Caltracs before and after on supercharged 5.7

I didn't notice any change in ride.

like i said earlier...you probably CAN use the factory bushings.

but, IMHO, you shouldn't. it needs an immobile, non-squishy joint.

you are putting a lot more pressure on the connection.

I can't see them wearing out.

the only noise comes from poorly adjusted bars..

my recommendation....tighten them more than you think you should.

if not,
they will clatter when you are decelerating AND going over a bump....like a speed bump.

 

I think his build was lost to a natural disaster.

 

Yep, you're not wrong. Just wondering how those with factory bushings did it and if it's still working well. Appreciate the input!

Oh shit! that's terrible... I'm looking to buy caltracs to install with my SOS lowering kit too. His truck was so nice!

 

I had both the caltracs and SDHQ versions and ended up keeping the sdhq since they are the easier diy install/remove, don’t interfere with offroading and make no noise I can detect.

Both are good options and the Caltracs price is hard to beat.

With a supercharger you definitely notice axle wrap during quick 0-60 type acceleration, so if you’re gonna do that should use some kind of traction bar.

 

Absolutely! I'm limited to caltracs since I have the SOS lowering kit. Which is fine by me lol. Thanks for input!

 

Wondering if somebody can help me out with these dimensions in the picture? And the thickness of the individual tabs. Would be greatly appreciated

 

I welded up some shock tabs from ruff stuff to accommodate 3/4 heim joints for homemade traction bars. 1 1/2 height and 17/8 width for 5/8 grade 8 bolts. I'll have to double check in the morning.
In the pic I di add an additional .25 plate to front and rear of traction bar tab mounts.

 

Those measurements seem small compared to the calteacs, no?

Very cool, i like that! Is your homemade setup working well for you? Are they adjustable? Do yours still ride and articulate well without a pivot or shackle at the front mount?

Thanks for sharing the pics. Giving me more ideas and motivation!

 

It's based on a mixture of the bds kit and an another online kit. The tabs are .25 plate tabs and articulate well with the icon 2.5 lift/coach builder shackles.
I wasn't sure if you were thinking of your own design or having custom caltracs made.

 

Where and how did you mount the camera for this? I am having a hard time finding a good location that won't melt on my exhaust

 

4firemandan hasn't been on here for awhile after his truck was flooded in a hurricane.
Gopro type cameras usually have a gimbal and magnet/straps that you should be able to come off the frame or body.
I duct taped an old camera to listen to differential whine.

 

It’s been a few years since I’ve bought ladder bars but no way are the sdhq worth $1500. Guess it’s time for me to bust out the welder and torch and build a set.

 

I was able to build a set of traction bars for about $200. Used the stock axle plates with tabs welded on. RUffstuff.com has everything you need.

 

You read my mind.

 

Except ruffsfuff is having a ton of issues with getting stuff out. So I’d steer clear a bit

 

Yea ruffstuff has gone to shit supposedly. I've bought a lot of stuff from them but they're off the books now. Order some tube from a steel store and buy some joints from Polyperformance, WFO, Summit Machine, Busted Knuckle, etc.

 

Weldtab.com

 

I hadn't ordered in 2 years. Thanks for the update and @snivilous

 

What size tube did you use for your bars? Assuming you did threaded inserts so you could adjust preload? Looks like a heim in the rear and a bushing up front? Guessing some spacers on the axle side as it looks like the heim doesn’t fill the gap between the tabs completely.

 

My buddy had 2 tubes, 4ft ea 1.25 dia, he wasn't using. Welded in rgt and left tube adapters for heims. I used 3/4 heim joint with misalignment spacers. In hindsight I would have used heims all around. The front poly urethane kept getting chewed up. I used .25 thick shock tabs for welding to frame and axle plates. Rear need to be about 1.5 inches or more, 2 inch is best for articulation.

 

Did you weld the tabs straight to the bottom of the axle plates or on the front face? If you did heims all the way around, you could have narrowed the tabs and done away with the misalignment spacers saving some hardware. Or were you using those for articulation help?

Planning my build out. Going to add ramps to my trailer and figure might as well get this stuff ordered also. Wife says I need less family time and more me time so I’m taking that as material procurement approval.

 

You definitely can do it narrow like @j_supra asked in post 36. My initial thought was to use the contour of the stock plates to keep me from misalignment ofthe tabs. I welded them just forward of center on the plates. I did 3 passes on each side and added a backing plate across the back of the leading edge of front and back mounts. Using the curved 1.5 inch shock tabs limited the extreme travel by a 1/4 to 1/2 inch. The only reason I switched was the deal on the sdhq ones.