Group buy: spherical rear end links for $50 or less
10-01-2017, 09:56 PM
#1
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Group buy: spherical rear end links for $50 or less
Edit: read posts in this thread, including Post #21. Design has been changed slightly but the price is still on target. There has turned out to be sufficient interest to justify a group buy, but I'd appreciate direction from the members as far as desired properties.
This weekend I looked into building a rear end link kit for our cars to replace my degraded stock parts. Posting to see if there is any interest from others, so I can buy in bulk and get lower unit prices all around. These will cost $50/pair plus tax and shipping as it is. The closest to this setup I could find price-wise is the KLA kit (ebay kit), which is $70 plus $8 shipping and seems to have generic unsealed steel-bearing heim joints...who knows. This kit is designed to be less expensive, but also use higher-grade parts.
The 2 spherical rod ends are self-sealing with Teflon inserts, and don’t need constant lubrication. They’re not cheap ebay Chinese junk, and the weakest link in the whole assembly is still rated to 3,315 lbs SWL.
These 2 joints make up the body of the link, and are adjustable (M10x1.5mm male/female) just like most aftermarket end links. These can be set to the stock eye-to-eye distance of ~62mm, or there is up to 10mm of positive adjustment after accounting for a minimum of 5-6 threads engaged between the 2 joints. Perfect for lowered car. A low profile jam nut is there to keep everything together - at the lowest setting, there is still 5mm thread clearance for the jam nut.
All hardware needed for the entire job is included, including new distorted-thread locknuts and associated washers. Eccentric upper bolt is kept in place – a low-profile wrench is recommended to hold it still while the locknut on the inner stud is removed, allowing the end link to slide off.
Other parts included are for insuring the links physically bolt up properly. If anyone wants to see the math and stack-up on the dimensions, I’m happy to share them but figure most people don’t care as long as they fit. I referenced stock parts for all measurements. I’ve done many clash/fouling checks using my NA 944 for reference over the last 3 days. Thread coverage, offset between trailing arm and sway bar, installation/preload approach, etc.
So… drop a line if you want a set. Again, these are going to run about $50/pair plus shipping (USPS flat rate envelope or box). If I can get 5+ people the prices will be lower, so the $50 can drop depending on the interest.
This weekend I looked into building a rear end link kit for our cars to replace my degraded stock parts. Posting to see if there is any interest from others, so I can buy in bulk and get lower unit prices all around. These will cost $50/pair plus tax and shipping as it is. The closest to this setup I could find price-wise is the KLA kit (ebay kit), which is $70 plus $8 shipping and seems to have generic unsealed steel-bearing heim joints...who knows. This kit is designed to be less expensive, but also use higher-grade parts.
The 2 spherical rod ends are self-sealing with Teflon inserts, and don’t need constant lubrication. They’re not cheap ebay Chinese junk, and the weakest link in the whole assembly is still rated to 3,315 lbs SWL.
These 2 joints make up the body of the link, and are adjustable (M10x1.5mm male/female) just like most aftermarket end links. These can be set to the stock eye-to-eye distance of ~62mm, or there is up to 10mm of positive adjustment after accounting for a minimum of 5-6 threads engaged between the 2 joints. Perfect for lowered car. A low profile jam nut is there to keep everything together - at the lowest setting, there is still 5mm thread clearance for the jam nut.
All hardware needed for the entire job is included, including new distorted-thread locknuts and associated washers. Eccentric upper bolt is kept in place – a low-profile wrench is recommended to hold it still while the locknut on the inner stud is removed, allowing the end link to slide off.
Other parts included are for insuring the links physically bolt up properly. If anyone wants to see the math and stack-up on the dimensions, I’m happy to share them but figure most people don’t care as long as they fit. I referenced stock parts for all measurements. I’ve done many clash/fouling checks using my NA 944 for reference over the last 3 days. Thread coverage, offset between trailing arm and sway bar, installation/preload approach, etc.
So… drop a line if you want a set. Again, these are going to run about $50/pair plus shipping (USPS flat rate envelope or box). If I can get 5+ people the prices will be lower, so the $50 can drop depending on the interest.
