Rear Drop Links

[gavinc69]

Can anyone help source these :

Porsche OE and Performance Racing Parts - TRGParts.com

I purchased the TRG rear swaybar kit a few year ago and one of the rear drop links needs to be replaced.
TRG don't have stock at present and I can't find a similar part on Pelican or from suppliers in the UK.
Or would a different type of drop link work with there kit ok?

Any help would be appreciated as I need them asap.

Thanks :-)

[911pcars]

These appear to be two rod ends (heim joints), male and female threaded units connected. Unsure of size, but you have the attaching hardware to know. Unsure of material and load ratings. Manufacturers of these items run the gamut from plain carbon steel (inexpensive) to stainless steel, race-quality chrome-moly (more expensive).

In case TRG can't supply, here's one supplier: Easy Rod End Selector rodends Heim Joint

There should be similar suppliers in the UK as well.

Hope this helps,
Sherwood

[JFairman]

those look like tarett drop links.
Porsche 911 Rear Droplink Set, 65-89 with 78-89 factory Swaybar

pelican sells them too.

[KTL]

JFairman's link is for the rod ends to connect a stock 78-89 swaybar to the trailing arm. TRG connects their bar in the same way, but TRG uses English/inch parts.

I had one of those TRG rear bars on my car before I sold it to a friend. The rear droplinks were worn out and squeaky so I had to replace them. Knowing that replacement parts are spendy from TRG, plus rod ends are something widely available, I did some searching to find what links I had. Turns out the rod ends they used were FK brand- I could tell from the brand name stamped on them and the part no. So I went to FK's website and looked up the part numbers, which got me the dimensions of the rod ends and the classification/strength rating. So now I had the exact dimensions and class I needed to do my own shopping.

The nice thing about the TRG or Tarret bar is they use a standardized size, meaning they didn't create a special custom rod end for their application. They use an "off the shelf" standard rod end. So that allowed me to shop anywhere.

The type I ended up choosing is the high strength with bronze liners since that provides some "lubrication." The original ones were plain steel with no bronze or teflon liner. Over time they got loose & squeaky from dirt contamination I suspect. In hindsight I should have used teflon lined ends because they are typically a bit more durable. Either way they wear out- bronze wears down or teflon strip gets hammered out from repeated loading and dislodges. (i've seen this same condition on 935 rear spring plate rod ends). Bronze are holding up fine so far after ~2 years of use which is around a dozen track days and occasional street use.

I got them at McMaster Carr and the size is the 1/2"-20 thread/shank size with a 1/2" ball bore. You need four- two male, two female with right hand threads. Take your pick- standard duty plain steel or bronze races, or get the high strength plain or teflon lined. They're all good. Teflon is a bit more expensive in the high strength version, but I think that's somewhat overkill in that they'll eventually wear out like the standard ones.

The choices are on pages 1173 and 1174

McMaster-Carr

Whatever you do, don't get the grease-able ones or the stainless steel ones. Grease just introduces dirt and wears them out real fast. Stainless stays pretty looking but isn't as strong. And don't "wet" lubricate plain ones. Any sticky lube attracts grit that wears out the bearing. The only lube i'd use on plain ones is dry lubricant like you'd use for firearms- available at most any sporting goods store.

[JFairman]

good information.

the rod ends used in 935's and other high end competition cars were often made of titanium if the team had the funds.
i don't know if the polished ball was ti but the rest of it was for light weight.

[KTL]

Yes I should have said 935-style. Me no have any 935 cars or titanium goodies in my garage!

I have a couple sets of these 935-style plates for coilover 911 cars and they use somewhat ordinary high strength rod ends. The Racers Edge set has Aurora brand rod ends and the other ERP uses a monster 3/4" rod end. The 3/4" ones cost me $48 each when I noticed the teflon liner was all gone and the ball spun really freely.

[Wil Ferch]

KTL says.... " The original ones were plain steel with no bronze or teflon liner. Over time they got loose & squeaky from dirt contamination I suspect. In hindsight I should have used teflon lined ends because they are typically a bit more durable. Either way they wear out- bronze wears down or teflon strip gets hammered out from repeated loading and dislodges. (i've seen this same condition on 935 rear spring plate rod ends)..."

If steel....and presumanbly a bit more durable long-term than naked bronze or teflon-lined....you may want to get heim-joint-end- "booties" that are available. Like the kind you can use on the spendy bump-steer kits rod-ends.

Like from "Seals-It"---> Seals-It

[KTL]

Good tip from Wil. The Seals It seals are nice, but they're a lot more expensive than the darn rod ends! I wholeheartedly agree the solution to contamination is to keep the dirt out. I don't mind spending a bit of money to put something together nicely. I just can't justify the Seals It pricing.

As an aside, I wanted to see if I could install these booties on the 935-style rod ends to extend their life but they won't fit in my housings. Coincidentally awhile back I happened to be searching for some stuff at Baker Precision, whom Sherwood provided a link for, and I stumbled across their more economical boots. Go to very bottom of the page

Rod End Seals, Weld In Adapters, Spacers And Reducers Rubber Boots Lock nut jam nuts

Their rod end boots are much more reasonably priced than Seals It's. I think the boots are the hot setup for the sway bar drop links. Thanks for the reminder Wil.

[Wil Ferch]

Funny....on another thread I'm arguing with a guy where he says paying $2200 to a dealer for plug wire changes "aint so bad".....and the Seals-It kit here is seen as too pricey...

Oh well....

Anyway, no problem friend Kevin.....I see your point as a relative cost to the end-joints themselves. I have to agree. I have no affiliation with Seals-It and if you found fundamentally the same thing cheaper...kudos ! Anyone who knows me knows my personality paradox.....I want great quality but I'm also known to squeeze a penny until Lincoln's eyes pop .....

[gavinc69]

Thats great thanks for the info :-)