Thread: Which bolts to use with heim joints

Tweet

Dorsey, the main concern about the rod ends that you bought is that they have no information regarding what they are.....just like bolts, the seller should publish the specs...for bolts the spec is defined by the Grade. You might have really good rod ends or you might have something less.

Also, using a lock nut is acceptable for street but you should check with your race sanctioning body. NEVER use a nut with the Nylon (called Nylok), instead, use a nut with the deformed threads....when we remove a bolt and nut on our rock crawler, we throw it away...we never reuse a bolt or nut. The deformed thread nuts are a bear to put on by hand but they do not loosen or come off.

mike in tucson

I suspect Mike is talking about "Stover" nuts? (They can be re-used)
Quote from Fastenright Ltd.

Stover Nuts are vibration resistant self locking nuts. Advantages of using the Stover Nut Include:

The self locking function of the Stover Nut is still effective after a number of applications, hence it can be used many times.

The Stover Nut is an all metal Stiff Nut and is resistant to shocks, vibration and dynamic loads.

Stover Nuts is a 1 piece all metal (class 8) nut. The locking function of the Stover nut us achieved by the deformation of part of the nut.

The nut will run smoothly until it reaches the deformed part after which the clamping force will subsequently increase.

Originally Posted by robot

Dorsey, the main concern about the rod ends that you bought is that they have no information regarding what they are.....just like bolts, the seller should publish the specs...for bolts the spec is defined by the Grade. You might have really good rod ends or you might have something less.

Also, using a lock nut is acceptable for street but you should check with your race sanctioning body. NEVER use a nut with the Nylon (called Nylok), instead, use a nut with the deformed threads....when we remove a bolt and nut on our rock crawler, we throw it away...we never reuse a bolt or nut. The deformed thread nuts are a bear to put on by hand but they do not loosen or come off.

mike in tucson

Years ago, weren't these called Elastic Stop Nuts? Or, is that something entirely different? The place that made those is now called ESNA (Elastic Stop Nuts of America) and is about ten miles from where I live, or was a few years ago.

Something else new - "Stover" nuts. Never heard of them, but I'll soon become an expert. Maybe all of this is new because I have no interest in racing or aircraft, and hence haven't kept up with it. I want my car to look pretty, so I'm still agonizing over how to hide raw bolts in my exposed front suspension while ensuring that it's still safe construction.