Last edited by odonnell; 10-04-2017 at 02:04 PM.
10-02-2017, 12:32 AM
#2
This weekend I looked into building a rear end link kit for our cars to replace my degraded stock parts. Posting to see if there is any interest from others, so I can buy in bulk and get lower unit prices all around. These will cost $50/pair plus tax and shipping as it is. The closest to this setup I could find price-wise is the KLA kit (ebay kit), which is $70 plus $8 shipping and seems to have generic unsealed steel-bearing heim joints...who knows. This kit is designed to be less expensive, but also use higher-grade parts.
The 2 spherical rod ends are self-sealing with Teflon inserts, and don’t need constant lubrication. They’re not cheap ebay Chinese junk, and the weakest link in the whole assembly is still rated to 3,315 lbs SWL.
These 2 joints make up the body of the link, and are adjustable (M10x1.5mm male/female) just like most aftermarket end links. These can be set to the stock eye-to-eye distance of ~62mm, or there is up to 10mm of positive adjustment after accounting for a minimum of 5-6 threads engaged between the 2 joints. Perfect for lowered car. A low profile jam nut is there to keep everything together - at the lowest setting, there is still 5mm thread clearance for the jam nut.
All hardware needed for the entire job is included, including new distorted-thread locknuts and associated washers. Eccentric upper bolt is kept in place – a low-profile wrench is recommended to hold it still while the locknut on the inner stud is removed, allowing the end link to slide off.
Other parts included are for insuring the links physically bolt up properly. If anyone wants to see the math and stack-up on the dimensions, I’m happy to share them but figure most people don’t care as long as they fit. I referenced stock parts for all measurements. I’ve done many clash/fouling checks using my NA 944 for reference over the last 3 days. Thread coverage, offset between trailing arm and sway bar, installation/preload approach, etc.
So… drop a line if you want a set. Again, these are going to run about $50/pair plus shipping (USPS flat rate envelope or box). If I can get 5+ people the prices will be lower, so the $50 can drop depending on the interest.
The 2 spherical rod ends are self-sealing with Teflon inserts, and don’t need constant lubrication. They’re not cheap ebay Chinese junk, and the weakest link in the whole assembly is still rated to 3,315 lbs SWL.
These 2 joints make up the body of the link, and are adjustable (M10x1.5mm male/female) just like most aftermarket end links. These can be set to the stock eye-to-eye distance of ~62mm, or there is up to 10mm of positive adjustment after accounting for a minimum of 5-6 threads engaged between the 2 joints. Perfect for lowered car. A low profile jam nut is there to keep everything together - at the lowest setting, there is still 5mm thread clearance for the jam nut.
All hardware needed for the entire job is included, including new distorted-thread locknuts and associated washers. Eccentric upper bolt is kept in place – a low-profile wrench is recommended to hold it still while the locknut on the inner stud is removed, allowing the end link to slide off.
Other parts included are for insuring the links physically bolt up properly. If anyone wants to see the math and stack-up on the dimensions, I’m happy to share them but figure most people don’t care as long as they fit. I referenced stock parts for all measurements. I’ve done many clash/fouling checks using my NA 944 for reference over the last 3 days. Thread coverage, offset between trailing arm and sway bar, installation/preload approach, etc.
So… drop a line if you want a set. Again, these are going to run about $50/pair plus shipping (USPS flat rate envelope or box). If I can get 5+ people the prices will be lower, so the $50 can drop depending on the interest.
Interested.
10-02-2017, 08:38 AM
#4
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
I'm also considering chromoly rod ends, which are PTFE lined and rated to 3x more load. With a handful of people these would still be under $50 total. Would you guys rather get the "better" parts and have it still be closer to $50, or stick with the steel body joints and have the price be lower at that amount of discount? The chromoly parts are probably overkill but I want to check what people would rather have.
10-02-2017, 03:56 PM
#7
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Ok, I called a few suppliers are here is the low-down on bulk pricing. Each "unit" is a kit, which includes everything for the job:
Pricing:
When I get a head count I can give realtime quotes, these are just based on unit pricing plus a few dollars for my time. This setup contains extremely high quality parts that you won't find in the "economy" oriented kits, which use non-automotive heim joints and cost very little to produce. These joints are designed to not need grease and are self-sealing. And it's the lowest cost solution while still including nice touches.
