Weight is the enemy of a race car. Any time you can save weight without reducing integrity or creating an unsafe situation you will benefit. Utilizing thin wall chromoly steel tubing for such things as control arms, Panhard bars, steering linkage, and more are all great ways to not only save weight but allow your suspension and steering to react faster to changes in the track surface, which ultimately keeps your race car’s tires in contact with the racing surface for precise throttle, braking, and steering control that can put you in the winner’s circle.
One easy way to save weight is to replace heavy wall steel suspension and steering tubes with thin wall chromoly steel versions that utilize a swedged end. Swedged tubing is the perfect upgrade to these suspension and steering pieces when sized properly for the application. Swedging the ends of the chromoly steel tubing shrinks the outside diameter down, which thickens the wall of the tubing in the area where threads are created for the heim joint, bushing, or clevis end piece to be installed. This critical area is machined from a solid billet of steel and threaded internally and then welded to the chromoly tubing, which further strengthens the tube. Swedged steel tubes are lighter than their non-swedged steel counterparts while meeting the same strength requirements.
We offer these super strong chromoly steel threaded tubes for your project in a gold zinc finish. They are constructed from high strength chromoly steel and available in 25 different lengths from 4-inches to 24-inches, most in 1-inch increments. These zinc finish chromoly steel tubes are threaded to accept 5/8-18 rod ends, bushings, or clevises with left-hand and right-hand threads. This allows the adjusting sleeve to be mounted between two points of adjustment, such as the chassis and rear axle for a Panhard bar mount, among other fitment applications. Rotating the threaded tube moves the threaded ends of your choice inward or outward for adjustment. For the 5/8-18 thread ends these steel sleeves utilize this equates to roughly 1/8-inch of adjustment for each full rotation of the hollow threaded tube.
Wherever you wish to save weight by using a thin wall chromoly steel adjustable threaded tube with swedged ends in your race car, be it for a four-link, Panhard bar, or elsewhere, it is easy to figure out exactly what you need. Simply measure the center-to-center distance of your two adjustment or mounting points, subtract 3 inches for your rod ends, bushings, or clevises you choose and then order the closest length to that measurement. So, if your final measurement after subtracting the 3 inches for your ends is 18-inches, that is what you will order from the drop-down menu.
Tech Tip: When assembling a tube, each heim end adds approximately 1.5" to the overall length (assuming the heim is screwed into the tube half way.) If you have a heim on each end of the tube, the tube will be approximately three inches longer overall.
Summary: Used for front 4 link bars on my Model A.
Summary: Building my 1st race car and these have worked great.
Yes, I recommend this product.
Summary: Good quality
Summary: I used this product and all the others in this purchase for a rear track bar. The products were excellent quality, my design worked and my truck now has demonstrated better handling characteristics.
Yes, I recommend this product.
Summary: Product was exactly as advertised
Yes, I recommend this product.