Wow, $23.81 for a single heim joint?

[Jerry Bransford]

I just checked out http://www.mcmaster.com/ (search for "rod-end") for pricing heim joints to put together a pair of rear swaybar links. I got the threaded rods themselves from Dirk (thanks for the help and good deal Dirk!).

Wow those things are expensive, though I guess I can see where they might cost that much. I am pretty sure I can't get away with any quality less thanMcMaster's "Style 4? Zinc-Plated Chrome-Alloy Steel Housing, Chrome-Plated 52100 Bearing Steel Ball, Teflon-Lined Steel Race" right?

And for a 1/2"-20 female threaded shank, $23.81 is for their p/n 60745K46. I'm totally unexperienced in buying my own heim joints, do those look like the right ones to order? TIA!

[Daless2]

Hi Jerry,

I picked up the McM-Car part number from Blaine last week.

This is for the 1/2-20 "Right Thread" units. I have not ordered or priced them yet, but here is the number Blaine gave to me.

60745K86

Hope this helps you out,

Frank

[mudpup]

not sure if its the right kind or not. A guy around here just spent of $1k in heims for his new suspension links. They were the biggest Heims I have seen. (maybe 1 1/2" not sure, think they were like $70 a piece)

[truckjohn]

McMaster Carr , MSC, and Grainger are all wonderful for being able to buy anything and everything under the sun.

At work, they are wonderful because we can order everything from hand soap to nuts and bolts to machine tools out of the same catalogue and it is all in stock.

You do pay for that convenience dearly. I use their catalogues to find what I am looking for, then I go out and buy the exact same product from someone else for about 40% less.

I like Grainger because you can find out what brand things are. Once you do that, you can find the company's distributors and try to either get things locally or get them way cheap somewhere.

Best regards

John

[mrblaine]

Jerry, while you are rooting around in the rod end section, take a gander at the price of the right and left hand 1" bore x 1 1/4-12 threaded ones and let me know what you think. Kat has 8 of those under her rig, I have 6, and Garry has 8 plus the 8 that Sergey runs. That's 30 of them. I also have two spares with jam nuts.

[Daless2]

Hi Jerry,

I did some looking around on the Grainger site and found some similar Female Studded Heim Rod Ends as well.

You might want to check them out. I

have no idea if they are as strong as the one's Blaine and Brad (Hellbender) have used but they are significantly less expensive. ($9.67 each on my discount.)

The Grainger part number is G6183 and they are found on catalog page 340.

For what it's worth I plan to use the McM-C parts as I have no questions they will work and hold up for me. But for all I know these may very well work as well.

Hope this helps you out.

Frank

[Jerry Bransford]

Thanks all. That's a good suggestion to look the brand-name up in my Grainger catalog and look for other dealers John, I'll probably save some money that way.

Frank, I did see heim joints on McMaster's website in the price range you mention but their descriptions (brass, plastic and bronze races, etc.) lead me to believe they're not suitable for this particular use. It looks like the expensive stuff is what's needed here.

And Blaine heheh, no doubt I'd be in the poor house or my daughter would have to elope next summer instead of getting her dream wedding if I started buying heims and rods like those!

[karstman]

FWIW - I have the Grainger rod ends that Frank posted on my TJ. They have been on for about 3 months (5,000 miles) and there is no visible or noticable wear of any kind. Granted, it's not a long-term test, but they seem to be holding up quite well.

later,
mark

[Jerry Bransford]

I stumbled onto some good looking left and right-hand threaded rod-end heim joints today in a local industrial parts liquidator store that will probably work fine. At only $11 each, I'm going to go with them. They look very well made and the races seem like the expensive ones described in the McMaster catalogs selling for twice the money. Wish me luck, at least the swaybar application they're going to be installed into to isn't exactly super-critical.