Heim Joints
 

Where's the best place to buy rod ends? Ballistic Fab has them for $8.50 a piece, plus the cost of the tube insert ($9.99). Is there a cheaper place?

just my opinion, but seems like you get what you pay for when it comes to rod ends... $8.50 each sounds like you'll be replacing all of them every year, or they could pretzel more expensive bits if they fail...

again, just my thoughts... take them for the $.02 they're worth.

:D

you could also consider alternate tubing size... if you get tubing with enough wall to machine them directly (without the adapter) it could be worth the tubing cost to avoid the adapter cost???

what size are you looking for?

I ran some ballistic heims and they lasted one trail run before they were loose and squeaking. I got some $22 3/4 5/8 heims (1 think QA1's) from summit and they have lasted for some time now

i've always run qa1's that i buy from http://www.ubmachine.com/ they are $14 a piece, that is what all of us up here have run on our 1 ton and rockwell rigs. only seen 1 break, mine have lasted me 2 years now and are good as new. www.branikmotorsports.com is the best place i've seen to buy the higher quality QA1's, they are like $32 a piece i believe through them. stan runs them on his XRRA rig with no failures after 2 seasons. the pricier ones body's are about double teh thickness of hte cheaper ones. i'm going to go to the better ones this winter. like brad said, you really don't want to skimp alot on them, as when they break, they will destroy lots of expensive stuff.

read this thread, it's from pirate, and now that i think of it, i believe it is the place that ballistic is getting their heims from now.
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showt...796&highlight=

greg

I skimped on heims once... and then at the badlands i had one let loose on the trail and my axle shifted and pretzeled a sway a way coilover...

The next one that let loose was a steering link heim, luckily as i was pulling it off the trailer.

Gotta love when a $13 heim wastes a $300+ shock. Don't skimp, buy good ****. I learned my lesson.

QA1's it is then. Thanks for the input.

HA I remember that !!!! LOL

Anyone ever run the ones www.Ruffstuffspecialties.com is offering ?

i was trying to recall who all was there... remember i straightened the shock shaft i a press in the shop there, ran it the rest of the weekend, hilarious.