Where do you buy heim joints, clevis', threaded rod etc?

Where do you guys like to buy these types of parts?

And somewhat related, is there any reason you can't just make tie rod ends out of heim joints?

most locost guys use mcmaster carr http://www.mcmaster.com/

For simple stuff, speedway motors

^^ this. Speedway also has tapered posts for making tie rod ends with heims (or you can ream the taper out of a spindle/steering arm.

+1 for McMaster and Speedway. I also buy from Pegasus Auto Racing.

If you need it now, check local kart shops. They usually carry most of that stuff.

+2 for McMaster, Speedway, Pegasus

I use Mid State Bolt and Screw. I do not think that they have heim joints, but they have everything else that you are looking for.

http://www.midstatesbolt.com/

I've heard reference to something referred to as "the Coleman Catalog" as a source for all that, guess it's popular with dirt-track guys.

Racer Parts Wholesale: http://www.racerpartswholesale.com/category/Rod_Ends

McMaster's is good too, of course, but higher in price. And Pegasus has top quality stuff.

Rod ends at least 1/2x20 the cheapest place is Capital motorsports http://www.cmwraceparts.com/ when you figure in the cost of the jam nuts and shipping. They even beat the guy on e-bay selling "4 Link rod end Kits"

Theses guys are good too. http://www.midwestcontrol.com/

As for sweadge tubes i make my own. I used to buy 3/4 6160 from McMaster and drill and tap but now i just by the "tap tube" from Left Hander chasis. It's 6 or 8 sided alum extruded with the proper hole size for taps. Now i keep 6ft in the race trailer and a set of left and right taps cut the bar to size and put the taps in the cordless drill.

https://www.lefthanderchassis.com/v2a/viewproduct_group.asp?idgroup=2512542

Lefthander has steel tap tube in biger size too.

or, get all fancy and go to Aircraft Spruce

slantvaliant wrote: or, get all fancy and go to Aircraft Spruce

They actually have good prices on clecos.....MUCH better than speedway

I have to second Midwest Control. They've done right by my customers and I for the shift linkage conversions I've done on several Dodge Omni's.

Polyperformance

Rod Ends

Rod End Hardware

Suspension Joints

• Lee

I have this sudden urge to go flip a canoe

Hey, cut the robot some slack. Not everybody can spell "unexceptionable." Of course, the robot may not actually know what it means.

http://qualityairride.com/front_page

Had pretty good success finding what I need at https://www.rodendstore.com/rod-ends

Here's a place to search for threaded tube as well: https://www.levelxms.com/chassis-steering-suspension/chassis-components/threaded-tubes

Taiden wrote: And somewhat related, is there any reason you can't just make tie rod ends out of heim joints?

I have large beefy Heims in my rear suspension.

They last about two days before they rattle, and I can move the pinion up and down about half a degree or so. That would be utterly unacceptable in a steering system.

Also the noise drives me up the wall.

https://www.midwestcontrol.com/

Knurled wrote:

Taiden wrote: And somewhat related, is there any reason you can't just make tie rod ends out of heim joints?

I have large beefy Heims in my rear suspension. They last about two days before they rattle, and I can move the pinion up and down about half a degree or so. That would be utterly unacceptable in a steering system. Also the noise drives me up the wall.

Offroad guys use heim joint steering fairly regularly. It's just a matter of finding joints that will hold up.

Holy zombie thread, Batman!

Relevant question, though: has anyone here ever built their own control arms/panhard bar? Worth it? And how bad do rod ends suck on the street? I've thought about doing some like This before but keep chickening out because I would much rather the liability of a potential failure fall on someone else. Assuming the same tube dimensions used in the link, it seems the tensile strength should be more than sufficient (and theoretically no bending load with the heim joints??), I just worry about thread tear out.

Also, any good source for 1.125-1.250 OD threaded aluminum tubing like that in the link? Seems that all I could find the last time I looked were 1" or less in diameter.

has anyone here ever built their own control arms/panhard bar?

I did a panhard bar for my 2.6 Impulse.

you can see one end of it in this photo:

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/media/img/readerrides/IMG_0077_1.JPG

aluminum tube came from Speedway, rod end too I think. the high misalignment spacers came cheapest from ebay- I had to slightly modify in a lathe for my application. the axle end uses one of these:

after I got the axle centered I have not had to touch it.