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SuzukiSavage.com
/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Steel strength question /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1274927123 Message started by Edgar on 05/26/10 at 19:25:22 |
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Title: Steel strength question Post by Edgar on 05/26/10 at 19:25:22 Hey guys, I like the look of having a steel bar in place of the springs. Kind of a hardtail look. Would 12 Gage steel be strong enough to bolt into the exsisting spring mounts? I saw some pretty good bars at lowes today. And to cut it would you guys recenend an angle grinder or a hack saw? It's only about a 1/4 inch thick. Thanks |
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Title: Re: Steel strength question Post by Serowbot on 05/26/10 at 22:37:26 It all depends on what you encounter on the road... A big enough bump will break anything... If you get steel struts stronger than the shock mounts,... particularly the top ones,... all the energy that they resist is transferred to the mounts... and they will bend or snap... In other words,... over-engineering the struts simply breaks something else... If you go that way,... just try to avoid rough roads, don't over-inflate your tires, and go slow... I wouldn't want struts stronger than the mounts or frame... if they bend, they're cheaper and easier to replace... ...and a hacksaw will cut a 1/4" easy with a decent blade... PS,.. don't do anything irreversible, you probably won't like it. But, give it try if you like,... I know some people swear by it... And show us pics and give us a review... Positive or negative, I'm sure it will help others... ;)... |
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Title: Re: Steel strength question Post by Edgar on 05/26/10 at 22:53:10 So would u suggest a weaker steel? I've seen a few guys on here do it, that's where I got the idea |
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Title: Re: Steel strength question Post by verslagen1 on 05/26/10 at 23:11:21 12 gage sheet metal? no way 12 gage tube, maybe 1" diameter, ok maybe... http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?pid=10295&step=4&showunits=inches&id=845&top_cat=0 |
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Title: Re: Steel strength question Post by John_D FSO on 05/27/10 at 00:23:02 Yeah, 12 ga. is 0.1046", or just under 1/8". A little thin for struts. Seems like I remember someone on here using about 0.25" for struts? :-? Oh, and 1/4" is close to 3 gauge: http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/scales/sheetmetal.html Handy little conversion chart! :D |
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Title: Re: Steel strength question Post by Edgar on 05/27/10 at 01:14:05 617265647B7670727926170 wrote:
It wasnt exactly sheet metal, it was a lowes, more like a thin bar, and was rated at 12 gage............ Here we go, its not the exact one i was looking at, but it looks like this: http://www.lowes.com/pd_44160-37672-11674_4294925642_4294937087?productId=3057601&Ns=p_product_price|1&pl=1¤tURL=/pl_Miscellaneous%2B_4294925642_4294937087_?pageNumber=30$Ns=p_product_price|1$currentPage=16$totalPages=44 and what i want to do is pretty much what this member did: http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1274490832 |
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Title: Re: Steel strength question Post by prechermike on 05/27/10 at 03:05:00 Edgar, I'm sure if you pm'ed dirty savage he would be glad to tell you about the struts he used. That way you get the straight scoop. |
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Title: Re: Steel strength question Post by onelunger on 05/27/10 at 04:38:54 The link you posted was for a flat bar. Personally, I would not use flat stock for struts. The flat bar does not have good rigidity and will bend/flex. I would use some round tube and weld round ends on either side perpendicular to the strut. Picture a shock w/ round eyes at either end. I would then fit bushing on either side. This will provide plenty of strength and the bushing will lessen the shockload on the strut, mounts, and your backside when a sharp bump is hit in the road. |
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