I'm in the process of realigning my car. It looks like the front lower male hiem joint is going to be too short now. I have procured a new female hiem with the requisite 5/8-18 (fine) threads. My plan is to use threaded rod to create the longer stem. Trouble is, I've only been able to find Grade-2 threaded rod with that same pitch. I'm worried that Grade-2 won't be strong enough.
What do the builders say?
Rig:
'82 GL1100 Interstate
Auburn Gemini (early edition of the Texas TwinStar)
four-point mounting
hack has 13" car tire, air shock, no electric trim
Max Loading - large adult pilot & large adult monkey... er, I mean Boss Monkey!
Typical Max driving - 2-lane or in-town, 55-65 MPH max, rare highway travel, no off-road
For a rig as large and heavy as yours, I would have used 3/4 inch fine thread.
BOSS Monkey! You got that right! 🙂
With the thread loss you only have 1/2" of solid stock.
The thread notches are also weak spots prone to breaking when bent.
"When in doubt, make it stout."
Lonnie
Here's the problem I'm having. Realigning the sidecar has brought the front of the hack frame up higher, to the point it interferes with the valve cover. If I move the mounting boss to outside the cover, the heim joint is too short.
Something I have noticed is that the front Clevis on the bike's frame is about 3/4 inch lower than the rear clevis. I've been thinking I need to mount the hack frame level to the ground, but perhaps it should be in line with the plain of the clevis points. This would put the car in a slightly nose down posture, but I don't think by much. This may give me enough room to get the boss under the valve box. And since the bike would lean out, that should open the clearance a little.
A slight nose down attitude is OK if that does the trick.
Another option would be to fabricate longer pad eyes (that form the clevis) and weld them in. They could be welded to, and overlap the existing eyes, angled in the direction that gives you the best clearance.
Lots sturdier than all thread rod.
Lonnie
You need a long nut. About 2 1/2 or 3 inches long that will take the heim joint at one end and a piece of threaded rod at the other.
Or a heim joint that is female in the threaded part so that a piece of threaded rodcan make the distance. Change to 3/4 inch while you are at it.
I appreciate everyone's suggestions so far, I may use them yet. The threaded rod idea was a bad one, no matter what grade I use, DOH!
My plan now is to mount the car with a nose down attitude. If the Boss Monkey finds the ride comfortable and I don't plow up too much pavement on left turns, then we're good! Otherwise I'm thinking of working at the hack frame end of the mounting boss. Basically buy ( or have made since I can't weld) a double sleeve pinch collar. I can then put a short length of tube into the hack frame, top pinch collar over that, then slip the mounting boss into the lower sleeve. This should then drop the heim joint end of the boss well below the cam cover. It should look a little like those off-set receiver hitches used to lower the tow ball on pickups.
BAD idea, we do make bosses with longer ends and have them in stock $75. Your mounts look like Vetter Terraplane mounts which work ok, You of course do plan on changing the nut out for a nylock.
Jay G
DMC sidecars
www.dmcsidecars.com
866-638-1793
OldSchool,
I live closeby (45miles) And do weld! Send a PM if I can be of assistance.
Thanks for the offer Shadow, and I may take you up on that. But for a hitch project I'm working on, not my forward mount. I was able to lower the nose enough that I can mount the standard heim into the boss just like it should be. I'll need to keep an eye on the lean-out as the boss could come into contact with the valve box if I do too much lean IN. I tried to set the forward strut such that it will run out of thread before getting to that point.
