i've been searching for rod ends to make some adjustable control arms. i have found tons of suppliers for heim joint type spherical ends, but NONE for poly bushed rod ends. does anyone here know of any supplier for these or will i just have to buy some rear control arms?

 

Powerflex, but they are for the stock arms. Call the suppliers of the adjustable arms, and see what they use. It will probably be less hassle to do it that way, or to go heim. Remember, MOST (but not all) of the suspension compliance is from the trailing arm and the strut.

When I went to H-Sport rear control arms (just two) I didn't really notice too much change in NVH..... But they're bushed, not heim.

Matt

 

Ireland Engineering - I have four on my car - since last May...which equalls about 20K miles of driving and a summer of track time. I happen to pull these off today to clean and lubricate the threads - snow and salt here in the NE. They're fine.

 

i was looking at the ireland arms. if i were to buy, that's what i would get. however, i'm a DIY type of guy and if i can make something for less... so, i was looking for bushed rod ends online, and no one makes them. i could make some heim joint arms right now. however, being that this is my daily driver, i don't want a squeaky ride.

as far as those powerflex bushings go, they are $15 a pop. so i'd be out $60 for two arms. maybe i could get some solid rod ends and machine the hole larger to fit the bushings... add a couple aluminum rods... hmmm.... i don't want to spend more than $100 for two arms, considering that i could get used ones for around that much.

have i mentioned i'm a cheap bastard?

 

No, but I get it Try Racer Parts Wholesale or Pegasus Auto Racing supply...or Truechoice. You have to be able to work short-tempered folks if you call Truechoice

 

yeah, looked at those, all spherical type rod ends. i guess that the only people making these are racers so there is no market for poly bushed ends.

i see that i can purchase seals for these joints. does anyone have experience with these heim type joints on the street? would these seals prevent dirt from entering and wearing them out? are they really as squeaky as i've heard they are?

 

On my E36 M3 track car I have Rogue Engineering ARCA's with inboard spherical rod ends that incorporate Seals-It brand seals. They've been on for a couple of years and I haven't had any reason to disassemble them to see how they've held up. However I see no reason why they shouldn't have worked to exclude most or all road dirt. They don't squeak.

The Seals-It product consists of a washer bonded to a cupped rubber seal that envelops the spherical ball, one on each side. Unfortunately you can't usually just slap them onto existing installations, since the thickness of the washer portion needs a corresponding reduction in spacer length. But if you're making your own, no problem.

Another possibility might be to adapt stock parts. For instance #2 and #3 here http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...04&hg=33&fg=30 are both ball joints with attached rubber protection bellows at each end. They're very durable, but not cheap.

Neil
05 MCS
96 M3