Homemade traction bars.
 

Needed some traction bars bad to get rid of that wheel hop i had at the track.

Tell me what ya think


Mounts
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i3...9/DSCN1933.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i3...9/DSCN1934.jpg

Little welding to the frame for the front mounts
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i3...9/DSCN1937.jpg

Painted and mounted
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i3...9/DSCN1958.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i3...9/DSCN1959.jpg


Sure launches alot smoother now, does ride a hair rougher though...

:rocking::tu:

Looks good:tu:

They look great. My monitor is to dark to tell, are those grade 8 bolts. If so I wouldn't go there. Grade 8's are great for clamping force but they suck for shearing forces. They're so strong and hard that they are brittle and shatter.

If im shearing bolts i got bigger problems....

They look good

Thanks for clearing that up:tu:

Also the traction bars arent under that much stress!

I never argue my point or try to prove a bunch a scientific formulas wrong, I'm just not that smart. I don't pretend to have any great knowledge of anything and have always been the first to admit when it when I'm shown to be wrong. all I offer what I've learned and experienced in my 40 some years of experience in the ag industry and 10 plus years in the trailer business.

I've fixed many a trailers and hitches due to bolt failure of grade 8's that have exploded and shattered. I've seen grade 5's rust through and even been cut through, but never have seen one just snap in these applications.

But to each there own, doesn't always have to be a right and wrong, just different ways of doing the same things.

besides the color, it looks good man :tu:

Cheaper brand of grade 8s by chance? I'd take a high quality grade 5 over a cheap grade 8.

those are tractor 3 pt hitch links, arent they?

Ya top links, got everything at tractor supply including my bolts....

thats what i thought. my front track bar is made from one of them. lol. isnt the best but it works.

i would like to build a set of these some day. how bad does it affect the suspension? is it applicable for a daily driver.

theres tons of people driving with trac bars everyday.

Grade 8 being inferior to grade 5 in any way, shape or form is an old wive's tale. Always use grade 8 for any application where you anticipate high load or strength requirement.

Suspension bind is what's causing it to seem to ride rougher.

I dont know what else you would use?

Ya thats what i figured, sure launches alot better that wheel hop got scary!

also plmcrazy what size and kind of tubing did you use and did you just cut off the end of the tractor top link and weld it into the pipe? thanks for the info

To be honest i dont know what diameter the inside of the pipe is. I didnt even measure that. I know overall they are 56" long. The top link i just cut in half and then slid it into the pipe like you said. The tubing is pretty thick i would say 3/16s, it maybe overkill but thats all i could find to fit the top link in.

Keep an eye on your welds, especially if you're beatin' on it.

I dont think the trac bars are under alot of vibration so my welds should be fine.

I'm not talking about vibration. Do yourself a favor and run this simple test: unbolt the fronts, pile a half ton of whatever in the bed, then try to bolt the fronts back up.

You should understand what I'm talking about after that.

Luckily i never put 1000 pounds in the bed.....

If your launchin hard enough to need traction bars, then your puttin 1000 pounds on that rear suspension. There's gonna be a lot of force on those anchor points.

True, well this weekend i guess we will see how they hold up with slicks and a 10 psi launch.

real heim joints and threaded tube would be the best, the tractor links have an extremly course thread on them, where the heims have a fine thread.

Or, you could do it they way I did when I was testing this set I built for the 1st Gen:

http://stuff.is-a-geek.net/PhotoAlbu...cs/CTD_134.jpg

Maybe you are still just missing the point? :argh:

Not to be rude but these arent my first set of bars to make. Ive made several on other trucks including my own. Not ONE truck has came back to me asking me to reweld. Two of the trucks i have done bars on are pullers and workers during the week. I think your worried to much, we get that alot in structural steel especially the contractors always thinking its not good enough. I am not missing the point, but its a point that im not worried about. Just saying not trying to be rude but look where im coming from.

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I dont plan on adjusting them to much. Plus i didnt wanna spend ALOT, like i said in my earlier post ive made a few with the same top links and they are working great.

Long as you don't mind driving a truck with the rear suspension bound up like that, cool, go for it. Just sayin'.... :w2:

But trust me, if you work it hard enough or do enough boosed launches those welds will eventually start cracking and let go. Seen it many times.

what is the best way to build them so as to not put the suspension in a bind then? im wondering because i want to build a set for my truck.

put a shackle at the front end of the bar. that way it can still move with the suspension, but the bar will stop it from rotating. doing this though u will need an aditional bar going from the lower link to the top side of axle also.

The best way would be to back half the truck and install a 4-link with coilovers - if you're serious about drag racing, that is.

Only other practical method is a Caltrac-type system. A shackle with a solid rear mount helps, but still won't eliminate suspension bind.

Mount a shackle on the other side of the leaf spring. That way the axle follows the path of the traction bar. :yeah:

My setup will be fine, ive done it a few times and the guys have been running them for over a year now. No problems not one, if your a good welder you should have no problem, only thing i would suggest is put a big nut on the end of the trac bar. So you dont scratch your paint when you adjust them.

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Alot of guys are "serious" and have not done that and still run great times. Alot of people want to drive their truck to the track and drive it home after.

Im looking more for building mine for sled pulling in the futuure

Sled pullers typically use bars like that and block the suspension.

They also need to be longer then mine.

Sweet thanks for the info guys

looks good and saved money