Radius rod ??

[Mdrat]

I took my radius rods off the other day to replace them. Took exact measurements from upper bat wing mount to rear mounting point before removing them. When i did remove the rear bolt on the first one, radius rod kind of 'popped; downward. When the rear bolt was removed from the other side it just slid out, aligning perfectly with the mounting bracket hole. OK, took measurements and set up new radius rods to match said measurements. The first radius rod that I installed I had to 'lift up' to get rear bolt in. This action caused the front axle to twist slightly forward. Next installed the second one and the rear bolt lined up perfectly. Buttoned everything thing up and went for a test drive. Drove straight and true as before. But afterwards got to thinking that maybe I did something wrong, with the tension on first radius rod and the movement of the axle. Did I? The reason all of this was done was that the radius rods were bent and need to be fixed or replaced.

 

[2old2fast]

If you level your frame perfectly and do the same with the front axle AND the associated brackets was welded to the frame and axle in perfect alignment then theoretically the radius rods should line up , that rarely happens IME.....

 

[Mdrat]

Car was sitting on garage floor on all 4's. So what you are saying is I should jack up and level frame front to rear level and axle left to right radius rods mount up perfectly?

 

[2old2fast]

Level frame all ways , frt to rear , l to r , axle l to r

 

[2old2fast]

If you want to go to trouble , you can remove the front spring so everything can be placed at ride height , however , theoretically , that shouldn't affect the outcome ..

 

[Mdrat]

Thanks 2old2fast. Ill turn on shop heater and get crackin!

 

[fluidfloyd]

Mdrat... Ideally you want every thing the same left to right. Radius rods that are long enough will be a little more forgiving then short ones. In the rear you really need to match them as close as possible. If the front pivot points are not level or in plane of each other vertically it can cause torque steer and make the car drift to one side or other. Think of both the front axle and the rear housing as nothing more then big anti roll devises. That is one reason a fully articulating suspension is more forgiving in accuracy due to slight misalignment. Also there is considerable less bending stress on all the components. Just something to think about. Good luck with your project.
George