Hi has anyone had problems with rear adjustable strut rods , i purchased new ones from zip corvette about 18 mths ago so haven't had much use . had a wheel align back then ok ,but now I have done trailing arms so took in for a 4 wheel align and they broke the strut rods ,cannot believe they are that weak, dont think they new what they were doing ,i thought they were good been around since I was a boy.
took them all day to do it as I waited ,even after repairing strut ,took 4 hrs to do the shim adjustment.
not very happy as I feel I would like to get someone else recheck now.

 

Yep. Get a second opinion.

Where did the rod break? Pics would help.

Ive heard of the rod bending, never breaking.

dodosmike

 

I put these in mine around 2004. I like them. I did my own front and rear alignment - took about a full day - lots of ups and downs. I agree with the above - how the **** did they break them? Plus 4 hours for the TA shim adjustment? Is that including a 3 hour coffee break?

http://www.vbandp.com/auto-parts.htm...category_id=48

 

Now's your chance to ditch them and get the OEM type. Can't break them and there's no jamb nuts to come loose.

 

First ? I have is did they have extra shims for the rear alignment ? Most shops wont have them and if they didn't have them, then how did they do the alignment ?

My bro works at an alignment shop and it took he and I near 2 hours to do the entire car.

I have adjustable strut rods on mine and I love them. I think mine came from Volunteer Vette.

TCT

 

thanks I will get some of those ,don't no how the f--- any one could break one I had them of when rebuilt trailing arms , did not unscrew at all they say they were seized in thread, any way didn't get to take pic as was bit of cover up anyway when I get it done after I replace them with what you recommend, will stay with car next time or it wont get done. thanks for that link
regards Ian

 

I will point out that some folks DO NOT favor this type of Strut Rod for different reasons. I would suggest you do your research and make your pick based on not just "what I like." YMMV.

Maybe the folks doing your alignment were turning the lock nuts the wrong way to loosen them? Some are RH threads and others LH.

Good luck.

 

Bingo.

The adjustable struts are in no way better than stock pieces, just different. Any strut with a poly bushing is a step backward. Poly is not a suitable material in this location.

 

I put poly adjustables in my '78 4-5 years ago. Zero issues. I had read that the stock type adjustments were susceptible to movement and my stock rods were bent up pretty bad from PO trying to clear his bubba'd up exhaust.
So, new exhaust, new spring and new strut rods were installed

I don't notice any difference in the rubber vs poly, but my car is just a cruiser.

http://www.corvetteamerica.com/cf/di...%20strut%20rod $110. complete

I heard/read on here the rods with the hiem joints are overkill unless your drag racing or autocrossing, but I have no firsthand knowledge to back that up for sure.

Now that I think about it Ive never seen adjustable rods offered with rubber bushings. They may exist, but Ive never noticed them. I wonder if the stock rubber bushings fit in the adjustable rods if a person removed the poly bushings?

dodosmike


edit: http://www.corvetteamerica.com/cf/di...20strut%20rods
Stock rods are $50 EACH plus the bolt kits

 

There's absolutely nothing inherently wrong with the concept of adjustable struts, tho I don't see the point with any system that retains eccentrics (they just do NOT maintain adjustment under severe loads). That said, not all rod ends are created equally. You might not always get high-end ones when you lay out good money, but you sure as heck aren't going to get them if you don't. And, I would not rely on an anonymous brand for any serious hi-perf or racing application.

As for poly, while I don't have a problem with it for components that are meant to move about an axis, such as at the CA shafts, it isn't best suited to any point at which things move in more than one plane, such as at the struts or TAs. While there always seem to be plenty of positive reviews to suggest that they're great, fact remains that even tho poly does reduce compliance, it nevertheless induces torques and loads into and thru components that move in 3D. This also increases the possibility of creating inconsistent binding stiction which can make it more difficult to fine tune one's springs, bars and shocks to best do their jobs.

Sorry if my mixed review doesn't happen to please anyone, but IMOE the characteristics of these individual bits matter enough that they should be considered separately.

Bottom line: if you're not stepping up to high quality heim-jointed struts w/o eccentrics, IMCO you might as well stick with the stock setup and rubber bushings here. My $.02, PayPal accepted.


TSW

 

I have rear strut rods with heim joints fabricated by Toms Differentials on my 68 and 70. No problem...well OK, the 70 has never been on the road.

 

There's many accounts of the jamb nuts coming loose on the adjustable struts, the number of which exceeds the accounts of stock eccentrics coming loose. This is in spite of the small percentage of adjustable struts in service. Most cases were using the poly bushings which i think we all agree are not suitable for that location due to the torsional load put on the rod as the suspension moves through it's normal arc.

Every case I've seen of stock eccentrics coming loose was due to improper installation or simply old rusty hardware that did not impart enough clamping load.

 

While I'm obviously wasting my time trying to convince certain members otherwise, please note that my observations on this topic are based strictly on my own actual experiences with both types of camber strut systems, and not on personal preferences, speculation or interweb chat I might have seen.

So, rather than engage in a somewhat pointless debate over this particular item, yet again, I'm electing to exercise my right to leave it up to discerning viewers on which "testimony" to best determine the system most suited to their individual needs. FWIW, I'm not trying to argue that any one system is the only way to go. So, I really don't care which setup others of you might ultimately choose, as long as I have hopefully offered something helpful towards your making that choice. YMMV

 

Admitted I do not know which adjustables the OP had and I do see you like stock over any aftermarket, and agree the likely way the shop broke it was the 18YO so called tech didn't know they make bolts threaded backwards...lol.
BUT...are you really sure that the stock ones are just as good "strong" as the adjustable ones?
I popped a stock one on a pot hole, not a big pot hole, but I was running 10" rims and big tires... the strut looks like the diff end was just cut and opened up into a "C" shape on that end, the strut was not rusted....just gave up,

Here is what is going on my car,



I really find it hard to believe that the stock end is as strong as these heim ends,
Fill me in on this....I hope it's not the case.

 

Excellent words. Common sense prevails once again. Personal experiences are what the OP is asking for. I've had nothing but great success with adjustable strut rods and poly bushings. That why I put them in my Vette as well.

 

Same position as me. Wish there was the resources of CF and other sites available to me back when I first started restoring. I could have saved a lot of work and money by avoiding certain 'upgrades'.