Powder coating does that. Use a rat tail file and clean off and open the hole for the new hardware. Its ok.

 

It’s the hole for the LCA……
the LCA has 1/2” bolt holes, where’s as the new Adj. Strut Rod bolts are 7/16s. They provide 7/16s nylon nuts. But is that adequate to keep tight in a 1/2” hole???

 

I have the Scott Drake adjustable strut rods for a 66, but have not installed them as of yet. To answer your question 1) No bushings required or used. 2) I would hog out and open up the holes on the strut rods to 1/2" to match your lower control arms.

 

I don’t like the looks of those bolts. I’d probably return them. But if you want to use them I’d consider getting some partially threaded 7/16 grade 8 bolts with the shank (or shoulder) the depth of the strut rod. (Like the stock bolts). Once torqued down I don’t think the strut is going to move on the LCA. But even if it did it would probably be to the front of the larger holes in the LCA and stay there. Maybe mark the 2 pieces to see if it moved. Then retorque the nuts after driving a bit

 

If I were you I would send them back and talk to shean at Street or track..Another item that need to be put on the SD do not buy list..

 

Yeah DonP, I agree. I was gonna replace them with grade 8.
I purchased them through Holley who bought SD.
They can’t answer the question as well and the Tech had no look containing SD. Their gonna look into it and call me today. Hopefully there’s a logical explanation.
I really like the look of the Adj Strut Rod and it was at a good price.

 

Find a piece a thin walled tube that fits outside the bolts and inside the holes in the control arm. Cut 4 rings and call it "problem" fixed. Aftermarket parts seems to always only be 95% right, the last 5% are DIY work..

 

It looks like the metal on the end of the strut rod that bolts to the lower control arm is about as wide as factory. If that is the case I would drill out the 7/16" holes in the strut rods to 1/2" and use the old strut rod bolts. The engineers designed it for a 1/2" bolt, i would not go smaller.

The new strut rods will have zero "cushion" for the load. Do not rely on torqueing a 7/16" nut to keep the bolt centered in a 1/2" hole.

 

Understood- I don’t have a drill press, just a drill, bits and step bit.
The strut rod is 3/8s thick.
What would be preferred.
Thank you

 

Buy a 1/2" bit. It will be $7 well spent. A hand drill is okay as long as you can hold it reasonably plumb.

Thickness is not what I meant. By width I meant the flat dimension across the face with the holes. My concern would be to have roughly the same amount of material from the edge of the hole to the side of the bar.

 

I'd grab the strut rods and take them to a machine shop, with 4 1/2-20 wheel lugs of the appropriate length, and have the holes resized and the lugs pressed in from the top and use a flat washer under new self-locking nuts on the underside of the LCA.

 

Bart you have some great ideas and fixes for different stuff but for me when buying custom parts they should fit with all the proper hardware and work as they’re supposed to. When I purchased front and rear suspension from Sean it all fit like like it’s intended to and a call was there if I need help and it was Sean on the other end..That is where it’s supposed to be. So I would suggest OP to call Scott Drake

 

Our 68-73 Strut Rods use 1/2" hardware. Oh, and they are made in the USA.

 

Our 68-73 Strut Rods use 1/2" hardware. Oh, and they are made in the USA.

I got them and they rock. No fitment issues. Send back the Drake ones and get these. Can't go wrong with anything from Street or Track.

 

^^^^^^ There's your answer right there. Send back the typical substandard Scott Drake garbage and go with a vendor who makes quality parts for our cars, and who is an active member here who answers questions and uses his own parts on his vehicle. If scott drake cheaped out on the bolts, what else was manufactured on the cheap side?

 

This, and the added time, frustration and nuts, bolts, tools, grinding, drilling doesn’t add up to savings $50. How much is your time worth?

 

And if you have any questions or concerns Shaun is right here to back up his product v "Paging Scott Drake!" Lol. kip

 

If price is a concern, there is always Rosehill Performance. About $310+/- delivered to the door.

Rosehill Performance Parts

Site about ford Mustangs , 5.0, seats, tech, restoration, 9" third member, horsepower

www.rosehillperformanceparts.com

 

Or you can even make them up yourself for about half that price...

DazeCars, Home Made Mustang Adjustable Strut Rods

The step by step prosess of building adjustable strut rods for a classic Mustang

dazecars.com

 

Thank you for all the advise. I ended up drilling out for 1/2” and got some fine thread 1/2” bolts with locking nuts.
Had I know earlier the cost comparison as mentioned above, I have sent them back and got the S or T ones.
min any case, I’m stuck with what I have.
Thank you to all for your help!

 

Thank you for all the advise. I ended up drilling out for 1/2” and got some fine thread 1/2” bolts with locking nuts.
Had I know earlier the cost comparison as mentioned above, I have sent them back and got the S or T ones.
min any case, I’m stuck with what I have.
Thank you to all for your help!

I've learned here a little research before buying will save money and heart ache in the long run!

 

You can take this for what it's worth, but when I was making parts, I performed analysis including shock loads and G forces on the strut rods or reaction rods. I even performed some destructive testing.

Yes, it's nice to have 1/2" bolts and I supplied them because that's the hole size in the LCA. In reality, grade 8 7/16" bolts in single shear (properly torqued) can handle over 10,000 lbs each. The clamping load is also over 10,000 lbs each. Multiply these numbers by 2 and you can see where i'm going with this. There are also 2 strut rods on the car sharing the load.

The plate that Scott Drake used is not that wide. Drilling for 1/2" bolts will weaken the plate in tension. Unless the plate is made of 1018 and not A36, the plate's tensile strength may be less than the shear strength of two grade 8 7/16" bolts in shear (20,000 lbs) let alone two 1/2" bolts in shear. If I remember correctly, the common DOM swaged tubes that are used by many suppliers are also weaker. Drilling the holes out will weaken the plate in tension to the point where the plate may become the weakest link and not the bolts. IOW, the assembly may be stronger with smaller holes and 7/16" bolts.

If there were loads on the strut rod that approached the 20,000 lb mark (on each side), the stock rubber bushings would have been crushed into oblivion. Many Mustangs were raced with rubber strut rod bushings.

Granted, I used a wider strut rod plate and I used 1/2" bolts. Just be careful if you modify those strut rods. Tell me how thick and wide the plate is. I'm guessing 3/8" thick and about 1" wide.

 

Great post blkford. Calls to return these are over dramatic. These parts would have fit 'as intended' without modification to 1/2" bolts.