akitagandy
Member
can everyone give me some ideas as to what size radius you are running front & rear pics would be a help
radius rods
- Thread starter akitagandy
- Start date
Ted Brown
Member
After many years and many sets of radius Rods, both front and rear, I have settled with 7/8x.188 wall DOM tubing for all my tie rods and steering rods and the front Radius rods, either 4 bar style or hairpin style. If you run a small tame engine, you can use the same for the rear, but as it seems, most have pretty good running V8s, and then I use one inch DOM tubing x .188 wall for the top rods and now I use Square 11/4" min. with a wall of .125 to .188... for the lower bar... I have found this to be pretty much strong enough for any size engine, blown or otherwise. I do not want my axle changing caster to any great degree, so, the longer the radius rods, the less movement in that department, saves on spring twisting and less stress on all the rest of the mounts as well, my own opinion... As far as rear length, same goes for the rear end pinion angle. A shorter radius rod tends to tweak things way too much.. That is IF your suspension has good travel for a comfy ride... no up and down movement to speak of, not much worry about, and not much traction either, or a short lift radius rod, can give too much lift in the rear, I believe the chassis needs to lift equally, ft and rear with any hard launch... but still keep the ft wheels (at least one) on the ground, as it is mighty hard to steer with the wheels off the ground. If you are going to get real fussy about total traction and handling, balancing the chassis and then a radius Rod built the correct length to get the job done is now in order... But really, make it to your hearts desire as far as looks go, as this is a fun ride, not a race car... Best of luck and have fun, build safe, ride long...
We make lots of radius rods in all lenghts. They are all made from 1" DOM with a .219" wall. A lot of guys on this board use our rods. NONE have ever bent or broke.
There are several pics on the web site. www.eztbucket.com
There are several pics on the web site. www.eztbucket.com
Ted Brown
Member
Thanks Don, Well I will say that has been light years ago, and these new younger builders are hard to change, especially by a tell it like it is type like Me. hehe Sorry if I step on anyone's toes here, but it is just me and my way... SO; best to listen to all, and do your own testing, I had to learn things the hard way, with many AG/S cars, they test what is strong or not... and what works as far as traction also.. I hope everybody that ever wanted a rod, takes the time to build, or buy one, but get out there and drive, life is too short to miss out on the fun that they bring.donsrods said:Not to hijack, but I didn't realize our Ted Brown was THE Ted Brown. You are a hell of a fabricator Ted, followed many of your builds over the years in various magazines. Nice to rub elbows with one of the true Icons in this hobby.:rofl:
Don
donsrods
Member
I know what you mean Ted. The beauty of these forums is that there is such a wealth of information available, and some heavy hitters like yourself give freely of your experience to try to save other guys who might not have the same experience lots of headaches, time, and money.
I am a member of some rat rod forums, even though rat rods are not really my bag. But I don't mind them, and I like to try to steer some first timers on the right path to build them safe and sound. We are all in this hobby together and I wish I would have had these forums to learn from when I started this journey 50 odd years ago. I had to learn by what I could get from little books and making LOTS of mistakes.
But all we can do is try to pass the torch, and if the other guy is willing to open his mind up he or she can learn a lot on forums like this one.
Don
I am a member of some rat rod forums, even though rat rods are not really my bag. But I don't mind them, and I like to try to steer some first timers on the right path to build them safe and sound. We are all in this hobby together and I wish I would have had these forums to learn from when I started this journey 50 odd years ago. I had to learn by what I could get from little books and making LOTS of mistakes.
But all we can do is try to pass the torch, and if the other guy is willing to open his mind up he or she can learn a lot on forums like this one.
Don
tfeverfred
Well-Known Member
Very well said, Don. Oh, I saw pics of your new carb setup on the HAMB. Sweetness personified!
Ted Brown
Member
butch27 said:
I will second that motion... :} Looks real bad no matter how it happened... Looks unsafe, and is... Believe this or not, my X partner from back in my racing days, Chuck, used to build front Radius rods using 1/2 inch conduit. with 3/8 NF nuts welded into each end for 3/8 heim joints on his super light AG/S 33 Willys... He was really nuts, but with no front brakes he was very lucky, plus, that he did not get side ways, as they would have gone away real quick.. Don't ever do anything this stupid or foolish...
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