I'm finishing up the rearend of my hybrid. It has a Currie HP9 as the base. The trailing links are custom drop arms from Rovertracks. I'm using the stock A-frame arms. The problem is the fawking balljoint. First, I need a stock rear housing to cut the balljoint mount from for relocation onto the Currie axle. Secondly, I need to replace the bad joint I pressed out. While looking at this from every angle and hearing people always asking for more articulation a thought occured to me. Why use a balljoint or heimjoint here? Why not incorporate a big ars u-joint instead? It should hold up to torque loads adequately and the range of motion would beat a heim easily. A couple of modified yokes could be fabbed to mount to the housing and the A-frame. The joint would sit in a horizonal plane with more movement than most could ever use. What are your thoughts?

ok, so do it. never heard of it. heims usually are not the limitting factor in a set up like the rovers, it is the physical length of the upper triangle. but hey, that is outside the box.:smokin:

GO FOR IT


pics please for lazy and over worked ones that don't like to read the whole story

:grinpimp: :grinpimp:

Not certain but I think that to allow articulation in all the necessary directions the U Joint would also need to be mounted to a drive flange that is able to rotate a few degrees, because when one lower link is at full droop and the opposite is at full compression the rear axle will steer (yaw) a bit so the universal joint coupling should allow for this. Then again people build 4 link suspensions with heim joints everywhere and they seem to articulate, although for that to happen something has to be stressing, bending or tearing.
Bill.

Agrover, you're right. I woke this morning with that very thought in my head. There would need to be some movement in the third plane and I don't think the bushings would be enough to compensate. I'm not sure it is worth the extra trouble now but I'll ponder it through the day.

If you are also relocating the axle, you have multiple options for modifying the upper arms and the arm to joint bracket. Is there any reason for the u-joint to not have free movement in all three planes? While the mechanicals might get complicated from a theoretical perspective, I see no reason why the joint shouldn't be allowed to freely move. OK, it might make on-road handling really squirrelly.

PT

While I'm not discouraging any "outside the box" thinking. You should just do a 4-link and be done with it. I think, in the end, it might be easier than the U-Joint idea. But that doesn't mean it won't work, it's just going to take some thought.

you can get a rover housing for next to nothing at a junkyard. Just get a rear and cut off the mount. I know that KC has done it several times and when i finally get around to doing my axle swap that's what I'll do just cut the mount out of my old axle and put it on the new

-ben

I've looked for housings locally. Since LR's are not common place here (except for the bling crowd) the salvage yards think it's all gold plated.
There was one a few months back in the only PNP around but I didn't have the tools or time to get at it....sucks too. I will use the stock balljoint if I can find that bracket to flame wrench off a housing. I'm not looking for extreme articulation anyhow.

I have a junk rear housing that I can cut the ball joint mount from for you.

As far as the u-joint idea goes, i think that you would have a problem keeping snap rings on the two caps responsible for keeping the axle located laterally.

If you are also relocating the axle, you have multiple options for modifying the upper arms and the arm to joint bracket. Is there any reason for the u-joint to not have free movement in all three planes? While the mechanicals might get complicated from a theoretical perspective, I see no reason why the joint shouldn't be allowed to freely move. OK, it might make on-road handling really squirrelly.

PT
Congratulations on your four thousandth post, PT
Bill.

there were two rangies sitting in a junkyard in suffolk. It's the second set of yards on the left when you are heading down 58 towards suffolk. It's right before the dump. I know one was pretty beat so I am sure you could talk them down. Hell take some peanuts with you I'm sure they'll sweeten the deal then

-ben

64rovr, I'll gladly take you up on your offer. Email me at mark4460@cox.net to work it out. Many thanks!

Pictures are worth a thousand words. It doesn't compare to most of the insane machines built in here but it should be fun for a daily driver. The surface rust will go away with the galvanizing dip once all chassis work is complete.

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Sorry about the first photo (it hurts my neck too). That is a 2000 Corvette LS1 nestled into the chassis along with the 4L60E and flipped Dana 300. The last pic shows the area where 12" was removed to shorten the chassis. It will be reinforced with plates before the galvanizing.