I'm not using any grease as the ones I use and sell are Teflon lined.

-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Smith <jsmith2@choiceonemail.com>
To: swiftwood@aol.com
Cc: palmer.r@att.net; SEALSIT@aol.com; skip@sealsit.com
Sent: Fri, 27 Mar 2009 7:30 am
Subject: FW: FW: Seals-it Rod end Boots

Hi Brian;

Thanks for forwarding my contact information to Tom. I hop we get the chance to try the boots on his parts. Feel free to use this note or the other one on the forum. As I noted below, I’m always willing to engage in constructive dialog about the pros and cons of our products and their application.

Thanks again

Jim Smith

Seals-it

From: Jim Smith [mailto:jsmith2@choiceonemail.com]
Sent: Thursday, March 26, 2009 10:36 AM
To: 'Tom Urban'
Cc: 'SEALSIT@aol.com'; 'skip@sealsit.com'; 'JMatczak@allyntool.com'; 'palmer.r@att.net'; 'usac90@netzero.net'
Subject: RE: FW: Seals-it Rod end Boots



Tom;

Thanks for your comments and observations.

I monitor the forums for various make and organizations based on our website statistics pages, and look at the top referrals. In this case, there was a fair amount of activity at the Corvette forums, which prompted me to look. We realize that there is often more than one side (sometimes there are enough sides and facets to an issue make a gem cutter jealous!) to any story, so I’m pleased we have the opportunity to correspond about this.

With regard to your comments about the boot, the first question I’d like to ask is if you obtained the boots directly from Seals-it or one of our authorized dealers. The reason I ask this is that there is a “counterfeit” part being produced in the southwest (nothing spells success like imitation) that has a much stiffer compound rubber than we use, and does and will tear when stretched too far.

With that being said, I realize that the nature of the boots makes them somewhat less than “user friendly” to install. The installation tips ( you probably pulled them off AED’s website) were written by me, and were an attempt to ease this process somewhat, as at one time, being responsible for a large rod end manufacturer’s operations, I oversaw the installation of some 50,000 boots of this type and for studded rod ends for snowmobiles, ATV ‘s and agricultural equipment. The design of the Seals-it boots (including a generous stretch allowance) takes into account a few things learned over at least a decade of involvement with this sort of cover.

For large volumes, we used a pneumatic “stretcher” on the neck area of the boot, and dropped the parts in . Stretcher jaws were sized according to rod end size. For field and dealer installations, the expanding pliers I mentioned in the installation tips were most commonly used. I did at one time design and have available “jaw” attachments, but the consensus was that people wanted to “homebrew” their own- mine were too “expensive” and so I gave up this time around. One of our distributors, FAST AXLE, in Bristol, CT, has picked up the torch, though, and does offer a set of pliers ready to go for this application. They seem to do pretty well at this, so for the time being, I’m going to fish over here on my side of the lake and leave them alone.

I believe you’ll find that the amount of stretch built into our parts will surprise you, and judging by the photo you forwarded, the reduced thickness rod end body style you are using should be an easier than normal install. The boot design should easily accept the misalignment spacers/extensions pictured, and the “neck’ area shouldn’t interfere with the “omega “ clamp, as the area at the end of the link otherwise would have a jam nut, and the installed boot is

As you noted, the standard rod end seals were designed for less deflection than your particular requirements seem to require. As a manufacturer of links, had you considered contacting us about this? The standard parts offering that you see on our website, and in our catalog, represent just a segment of the entire spectrum we cover, and it is possible that we have encountered your requirements before. Time and cost constraints limit us to listing the most common and popular sizes, i.e. – standards. We manufacture many bespoke or custom parts for many different manufacturers to meet their needs. The baseline as far as cost is our standards line. As with anything else, if you need something special- your links for example versus what Chevy supplies as original equipment; you supply value added with the adjustment features and spherical bearings, and are able to charge accordingly. We bring the same type of value added to the table since we do all of our design and tooling “in house” with tool and part prices that are very competitive for short runs that other elastomer molders won’t touch. We understand the automotive performance market, and know this is where we have to be.

As to selection of rod ends and the need for protection, the intent of this note is not to debate or comment on the relative merits of any one type of construction or quality of any manufacturer’s offering. They all have their place, as do the two piece seals and the rod end boots we offer. However, when you look at any product offering that uses spherical rod end bearings in terms of customer fulfillment, warranty and liability, the benefits of the increased service life of the part(s), and protection from unwanted or unforeseen contamination provided by the boots or rod end seals represents value added that far outweighs either cost or installation considerations. I offer as additional evidence the fact that our expansion in Europe for both rod end seals and boots (and continued growth in this market) is the result of the points I just highlighted, and the fact that anything sold in these markets is expected to have a one year unconditional warranty. Our boots rod end seals have proven to be the solution to that aspect of the equation for many manufacturers over there, in addition to the obvious protection benefits for applications such as rally cars.

At the end of the day, whether you choose to incorporate our products into your assemblies is up to you. I hope I’ve made some points that will at least convince you to give us another look; in fact, if you’d like, send me some rod ends and I’ll install the proper boots for you and see fit there is anything we can do to help you with the process.

You may also be interested in the attachment – our newest product, the Sealflex Elastomer rod end, give similar misalignment capabilities to spherical bearing type rod ends, and also provide noise, shock and vibration attenuation. The trade off for the compliance feature is less load bearing capability, but for double shear applications, where some compliance and noise absorbtion is required, these are a good choice. We have done “real world testing” in various race applications using these on front and rear suspension links, as well as for “torque absorbers” on upper links for asphalt and dirt track cars that are “sticky “ compound race tires and have a surfeit of power. These vehicles ranged in weight from 1300 to 2800 lbs, and some of the horsepower ratings exceeded 650Hp with 13” + wide tires. We’ve also adapted this basic construction to inserts for the “truck arms” used in the Nascar sprint cup cars as they search for compliance and torque absorption that is peculiar to their blend of small tires, heavy car and a lot of “real” power and torque. To emphasize a previous point, our ”standard” elastomer rod end was the catalyst for engineering from a ”Cup” team asking-“Hey- can your guys build…….”; - you get the idea.

Finally, you or Brian are free to reprint or use any of the information here or in my other note to him. We welcome the chance to participate in constructive discussions of our products and their application.

Best Regards;

Jim Smith
VP, Operations
Seals-it
P; 860-979-0060
F; 860-979-0046

PS- If Brian didn’t send it along, also attached is a picture of our “house” car involved in a “test” session of both rod end seals and boots. Paul White from Temple Texas is doing the “testing”, and along the way, set the current lap record at the Indiana Fairgrounds Mile. Hope you enjoy it!