I think the early aftermarket hot rod parts are pretty cool….but is there a reason they don’t make them like they used to? I would really like to run these ends and build my rear ladder bars off of them. But they are cast, ductile iron. The last guy who tried to weld to these looked like he did it with a torch and a coat hanger and it did not hold, but can a steel tube be successfully structurally welded to these? That is exactly how they were intended to be used, but maybe you don’t see a lot of this stuff on cars because it didn’t work. Might just end up using them as spring hangers only. Thoughts?
A lot of those were sold. I would clean them up good and have at it. Talk to your welding supply guy. There are specific types of rod that work best.
I really have no business posting in this thread... except, my dad welded the cast iron exhaust manifolds on my coupe and I asked him about it, and from what I remember he talked about pre-heating the metal, and cooling it slowly. But I'm sure more qualified welders will chime in.
I have a set of those, I don't like how they are designed to be run parallel to the frame. I was hoping I could heat and bend the spring perch like the original 35-36? bones so I could put the tie rod ends closer to the center of the chassis.
You can either weld the radius rod to the spring hanger then heat the rod and bend it, or make a pie cut in the rod, bend it and weld up the pie cut
I haven't used this product, but I'm itching to get my hands on some to try. No preheat, and can weld dissimilar metals. Might be worth a shot. Has anyone here used it? Home - EZ Weld TIG Wire
After considering the options, I would clean them up, DO A PROPER WELD PREPARATION, then a slight pre- heat & tack & then weld properly with 309SS stick weld(for dis-similar ferrous metals) & let them air-cool slowly.
Thanks for all the input guys! If I use them, I do plan on pointing the wishbones towards the center or the car mounting around the trans tail shaft, then I will add a torque arm to each side.
If you search the HAMB for PSI threads you can find the name of the guy who has been selling off Gene Scott's remaining PSI stuff. He may well know the best welding method, A trick for bending these thick wall radius rods, is to pack the interior with fine sand before the heating and bending. It helps to cut down on wrinkling.
I installed an NOS set on my friends Model A chassis but they were the "spring on top" version and I angled them towards the driveshaft in the front. I believe that is the main reason yours broke (along with poor welds). They are loaded a lot more when mounted parallel and on the outside of the frame. They made a neat installation on my buddy's chassis with the proper kick in the rear of the frame.
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