these are already running tubular arms with either delrin or aluminum bushing and as well as in other portions of the suspension. In the end I would say it comes down to the type of driving qualities you want. If you want a car that handles and the feel of the road, these are the way to go.

Just a thought
James

 

[Plucked Chicken]

Here's a thread that has pics of the Firm Feel version installed. Posters talk about road noise and vibration from solid versions.

http://challenger.mpoli.fi/board/topic-9347-390

 

[68 Sport Satellite]

This is why if you read the thread from the beginning, you'll see how I asked James at PST to see if they could also offer an adjustable poly version of the their strut rods for those of us that want the adjustability and with poly instead of rubber or solid. They're in the works and we should then have 2 options from PST.

 

[PST]

The post pertains to two individuals experiences as to the affects to a k member I would find in better to have the billet bushings because they do not flatten and deform over time. The deforming and flattening of the bushing then allows the arm and rod to deflect back and forth and around thus wallowing out the hole in the k member and weakening of the metal around the hole. Then in the next post the complaint is the "torsional twist" of the harden poly and aluminum bushing there is none as the joint allows for full range of motion of the control arm along its path of motion.

James

 

[Plucked Chicken]

If I do go adjustable strut rods, it would be the Firm Feels that actually take the rubber/poly bushings at this time. At any rate, PST says niether of their 2 adjustable strut rod sets fit my '62.

Half considering keeping my strut rods and going to the 2pc Moog K7039 or K7040 whichever proves to be the correct ID for my strut rods.

I put the single bullet shaped poly bushings in there from PST, correct for ’62. But the threads bottom out way before the 40ft lbs of torque specified.

What came out of there was an hour-glass shaped single piece, and actually hollow!

 

[Plucked Chicken]

Measured my '62 wagons strut rods last night, .72 dia. So the Moog K7039's with .714 ID are correct, and Firm Feel confirmed that. Will mount them with the convex side of the washers against the bushings, and with my original strut rods.

 

[kdtjb]

LOL!!!

heat rises, right??

Heat moves to cold. Hot air rises.

 

[68 Sport Satellite]

Thanks for the technical clarifications James - you know what you're talking about!

Any word on availability of the new poly adjustables from PST yet? Spring is almost here and my car is anxious to get these new parts!

 

[68 Sport Satellite]

Bump.
James, any new info??

 

[PST]

At this point i am waiting on approvals to go ahead on production. I will try to keep an update going.

Thanks
James

 

[Budnicks]

At this point i am waiting on approvals to go ahead on production. I will try to keep an update going.

Thanks
James

Thanks for your input James, it's good to have suspension guy who knows what a MoPar is all about... I have all the tubular stuff & dynamic strut rods on a couple cars now, far superior handling to the old non-adjustable stamped steel & rubber OEM mass produce stock original parts ever were... I had about 30k & 120 passes in the 1/4 & hard breaking or cornering driving in the Sierras rough roads, I've never had any issues... So much so I am putting a fully adjustable tubular upper & lower Control Arms & dynamic strut rods, 1-3/8" front sway bar & adjt. rear 1" sway bar on my current 68 RR project, with a tubular K-Member also & components from one of your competitors {QA1 formerly Capps Automotive, sorry but I've used them before & went with what I am use to, they were kind of the only people doing this for quite a while exclusively MoPars, now there are several choices, I might choose PST next time after seeing the/your great customer support & your knowledgeable informative posts}, I've been very happy with how much better all have handled, no harsh ride other, than the larger sway bars, made a noticeable stiffer ride, really there's no more road noise than the regular stock OEM stuff either I may add... Thanks for all input & setting the facts engineering straight.... Good to have you & your knowledge here

 

[68 Sport Satellite]

Thanks James. Keep us posted. I am really looking forward to adding these to my car and I'll be sure to give you some good feedback after they're on.