Make your own trac bar?
Thread Starter
|
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 241
Likes: 0
From: Southern California
Make your own trac bar?
Well, I had an idea the other day on making my own trac bar, now that I bought a welder. I was planning on cutting the OEM trac bar down the middle, put a sleeve on it and make it the 1" longer that I needed. While that maybe easy to do, I thought of a different approach: make a completely new one.
I can buy two 3/4 x 3/4-16 heim joints (Chromoly, 3/4"x1.75" shank and 3/4" hole) for roughly $20 each. I believe the actual bolt is a 7/8 or possibly larger, but stick with me. I could then buy a 4' piece of solid stock and have a local shop make female threads on them for rather cheap. Put the heims at each end and I'm set. Seems like a good idea to me, but I'm just wondering on how strong this set-up would be, since there is always a load on the trac bar.
Joey
I can buy two 3/4 x 3/4-16 heim joints (Chromoly, 3/4"x1.75" shank and 3/4" hole) for roughly $20 each. I believe the actual bolt is a 7/8 or possibly larger, but stick with me. I could then buy a 4' piece of solid stock and have a local shop make female threads on them for rather cheap. Put the heims at each end and I'm set. Seems like a good idea to me, but I'm just wondering on how strong this set-up would be, since there is always a load on the trac bar.
Joey
Senior User
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 360
Likes: 0
I thought about the same thing. The only thing I would change is, instead of solid, I wold go with a 1/4" wall DOM tubing. It is actually stronger than solid. Also, when you buy the hiem joints, make sure they are heavy duty. Also, for what reason do you need a trac bar that is only 1" longer? By the time you buy the material and joints, your probably looking at more money than it would cost to buy the adjustable one off of Ebay. Hope this helps.
Kyle
Kyle
Postmaster
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,612
Likes: 2
From: Dunwoody, GA
I paid about $150 shipped for my adjustable Fabtech track bar on Amazon. If you can do it for half the price or less then it might be worth a shot. If it costs more than half and it doesn't work, then you're out a good bit of money and still have to buy a new track bar.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 6,948
Likes: 44
For leaf sprung trucks with only 2 inches, why change it at all? For 4" trucks the drop bracket works just fine, and keeps the angle correct when using a drop pitman arm. For 6 inches and larger, why run one at all?
Have thrown every trac bar away (sway bar too) for trucks greater than 6 inches.
Have thrown every trac bar away (sway bar too) for trucks greater than 6 inches.
Thread Starter
|
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 241
Likes: 0
From: Southern California
LOL... $30 per 3/4" heim, $20 for 4 feet of 1 1/8" .125 walled chromoly, $10 for some threaded bungs... so I'm looking at about $90 for everything, plus I get to weld the stuff myself... still not sure if I should just spend the extra $60 and avoid the hassle...
Joey
Joey
Trending Topics
Postmaster
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,612
Likes: 2
From: Dunwoody, GA
Originally Posted by RagingBull2k2
LOL... $30 per 3/4" heim, $20 for 4 feet of 1 1/8" .125 walled chromoly, $10 for some threaded bungs... so I'm looking at about $90 for everything, plus I get to weld the stuff myself... still not sure if I should just spend the extra $60 and avoid the hassle...
Joey
Joey
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
10 Things Every Truck Owner NEEDS (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer
Joe Kucinski
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)
Brett Foote
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies
Joe Kucinski
AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make
Brett Foote
Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!
Michael S. Palmer
Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home
Verdad Gallardo
10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!
Joe Kucinski
Cross-Country
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 63
Likes: 0
From: langley, british columbia
around here a home made trac bar will cause you to end up in a vehicle inspection in no time. you are better off without one than with one that looks like you made it yourself.
when it comes to suspension parts it's usually a good idea to keep stuff at least looking factory or you end up having to deal with ignorant government employees or people representing them.
when it comes to suspension parts it's usually a good idea to keep stuff at least looking factory or you end up having to deal with ignorant government employees or people representing them.
Posting Guru
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 2,105
Likes: 3
From: Anchorage Alaska
Originally Posted by steve604
around here a home made trac bar will cause you to end up in a vehicle inspection in no time. you are better off without one than with one that looks like you made it yourself.
when it comes to suspension parts it's usually a good idea to keep stuff at least looking factory or you end up having to deal with ignorant government employees or people representing them.
when it comes to suspension parts it's usually a good idea to keep stuff at least looking factory or you end up having to deal with ignorant government employees or people representing them.
Ray
Postmaster
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,612
Likes: 2
From: Dunwoody, GA
While "some" people may be able to fab up something better than the factory parts, there are those who think "ok i have the tools I need to build this so this obviously translate to me always making a better part". Then you have something like the guy who welded a lift kit to the frame of his GMC/Chevy or whatever that truck was in that thread posted previously.
I'm not saying it's not possible to build something better, but if you've never done it before and you screw up in someway it's not only your own life at risk, but others who could potentially catch a flying part through the windshield while driving down the highway.
I'm not saying it's not possible to build something better, but if you've never done it before and you screw up in someway it's not only your own life at risk, but others who could potentially catch a flying part through the windshield while driving down the highway.
Thread Starter
|
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 241
Likes: 0
From: Southern California
lol... you guys make things so complicated... the only "fab" I would be doing is cutting some chromoly to a certain lenght and welding a couple of bungs, lol... nothing out of this world about it... some of the best fab work I've seen has been done by regular people like you and me, while some of these bigger shops in socal put out some scary stuff... it all depends, man... hell, even stuff from the big companies aren't bullet-proof... nothing is, you just gotta make sure you don't half-*** anything... then THAT is when you start getting problems...
Joey
Joey