[Dees67]

I pulled up the old strut rods for Dees67 and discovered that one is slightly
bent. The bend starts at a point about 6-10 inches from the bushing end
and deviates by maybe 1-2 degrees. It's enough to see if you look closely,
but not radical.

Can I /should I reuse this rod? If it's bent to begin with, won't it tend to continue
bending? I'm upgrading to Midolyne bushings which will be stiffer than rubber
and softer than poly. I'm also adding the big front sway bar, subframe connectors,
export brace and monte-carlo bar. Will this new, stiffer chassis translate to more
stress on the strut rods?


Rich
'67 C-code 'vert (Dees67)
'69 GT FB (project car)
Check out my band http://www.brickyardblues.com

 

[66benchcoupe]

Yes, it will certainly mean more stress on the strut rods. I'd replace the bent rod. Is it the passenger side that is bent?

Black primer 66 coupe, bench seat, 68 302-2V, C-4, 3.55 TSD
879 posts as "66 bench-coupe" on old VMF
robert94928 on Yahoo Messenger

 

[Dees67]

It's the rod with the tapered end and the cotter pin. I don't recall which side it came off.
I'm tempted to replace both, but at over $50 a side I have to think twice. I don't want to
replace a rod that's perfectly straight unless there's some good metallurgical reason
to.


Rich
'67 C-code 'vert (Dees67)
'69 GT FB (project car)
Check out my band http://www.brickyardblues.com

 

[Midlife]

This is an essential component of braking and alignment. If in doubt at all, replace it. Use rubber bushings, as the milodyne and other bushings are not pliable enough to handle the motions for the strut rod. These bushings take up all the slack when you emergency brake and the nose dives. Using the harder bushings causes the strut rod to break. The bend is indicative of an impending break sometime in the future.

http://clubs.hemmings.com/baymustang/flamicon.jpgLet me check your shorts! My multimeter is just a-waiting! Formerly known as Midlife in the old VMF.
King of the Old Farts *struts*

 

[Guest]

I just purchased a pair from Laurel Mountain Mustang at $19.95 each after telling them what NPD wanted for theirs And yes, they are U.S.A. OZ.

 

[Dees67]

Point taken. Actually, the Midolyne bushings are quite a bit thicker than the rubber ones
they're replacing. This may or may not make up for the extra stiffness, but I'll order up a set
of rubber bushings. I've got some questions about the function of the strut rods, but I'll
post that under a separate note.

Rich
'67 C-code 'vert (Dees67)
'69 GT FB (project car)
Check out my band http://www.brickyardblues.com

 

[66benchcoupe]

Midolyne is fine. Stay away from Poly though. I've snapped two strut rods with the poly bushings. I've never heard of any problems with Midolyne. They're a little stiffer than rubber but not nearly as stiff as Poly.

Black primer 66 coupe, bench seat, 68 302-2V, C-4, 3.55 TSD
879 posts as "66 bench-coupe" on old VMF
robert94928 on Yahoo Messenger

 

[66benchcoupe]

That swaying on braking is caused by the rubber allowing the strut rod to move, altering caster, changing the toe setting as well which is what the swaying is from. The stiffer the srut the more control you'll have.

Black primer 66 coupe, bench seat, 68 302-2V, C-4, 3.55 TSD
879 posts as "66 bench-coupe" on old VMF
robert94928 on Yahoo Messenger

 

[papacito]

I snapped a pair of strut rods. Luckily, it occurred during the EARLY morning. Otherwise, it could have been papacito's last drive.

"What we have here is--failure to communicate."

'67 coupe soon to be 5.0L w/Edelbrock 1406

 

[Dees67]

What type of bushings were you using at the time? What happened to cause the struts to break?
Some kind of panic stop, I would assume? I'd hate to think they broke while you were just driving
along...

Rich
'67 C-code 'vert (Dees67)
'69 GT FB (project car)
Check out my band http://www.brickyardblues.com

 

[papacito]

I had the Mustangs Plus handling package installed with polyurethane bushings. However, I didn't replace the strut rod bushings. As originally designed, the entire front end suspension will flex during travel over the pavement. Polyurethane bushings do not flex unlike rubber bushings. The rods snapped when driving over a depression in the freeway. The vehicle caught some air and when it landed BOOM! It was goodbye struts and hello loss of steering control. As soon as I can afford it, I'm upgrading the front end components to Total Control Products or Global West products.

"What we have here is--failure to communicate."

'67 GTA (clone) coupe soon to be 5.0L w/Edelbrock 1406