Rear housing articulation.

[gnvair]

I have to admit I don't follow drag racing too much but I never realised they had speed bumps ........

My point was they do not need full articulation of the housing. Heck, many guys add a a very thick antiroll bar which inhibits full articulation to inhibit the squat to the right on launch.

 

[UC645]

My vote is for something like Currie’s Johnny Joints in a perfect world- benefits of a Poly bushings in terms of comfort, with articulation levels of a heim joint. Plus they’re rebuildable.
For a cruiser the stock setup works fine, it’s just once you start adding stuff on top of it, things can get hairy, although from what I gather, that’s really only applicable in extreme situations, like 110mph over broken pavement applicable.

Can we clear up "Binding" once and for all?

Hey All, I know opinions are like A-Holes, everybody has one.. But I would really like to shed some light here. I don't know about you folks but I my head is spinning because of all the conflicting information about "Binding" with G body cars. Roto joints? Adjustable LCA or UCA? Non...

gbodyforum.com

 

[pontiacgp]

it could also be to keep the rear wheels pointing forward.....if the right side is compressed the back wheel on that side travels forward and with the extended left suspension wheel travels back.

 

[UNGN]

The best stock pickup point set up for articulation is Currie uppers with a Fays2 watts link and a frame mounted rear sway bar. This is the best set up to avoid launching the back end when hitting a large bump, mid corner. IRS would be way better, sure.

 

[gnvair]

The big question is what is the car being used for? Drag race? Road race/autocross? Daily driver over varying conditions? Each use has specific modifications to achieve the best result. The daily driver trying to achieve a combination of all of the above is the hardest to do. When in doubt, keep it stock. But bottom line is stock suspension OR a suspension with rubber bushings gives you ride compliance AND articulation. Rotojoints/monoballs/Johnny joints give you articulation but no ride compliance. Hard durometer bushings such as nylon or polyurethane or solid metal bushings give up articulation and ride compliance. The latter are best for drag racing use only as the issue with them in handling situations is snap over steer when they hit the articulation limit. The main reason why guys would change bushings in the first place is to eliminate the induced wheel hop that occurs with the rubber bushings.

 

[pontiacgp]

The big question is what is the car being used for? Drag race? Road race/autocross? Daily driver over varying conditions? Each use has specific modifications to achieve the best result.

or you can buy a HellKitty.....

 

[81cutlass]

On my 2+2 I have heims on the body side and rotojoints on the housing side on my uppers and boxed sock lowers with poly on both sides.

When I had rubber lowers (30 year old stock ones albeit) the car wheel hopped like an SOB, even when the lower arms were boxed and the uppers were solid with rotojoints on both ends. My 4th gen f body would wheel hop like a SOB too until I swapped the lower bushings out with poly, and those bushings were maybe 10 years old at the time and not destroyed.

I have enough negative experience with wheel hop that if it is a performance car I won't run rubber in the bottoms arms. It's fixed my problems twice on two separate cars. New rubber might have solved that issue, but I know poly did. For me, a slight reduction in articulation (which isn't seen anyways since I have a blazer axle mounted swaybar) and a slight chance in fatigue of the pickup points over a period of years on the frame is a risk I am willing to take for not wheel hopping every time I lightly spin the tires.

Now I do think putting boxed uppers with poly (or alum) upper bushings is a poor idea on anything but a pure drag car, but honestly if you think you need a performance upper arm you should just get an adjustable one with a heim anyways since the rear on your car is likely not centered and the pinion angle is far from ideal.

I can literally flex the stock unboxed lower arm by hand. The axial rigidity is not sufficient for a car trying to go straight, fast. Having rotojoints in the lower arms is better, sure. But, I don't see many people taking their lowered G body through the MacDon's parking lot exit and maxing the suspension travel out like Rhonda's rav 4 loaded with 30 bags of walmart groceries and every seat loaded with a runny nose kid.

 

[scoti]

I'll add to the mix….

Curries were the solution @ one time. Spohn has the similar Del-Sphere pivoting joints. Toemaytoe vs toemahtoe 'ya know.

Now, Detroit-Speed (Swivel-Link) & Speed-Tech (Articu-Link) offer a screw-style link that offers even more rotational movement beyond what the Currie/Del-Sphere joints could. Solid (Delrin) bushed @ the ends & a tube that can smoothly rotate 360°. No binding there.

 

[Rt Jam]

What's the worst that will happen? The inside rear wheel picks up.

If the car is used for drag racing, street driving or stock. You want the anti sway bar to resist the articulation.

The whole point of not using a solid bushing is If the wheel picks up. That is fine if it's from the resistance of the antisway bar. You do not want the solid bushing / mount fighting the articulation. The mount was never designed for that.