II Much: Evolution (now more pics)

[parsonsj]

Hey guys,

I've been upgrading my car over the past year, and I've been getting requests to post up those changes along with some pix.



It now has awesome Vintage Air A/C (along with heater, defroster, etc.), integrated iPhone stereo/gps/internet radio, a TrueTrac differential (nee Detroit Locker), and now I'm working on replacing my old steel heim joints with these cool Delrin/steel replacements.

Steve Spohn (www.spohn.net) has been working to bring these to market for a while now, and I've just picked up a set for II Much. Those old steel heim joints (some people call them rod ends) work fine, but they transmit significant NVH (noise/vibration/harshness) into the cabin, they rattle, and they will eventually wear out.

Spohn's new Delrin/steel heim joints use a steel ball, Delrin inserts, and forged outer housing. It eliminates metal on metal contact, but is just as accurate and durable as steel on steel designs. It is also rebuildable, adjustable, and greaseable. Their only disadvantage (that I can see) is that the housing is significantly bigger: it's wider, heavier, and requires more bolt clearance (centerline of the bolt to the end of the housing). That's not a problem for me since I designed all my brackets (except one) for rubber or polyurethane bushings and so my brackets are all plenty wide enough to step up to these.

My car has been getting harsher on the street and it's because my heim joints are starting to wear. As they clearance themselves, they start to get play between the ball and the outer housing. That leads to rattles and banging noises as the clearances are taken up during acceleration and braking. As soon as I saw these, I snagged a set.

You can get these from Marcus at SC&C, since Marcus is a Spohn dealer. (www.scandc.com)

They just got here today, and I'll be installing them over the next couple of days. Here's a couple pics to start: