Buying new strut rods....options?

[Doomed]

Shadango,
 
              sorry that I did not get back to you yet, but it looks like you made a decision. I hope you enjoy your purchase.

Kyle.

[shadango]

No problem !  Your original post with the link got me seriously thinking....I just liked the overall look and construction won me over, plus Ray at the shop spent a lot of time explaining stuff....

Basically explained how the strut bushings on our cars are more or less an afterthought in an effort to use strut rods across platforms.....and that for street cars thiese will make a world of difference.

I figured I have to buy new struts anyways, and by the time you consider that these need no bushings, the extra costwasnt that bad for me....thanks again for the link!

[dodj]

Damn budget is bleeding profusely now though...LOL   

Wait till you decide you want more HP!  or a 4 speed! 

[shadango]

LOL 

At least its more fun spending money on this than things like the electric bill....LOL

[dodj]

Definitely!

[efidart]

Well decided to pull the trigger on the ones from Cap Auto after seeing a few posts about them on Moparts too.

I called and talked to a "Ray"....aside from his being on a cell phone (hard to understand at points...I hate cell phones LOL) it was a great call...it was his dime, and he stayed on the line for a good 20 minutes with me and answered every question I had and more.  He seemed to know a whole lot about these suspensions, so I was sold.

He said that folks who mention the forum get a free t-shirt...... 

So I will let you guys know how I like them.

Damn budget is bleeding profusely now though...LOL   

I read your post and a few others about their strut rods and bought a set today!
I didn't even read about the message board thing then I mentioned I read it on here. Then he asked my T shirt size and let me know I get 1 for free!

Good guy to talk to, they look like they will do the trick!
Thanks CAP auto!

[shadango]

Yeah, for the price it seems like they are the best deal...

I was worried about them not using bushings at ALL, thinking that would translate to vibration etc but Ray assured me that no, the bushings were just a stop gap sort of thing in the original design. 

He sounded like he knew his stuff so I guess we will see...LOL

They do look like solid units....in one of the posts elsewhere someone has a picture of them installed.

[cudagirl4406pk]

we are looking at the whole k frame kit but we are going to go with coil overs and lose the torsion bars.We wre also going to go with cap products,As soon as the budget allows kenny in thepast month bought and installed the following,,, rear leaf springs hemi,new jet hot coated hooker  headers,idit tilit chrome steering column and billet steering wheel and also custom made dash that has autometer guages.Also new steering box and new sway bars ffront and rear.He spent like 4k this month running out of funds never enough.

michele

[capautoproducts]

Thanks for your support guys........ oh and CUDA Girl. Gotta love a lady with a hot Mopar!

Sincerely,

Ray
CAP Auto Products
Don't forget to ask for your free T shirt

[shadango]

For anyone who also purchased a set of these.....I installed one side today and came across some info that may help the newbie as I am.

The instructions say to measure the old strut bar "collar to collar" and then set the new strut bar to that length.....

Well, I dont think that takes into consideration that the new bar uses no bushings and the old one does.....when I set it to the "collar to collar" measurement (assuming the measurement was to be transferred to the new bar from the LCA collar to the end of the "BLOCK" that the front connects to) it was too short by the thickness of the old inside bushing. 

I added that amount and all was well.

Maybe Ray can comment on that...it could be that this idiot misunderstood the instructions....

Here is a shot of the driver's side installed....

[capautoproducts]

Ok the instructions are like most any other. After reading them you want to punch out the guy who wrote them......that would be me. LOL

The goal is to set the length such that the lower control arm is able to go through its motion with no bind in any direction. I typically keep the lower control arm loose enough that it rotates in the K frame. Bolt the strut to the front of the K frame and then extend it to meet the lower. Tighten the retainer nut and then rotate lower up and down 2 1/2 from being parallel to the ground. Extend then retract the strut until you find the sweet spot. Lock everything up and you are done.


Good luck, hope that helps.

Ray

[dodj]

  That rebound bumper really jumps out at ya!
Lookin' good

[shadango]

Thanks Ray....one question for ya that I didnt see an answer for in the instructions ---what should the torque setting be for the bolt that bolts to the k-member?

Dodj...yeah, I himhawed about whether to use it....I had ordered them when I first bought the car.....then I ended up going moog on everything but I i figured what the heck...LOL

I actually have a second set, unopened.....Summit listed them "each" so I bought two....turns out there were two to a pack...duh.  LOL  Same dang thing happened when I bought the copper washers for my brake calipers, coincidentally.....

[brads70]

Just stumbled across this post while searching for strut rod options! Nice looking piece!
So after a summer of cruising how are they?  I'm going to have my whole front end ripped apart this winter so I'm looking at strut rod options.
Great post!

[shadango]

Well, hard to say.   Strut rods arent exactly like a new set of gears or a new carb.....where you know for sure the difference.

They have held up fine, I think......after I took the car in for alignment I found that the anchor end at the front, where it pivots, were lined up wrong (they are supposed to sit a certain way to allow full movement.

I assumed this had happened because the tech loosened them up to adjust.

Well, I reset them......and torqued the bolts accordingly, using threadlock.

Some point later I saw that one had moved again.....so I reset it......

Seems like they tend to want to move a bit on their own?  Maybe they are just finding their "place" ?

Nothing is loosening up fromwhat I can tell.....just that end rotating some.

I also have a noise every now and then that comes from each side when turning hard, etc......I swear the noise is coming from those strut rods....but cannot be sure......cant think of what else t could be (unless its my t-bar pivots??)....planning on checking that all out soon now that winter has set in.

The car corners and handles really well IMHO, even with the back end raised up.....not sure how much the strut rods factor in.

I do know they look sweet......LOL