Rehash of Heim joint/hexbar fix

You would think that, by now, folks at CB and elsewhere, selling that ball and socket design that lasts about 2 seasons, would wise up, move to a design with Heim joints and just get on with it.  

 

Might have to increase the price by $20-30 bucks to the consumer, but the increase in quality and longevity would be worth it.

 

Heck, and we even showed them how to do it!

Can't complain....I did the Spyder and logged 15K+ mi. with no problems, and did my current ride, CMC, also, which took care of a whole slew of sync problems...  Gotta love it...  

Sorry, I did the heim joints and got about 12K out of them before noticeable deterioration on the hexbar pins. I'm sure it was related to the dusty conditions where I lived. I'm sure it would've lasted longer if I lived in the burbs but, still,  there's no comparison to the hex bar system and the SyncLink. Danny, I hope you get an opportunity to try one. If I was a wealthy man I would send you one so you would know why I'm such a fan.

My results have been similar to Terry's. I've also had quite an issue with the pins. The deterioration wasn't from the dust (I live and drive on only paved roads)- it's the weak link in the "hex-bar solution".

 

I've worked my way through standard hardware and stainless steel (which lasted less than 5K mi), and am now using grade 8 bolts (with the heads cut off). This set-up is way, way better than "as delivered", but is not the do-all and end-all.

 

Even if you do get everything nice-n-snug, you still have to deal with irregular arms. I've got no less than 5 sets of linkage arms, and no 2 of them are drilled exactly alike. This means that unless you are willing to fill a hole with JB weld, and drill another hole in one arm or the other- the sync doesn't stay consistent through the range of motion. As delivered, most CB linkages are either in sync at idle or WOT, but almost never both. Given a choice, I'd sync at idle. The discrepancy in air-flow at WOT is fractional. At just off idle, it's huge.

 

It isn't that I don't know how to do this, nor that I haven't made the hex-bar linkage work just fine-- I just think there's a more elegant way to get this done. I'm on a quest for perfection in all things.

 

I'm ready to try SnycLink.

Maybe I have an advantage over you Speedster guys because the Spyder engine bay is wide open? I set the angles to perfectly match, dead vertical and same distance L-R and the exact same angle F-R. I used a bunch of washers to space the downlinks to within a fraction of a degree. No it isn't perfect but it's darn close. I guess in a Speedster you'd have to line all this up before the motor goes in? The bottom line is it works, very well, and it LASTS. Plus it's cheap. Which is why I put the thread over here and NOT on the synclink thread. I'm not saying it is do-all-end-all. But it does the job for the guy who is unwilling to spend $300 beans on linkage.

 

So I really don't care about your expensive thing, I'll never use one, there's just no need. Well maybe if I got one for free, but I would never spend $300 on one. You have to realize this is a guy that spent considerable money on an engine, more than most. But at the same time, I also put crankfire ignition on the car for a grand total of $160. So I spend money where I think I should, but not where it seems there is a better/equal solution and cheaper.

 

Stan, are you talking the cast aluminum arms or the carb arms? My cast arms are identical.

 

I used mild steel rod bought at Home Depot, my heims were like $5 each from a race shop in western NY. So less than $20, shipping included. Plus an hour of my time to do it, and maybe another hour to think it all up. It is still good after 31,000 miles, so I really don't understand the wear problems.

 

This thread is not for why the synclink is better or my modified hexbar wore out. Sorry, can't hear you, I'm out driving the crap out of my engine, linkage, trans, and tires.....

Terry--where did you buy your synch link set up.  I want to try one.  Thanks.

Jack, straight from Pete:

 

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/cla...etail.php?id=1381017

 

We should take this discussion back over to the thread you started, okay?

 

Sorry to interrupt your party here, fellas.

 

 

oops--me too.

I have over 20,000 miles on my heim fix set-up. I converted in 2007 i think. There is no noticeable slop as of yet.

~WB