to hiem or not to hiem????? what would u use???

[67cougnut]

as many of u know i have been shopping around looking for a rack and pinion kit for my 67 cougar. i am almost pretty sure i am going to go with the steeroids set up but it looks like the outter tie rods use a hiem joint and they give u spacers to adjust for "bump steer". my question is " which is better?" i see that baer offers the hiem style for for their bump steer kit,but what about factory style with the ball joint at the end? are the hiems a suposed "better" design? any feed back would be great!!! thanx in advance!

[baz67]

Reduce the font size please

[Goatman]

Heim joints on the street? Not for me........... Unless you like replacing them every year or so....

[silver69camaro]

Heims can actually last a long time, especially if you use dust seals and a good, quality product (FK 4340, etc). I wouldn't hesitate to use them. Really, how many miles are you going to put on the car? Probably not 100K.

[71dusterdan]

herb adams, a big time suspension engineer raves about heim joints for streetcars in his book about suspensions. my upper control arms are heim joints, so i vote yes. sorry i cant offer anything more than an opinion. even if you replaced them once a year they are not really cost prohibitive.

[Goatman]

If anyone can offer proof that they add value to a street car's suspension, I'll change my tune....

[Marcus SC&C]

As a rule I don`t care for them on street cars. We`ve got a big drawer full of the ones we`ve replaced over the years on customers cars. They don`t break they just develop lash and start to buzz and rattle. I really don`t like them in heavily loaded suspension parts because they transfer so much vibration to the body. I`m okay with them in lighter applications like swaybar end links provided that Seal It seals are used. I generally give them a generous wipe of synthetic grease and then install the seals and wipe off the excess. The grease acts as an additional barrier against grit and moisture. For tie rod ends we`ve got a better solution. We have a version of our modular PC Series greasable tie rod ends that has a 3" long 5/8"x16 threaded stud,broached for an allen wrench on the end. Just drill and tap the steering arm,adj. the bumpsteer with an allen wrench then lock in place with the jam nuts. You don`t even have to take anything apart to adjust them. Nice and tidy. :twothumbs Mark SC&C