What's new
CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.

Link material

twoslo4five0

twoslo4five0

3/4 ton status
GMOTM Winner
Joined
Oct 5, 2006
Posts
6,616
Reaction score
73
Location
Living in a dump, VA
I recently picked up 8 feet of 2 inch .250 wall DOM for my lowers and 1.75 .250 DOM for my uppers. I know the uppers will be fine but for some reason im second guessing myself on the lowers. Lower link tube is right around 34 inches (without joints, ect). I find myself wanting to sleve these lowers (my neighbor works at a machine shop with lathe acess) with something like 1.5 .500 wall and make them something retarded like 2 inch .750 wall :eek1: plug welded every 6 inches or so.

Talk me out of all this extra work please :thumb:
 
You're not wrong unfortunately. On a hardcore rig you will eventually get a smile in those lowers. You could however press solid aluminum bar into them to make them solid. Miller racing did that on some part of his car that he felt wasnt beefy enough. Maybe the belly of the chassis to not kink it.
 
rampage said:
I'd be worried about electrolysis.
Click to expand...

What's the worst case, they "weld" together and become one piece just like you'd want them to be anyway?

At 40"+ links, there's a good chance you'll bend 2"x.250" under a fullsize rig in the rocks. Sleeving is fine I guess, but keep in mind that the OD has WAY more influence in bending strength (exponentially, to the third power) than wall thickness. 2.5"x.250" links are nearly identical strength to your 2" *nearly solid* links, with WAY less weight and no sleeving.
 
Filing the core of the DOM does little to add strength. Only adding material on the OD will be effective. Better to buy larger diameter DOM and skip sleeving.
 
trouble is, to add wall diamater and still use my tube inserts, id have to step up to a 2.5 inch .500 wall which I guess wouldnt be that bad, mabye I should wait till that event happens.

I the mean time, what if i get these heat treated here loacally?
 
I think sleeve with the bigger OD if using DOM. I have seen 2" .250 wall bend. If you sleeve with bigger it should help more than sleeping internally.
 
Me and my wallet will wait for these to bend before going that route as I have the material here sitting on the bench.

and branik would not be the first number I dialed.
 
I just ordered 6 fette of 2.25 .120 wall dom from speedy metals to sleve the outside of my 2 inch. It was like 70 bucks shipped so it was worth it. poly performance was the same price on the tube but wanted like 50 bucks for shipping. I dont think I will bend 3/8s lowers :)
 
twoslo4five0 said:
I just ordered 6 fette of 2.25 .120 wall dom from speedy metals to sleve the outside of my 2 inch. It was like 70 bucks shipped so it was worth it. poly performance was the same price on the tube but wanted like 50 bucks for shipping. I dont think I will bend 3/8s lowers :)
Click to expand...

Sounds like a good plan. I would go 4130 before aluminum. Steel slides easier on jagged rocks instead of gouging so bad and the extra weight difference is down low.
 
38377k5 said:
That kind of thinking, over the hundreds of parts on the truck, is part of why they end up at 6K :whistle:

But links are a good place for the weight :pimp:
Click to expand...

Start building a desert race truck rather than a rock/mall crawler and it may make a difference. On our 330 lb race car we have to find ways to cut every ounce out of it :doah:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest Posts

Top Bottom