heim joints vs bushing ends?

[duceducenine]

are heim joints any good looking @ fbirides.com
the 73 complete 4 link kit? are heim joints
strong enough, safe, reliable? thanks for help
looking to put it on my 84 crew that i converted
to 1/2 ton suspension?

[duane67c-10]

get on ***************** they have the heaviest duty overkill stuf around, i saw on nissancustom.com this same question and they said *****************. i got a 4link kit from a local race shop and couldnt make the heims work without a pan hard bar so i got the heavy duty triangulated 4link kit fron suicidedoors and thats stuf is stout, it puts that other stuf to shame. check out the difference! hope this helps

[Bagged Nissan]

if you get the GOOD heims, XM, RSM type from places like ballisticfabrication.com then yes, they are good. The heims that FBI uses are very cheap and wear out very quickly.

A full bushing 4 link doesnt give a lot of movement, so if you just plan to roll and not really flex your truck around (i.e. sides, try to 3 wheel, etc) then bushings are fine. If you want some movement in what you build, then heims or johnny joints are the way to go.

suicidedoors is fine, but i order most of my stuff from gravity-werx.com

[Shane]

vote #2 for suicide doors ... very well known and reputable, as opposed to some

[grnddwn]

I use bushing ends or joints such as super flex joints or johnny joints. Everyday street use is not the place for heim ends in my opinion.

[duane67c-10]

the ones i got from that race shop didnt even have grease fittings! thats metal on metal! i bet they squeek too!

[Bagged Nissan]

You can get a heim that is everyday.. they last 20-30k if you get a good heim.

metal to metal heims is what i think FBI is using, if not they are the cheap kevlar ones (there are better grade kevlar ones).. Heim's do not need a grease joint as they are self contained. It is what quality you get as to if they will last or not. Being self contained, they dont get anything in them to damage them.

these are pretty decent heims. http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/...p_84-1423.html

[duane67c-10]

yea those are alot nicer than the sh!ts i got

[ChiefRocka]

If you purchase a QUALITY heim from a fab or race shop...then you will not have any problems.....

Just to give you an idea....back in the day...we used to use "hardware store issue" heims on the ends of our hydraulic cylinders (1/2" fine)....

We put TREMENDOUS amounts of load of those things...side and straight on loads.

Those darns things would bend and the end of the shaft, and stay together.

The entire side weight load of a 65 Impala, up on three wheels, all supported by a heims-joint and one rear corner...not bad for a $9 Orchard Supply Hardware store heim !!!

So if you aquire some quality ends, they will last, for sure !!!

Especially just a suspension link.

[Scott68-93-97]

Do not buy fbi's heims I agree with previous responses fbi is local to me and I know a lot of people down there owner and manager included. But like I said there heims are garbage (to say it in a nice way), they carry a lot of good stuff but heims are not one of them I will get info from my buddy who owns BC Fab and see what he uses, there a good quality heim but they cost twice fbi's

I prefer bushing ends or superflex joints, superflex's are greasable, easily rebuildable, there like a spherical bushing, Like putting a bushing and a heim in a blender

[XXL]

Originally Posted by grnddwn

Everyday street use is not the place for heim ends in my opinion.

Road grime plus Heim = prematurely worn out, noisy, sloppy connect points. If you're going to drive it, use bushings.

[Bagged Nissan]

Originally Posted by XXL

Road grime plus Heim = prematurely worn out, noisy, sloppy connect points. If you're going to drive it, use bushings.

heims are SEALED.. How they are made, is the problem. you have metal to metal cheapies, etc..

[XXL]

Originally Posted by Bagged Nissan

heims are SEALED.. How they are made, is the problem. you have metal to metal cheapies, etc..

Sealed? It's a metal spherical bearing. Regardless of what you want to wipe them with, they're subject to the same laws of nature as any other metal moving part. Since my comment was tied to "daily driving" can you point out examples where automobile manufacturers (who have spent LOTS of R&D dollars on cost-effectiveness, durability, and reliability for their moving suspension parts) use Heim joints? They use rubber (urethane, graphite, whatever) bushings for a reason.

[duceducenine]

thanks everyone for your help looks like i wont be doing heims.......

[Bagged Nissan]

Originally Posted by XXL

Sealed? It's a metal spherical bearing. Regardless of what you want to wipe them with, they're subject to the same laws of nature as any other metal moving part. Since my comment was tied to "daily driving" can you point out examples where automobile manufacturers (who have spent LOTS of R&D dollars on cost-effectiveness, durability, and reliability for their moving suspension parts) use Heim joints? They use rubber (urethane, graphite, whatever) bushings for a reason.

Well you better not add headers, bigger exhaust or bigger a cam, because they are worthless with all of that r&d chevy does and doesnt use them from the factory.

They are a spherical bearing and they do move and eventually wear out, the ****ty ones wear out really quick, the GOOD ones last you 20-30-40k miles, if not more. You act like they instantly get dirt in them and are junk.. they are like Uniballs.. they move, but they the contact area is sealed off.. when the joint pivots, you're not dragging rock and **** into it, there isnt a huge gap there.. hell use the heim dust boots if you're worried then. Just like johnny joints, they need rebuilt at some point.. bushings are fine, but if the guys wants movement he needs to get a heim or johnny joint.. i use bushings b/c i never hit sides, but some ppl do and they need to be told what their options are for what THEY want, not what everyone else wants.

[XXL]

Originally Posted by Bagged Nissan

Well you better not add headers, bigger exhaust or bigger a cam, because they are worthless with all of that r&d chevy does and doesnt use them from the factory.

Uh... price of tea in China?

Originally Posted by Bagged Nissan

You act like they instantly get dirt in them and are junk..

I typed words. I'm not acting like anything. Methinks you are compensating.

Originally Posted by Bagged Nissan

...they need to be told what their options are for what THEY want, not what everyone else wants.

Hence my post expressing some of the shortcomings of Heim joints and some anecdotal commentary about the factory not using them either. Seems like you don't want this option told.

[Tony@AirRideTech]

XXL you are right.... for a daily driver you want to use a bushed end... better yet a compressed rubber bushed end link. Heim ends will work for daily drivers in a panhard bar situation but on a link bar ... definitely bushed or rubber.

The best heims you can get on the market are kevlar lined heim joint. The problem is like XXL mentioned... you will eventually get small debris between the kevlar and the metal ball or outer shell. Once that happens... you loose tolerance and the rod end is done.

[grnddwn]

Originally Posted by Tony@AirRideTech

XXL you are right.... for a daily driver you want to use a bushed end... better yet a compressed rubber bushed end link. Heim ends will work for daily drivers in a panhard bar situation but on a link bar ... definitely bushed or rubber.

The best heims you can get on the market are kevlar lined heim joint. The problem is like XXL mentioned... you will eventually get small debris between the kevlar and the metal ball or outer shell. Once that happens... you loose tolerance and the rod end is done.

I have to agree with Tony.

[duceducenine]

thanks guys for the info i just bought a kp 6 link.......

[gringoloco]

Cool. Didn't know they were available yet...

[grnddwn]

Good choice !

[N2TRUX]

Thanks for stepping in Tony...

[Tony@AirRideTech]

No problem man....... I post when I can. If you people would quit calling me I would have more time to screw around.......

[GMBowtie79]

bulletproofsteering.com has some nice rod ends if your using 3/4-16 with a 3/4 bore.