FWIW I looked at the steel-bodied kits (which I did all my checks with, dimensionally the same) and it's around $8 cheaper per kit across the board. After adding everything up, that $8 is well spent on the dragster-quality parts.
- 2x Steinjäger male metric rod ends, PTFE lined bearing
- 2x Steinjäger female metric rod ends, PTFE lined bearing
- 8x M10 safety washers. These go against each heim joint and allow its full range of motion (chamfered) and if a joint pops out, they restrain the rod end.
- 6x M10 flat washers - yellow zinc
- 2x 4mm spacer, to achieve proper offset. The upper joint is not spaced away from the eccentric bolt shank, to minimize cantilevering forces.
- M10x55mm lower bolts. Grade 10.9, yellow zinc, and slightly longer than stock to ensure everything fits on it. Partially threaded, no thread where joint rides.
- 4x distorted-thread locknuts, M10 yellow zinc.
Pricing:
- 7-10 orders: $50+shipping
- 50 orders: $35+shipping
- In between: depends, some parts come in packs of 10 or 25. See below.
When I get a head count I can give realtime quotes, these are just based on unit pricing plus a few dollars for my time. This setup contains extremely high quality parts that you won't find in the "economy" oriented kits, which use non-automotive heim joints and cost very little to produce. These joints are designed to not need grease and are self-sealing. And it's the lowest cost solution while still including nice touches.
FWIW I looked at the steel-bodied kits (which I did all my checks with, dimensionally the same) and it's around $8 cheaper per kit across the board. After adding everything up, that $8 is well spent on the dragster-quality parts.
Last edited by odonnell; 10-02-2017 at 08:20 PM.
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10-03-2017, 04:01 PM
#15
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Alright guys, I feel like there's enough interest to justify a group buy. I'm going to buy enough to make 25 kits. I'll update this post when I get a finalized quote from my supplier but preliminarily, figure around $50 including shipping CONUS. Before I order, I'm going to feel around on some other 944 hangouts... maybe there is enough interest to justify 50 sets. The up-front cost just gets expensive very quickly and I need to make sure I'm not making a huge mistake.
Another question for the interested parties:
Would you like to see rubber boots for the heim joints? The joints I decided on have nylon-faced races (note: these are automotive grade and the weakest part is still 10 kips static rated) and are self-sealing, and you're not supposed to grease them. Grease actually helps grime stick around in the bearings. But, reducing the grime to begin with is better.
This would add about $5 to the price, that's purely what they cost at this quantity with no fluff added. This originally started as "budget" group buy thing, but I'm actually really happy that people are wanting the best quality versus the cheapest parts. This is no Honda forum. They're neoprene and each boot is molded to a thin washer that moves with the joint. So as the joint flexes, the cuff of the boot moves with it and stays sealed. Those washers slightly change the geometry, the spacer would be replaced by a standard M10 washer. The net offset is changed from 28.0mm to 28.4mm but this should be negligible given the joint design.
I had borrowed the steel parts from a coworker and returned them yesterday - they were just to confirm fitment. I have a 3D model I can post later until I get in the first batch.
Another question for the interested parties:
Would you like to see rubber boots for the heim joints? The joints I decided on have nylon-faced races (note: these are automotive grade and the weakest part is still 10 kips static rated) and are self-sealing, and you're not supposed to grease them. Grease actually helps grime stick around in the bearings. But, reducing the grime to begin with is better.
This would add about $5 to the price, that's purely what they cost at this quantity with no fluff added. This originally started as "budget" group buy thing, but I'm actually really happy that people are wanting the best quality versus the cheapest parts. This is no Honda forum. They're neoprene and each boot is molded to a thin washer that moves with the joint. So as the joint flexes, the cuff of the boot moves with it and stays sealed. Those washers slightly change the geometry, the spacer would be replaced by a standard M10 washer. The net offset is changed from 28.0mm to 28.4mm but this should be negligible given the joint design.
Originally Posted by Tiger03447
Got pics?