88pathoffroad Posted April 9, 2005 Share Posted April 9, 2005 Yesterday I removed my rear axle lower control arms and the panhard rod...I'm going to weld 1/2" angle iron onto the bottom sides of the control arms for strength and general sliding purposes(ala Datz510), and the panhard rod is going to be fitted with a 3" drop bracket on the frame end(ditto). I figure what I'll do is smooth the frame mount, box it with 1/8" plate and just plain weld it to the existing frame mount, drill new holes, space the insides out with washers and use a Grade 8 9/16" bolt to put it back together with. Should be cool when I'm done with it. I'll post pics later, maybe tomorrow if I get the chance. Later.....time passes Today! So...1/2" angle iron is too small. I used 3/4" instead. Works great. A three foot stick of it cut in half works perfectly. Cost me $5.38 at Lowe's. The hardest part about working on these parts was wire-wheeling the old stock black powdercoat and my white paint off. Took me darn near an hour and a half just to do that. Just have to wash them off and then it's primer and paint time! I didn't have the chance to mess with my panhard rod bracket today. Ah well, with luck I'll get it done tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jj big shoe Posted April 9, 2005 Share Posted April 9, 2005 Pretty slick, man. You're making it very hard for any of us to catch up. You ought to change your logon name to 88pathanydamnwhereiwannago. Keep it coming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hardwaretoad Posted April 9, 2005 Share Posted April 9, 2005 I know you changed your LCA's to a newer year (don't remember~ 93-95?), I still have the "dog-bone" ones natch, but like the cleaner lines (& less weight) of the round ones you're using. Nice mod. Then again, although heavier, maybe the earlier ones are less prone to bending due to the cast extrusions? :confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted April 9, 2005 Share Posted April 9, 2005 Yep, that idea for the pan hard drop mount should work fine... basically the same thing I'm drawing up minus the welding with solid spacers instead of washers, and out of 3" channel iron... B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slick Posted April 9, 2005 Share Posted April 9, 2005 <--- sits silently seething of jealousy in the corner..... Looks cool! mod on 88..mod on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted April 10, 2005 Author Share Posted April 10, 2005 Here's a pic of the near-finished panhard rod drop bracket. I used what I had on hand, so the front and back are two layers of 16 gauge steel welded together along all seams with one piece at the rear separating the sides. I decided to go with a bolt-on part as opposed to a weld-on part, mostly because trying to weld underneath a dirty truck is a real pain in the hiney. Next come the bolt holes (3 of them) and finishing the surface of the steel with a flap-disc, then paint and bolting it on with new Grade 8 bolts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 Not to mention the nice thing about bolts is that you can remove them easily... B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZ Terrano Owner Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 I like the idea of the angle to strenghten the LCA's. Will definetly do that to mine as well. We do alot of driving in rocky river beds here in Canterbury NZ and bent arms are common. Not to mention sumps and transmissions. :furious: Would I have to lower the Panhard rod mount for a 2" lift? Or is there enough leeway that a 2" lift doesn't throw the rear end out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted April 12, 2005 Author Share Posted April 12, 2005 I think you'll be fine with a 2" lift. After 3-4" though, it gets a tad rediculous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted April 17, 2005 Author Share Posted April 17, 2005 I finally got it all finished. *whew* I'll be flipping the RS9000 shocks right-side-up before going anywhere, I put 'em on before reading up on the subject of mounting shocks upside down...I was trying to keep the valving adjusters out of harm's way by flipping them over. There are two 1/2" x 4" Grade 8 bolts with Nylock nuts that bolt the bracket on, and a 9/16" Grade 8 bolt with Nylock nut replacing the stock 14mm bolt for my panhard rod end on the drop bracket. A 9/16" bolt JUST fits through the old holes on the lower control arms and the panhard rod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted April 17, 2005 Share Posted April 17, 2005 Looks nice 88. You and your white components.... How much did you grind off of the frame pan hard rod mount lip curl ? Did you devise a method to determine lateral movement if any occurs ? Very tight bolt holes should minimize that anyway, but it is always nice to know. My channel iron version of the same thing should be completed and posted soon. Basically the same thing minus the welding; there's only a few logical ways to approach it, and not a whole lot to work with... Again, nice job. B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted April 17, 2005 Author Share Posted April 17, 2005 I cut off the curled edge and then used a flap-disc sander to fine-edge things. That's about it. Thanks, Bernard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZ Terrano Owner Posted April 17, 2005 Share Posted April 17, 2005 Nice work! :confused: How did you calculate where to drill the hole for the new panhard rod mount? I see that the rod is good and level at rest so you've obviously got it about right. Cheers Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted April 18, 2005 Author Share Posted April 18, 2005 Good old eyeball engineering and solid guesstimation, my fellow Pathy owner. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02silverpathy Posted April 18, 2005 Share Posted April 18, 2005 88, When i see stuff like this it makes me want to sell the '98 and go back a few years!!! way to go i am a sucker for key matched parts!!! Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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