Author Topic: Bend 3/4 bar cold  (Read 6744 times)

Offline RussellT

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Bend 3/4 bar cold
« on: June 21, 2016, 03:17:27 PM »
Hi All

I spent an hour and a half this afternoon wrestling with the anti roll (sway in US) bar on my car before taking it completely off to try and work out why it didn't want to go on.

The attached picture shows the bar.  The ends should be same distance from the bottom of the picture.

I could force it into place taking advantage of the compliance in the rubber bushes.  In fact I think that's what I must have done last time I took it off.

As this is a spring heating it will lose it's temper and make it useless.

I think the sharp bend at the right side of the picture needs tightening up.

Any suggestions?

Russell
Common sense is unfortunately not as common as its name suggests.

Offline hermetic

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Re: Bend 3/4 bar cold
« Reply #1 on: June 21, 2016, 04:18:18 PM »
 Can you get a ratchet strap on, IE fit one end then ratchet strap the other into position. The problem is, if the bar is the wrong shape, the rubber bushes will be destroyed very quickly, did this bar come off the car, or is it a replacement? These bars are really tough, I don't think you will be able to bend it, and heating is a no=no too!

Man who says it cannot be done should not disturb man doing it! https://www.youtube.com/user/philhermetic/videos?

Offline hermetic

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Re: Bend 3/4 bar cold
« Reply #2 on: June 21, 2016, 04:21:26 PM »
just another thought, are any of the mo0untings at the front adjustable, or can be made so? it does look if there is not enough bend on the right side, but if you ratchet strap the ends together, it is more likely to bend in the centre of the front portion, which masy not matter?
Man who says it cannot be done should not disturb man doing it! https://www.youtube.com/user/philhermetic/videos?

Offline chipenter

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Re: Bend 3/4 bar cold
« Reply #3 on: June 22, 2016, 03:25:33 PM »
I have had to support the hubs on axil stands to fit an anti roll bar , as the suspention is narower fully extended .
Jeff

Offline one_rod

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Re: Bend 3/4 bar cold
« Reply #4 on: June 22, 2016, 04:07:19 PM »
The simple answer, if it was made from mild steel, would be to hold the long centre section in a solidly-mounted vice, as close to the start of the bend as possible. Slip a six foot length of 3/4 steampipe over the free end and just "persuade" the thing back into shape.

However...
The fact that this is made from spring steel, and has clearly been stressed past it's Yield Point once, is bad enough. You stressing it back past the point in the opposite direction does not bode well for it's future. Fatigue failures in medium carbon alloys can be sudden and unpredictable.

Unless you have some way of doing a proper NDT on it, you really ought to consider it to be scrap, and look at replacing it.
"A season ticket for the one way ride..."

Offline ieezitin

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Re: Bend 3/4 bar cold
« Reply #5 on: June 22, 2016, 07:54:06 PM »
I agree with one rod.... its gonna snap....if not when you do bend it back but under load,  and i bet even if you did manage to form it back it wont be dead on which will shove the problem down the road.. no pun intended..

Anthony.
If you cant fix it, get another hobby.

Offline RussellT

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Re: Bend 3/4 bar cold
« Reply #6 on: June 23, 2016, 12:12:51 PM »
Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

I am sure I could refit it to the car.  I can get all the fixings on if I leave them loose, but when I start tightening it all goes cock eyed and the droplinks end up at different angles so it ends up tilting the car.

However I would prefer it to be right so I don't really want to do that.  I've been driving it around for nearly a year with the anti roll bar hanging in the garage so there's no great hurry.

I fully appreciate the comments about the possibility of failure but I'd still be tempted to try fixing it if I could think of a suitable way of doing it.  The vice and steam pipe method is OK if you can find something suitable to bolt the vice to.

I'll look for a secondhand one - they are no longer available to original spec.

Russell
Common sense is unfortunately not as common as its name suggests.

Offline DMIOM

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Re: Bend 3/4 bar cold
« Reply #7 on: June 25, 2016, 01:17:44 PM »
.....  I've been driving it around for nearly a year with the anti roll bar hanging in the garage so there's no great hurry.

I fully appreciate the comments about the possibility of failure but I'd still be tempted to try fixing it if I could think of a suitable way of doing it.....

The only thing I'd add Russell is that with no bar, or with a working bar, the handling is predictable. If it were to fail, there's a chance that might happen when under maximum load on a corner and you might get a snap-change in handling (and maybe even a flailing bar end).....

Dave

Offline nrml

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Re: Bend 3/4 bar cold
« Reply #8 on: June 30, 2016, 07:04:22 AM »
Would it be possible to shorten both limbs a bit and make an adapter sleeve that goes either inside or outside? If it is going to be scrap, you have nothing to lose in trying? You can heat and bend the sleeve into shape.

Offline RussellT

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Re: Bend 3/4 bar cold
« Reply #9 on: June 30, 2016, 09:32:00 AM »
Ebay has provided. £5.50. :thumbup:

Of course the postage is more than that. :(

Russell
Common sense is unfortunately not as common as its name suggests.

Offline DMIOM

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Re: Bend 3/4 bar cold
« Reply #10 on: June 30, 2016, 04:21:05 PM »
Ebay has provided. £5.50. :thumbup:

Of course the postage is more than that. :(

Russell

Will they fold it up to reduce the parcel size ?   :coffee:

Dave

Offline Noitoen

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Re: Bend 3/4 bar cold
« Reply #11 on: July 08, 2016, 06:55:25 AM »
The anti roll bar on my Samurai broke and when I looked it I was surprised that it was made from a hollow tube. I removed it and has been like that for years. Could not see the difference.