Rod Ends - how low can I go?

[4redno]

I was planning on buying NMB rod ends for my Lotus 69 formula ford restoration but the prices are shocking and they only make Teflon lined rod ends. I want Teflon lined rod ends for the suspension and matching but less expensive metal to metal rod ends for the shift linkage and sway bars. Aurora makes Chro-moly metal to metal and Chro-Moly Teflon lined rod ends and they are carried by the big US suppliers with similar load ratings to the NMB equivalents.

My question is, do any of you recommend or know about Aurora rod ends? Would I notice a difference in performance between a rod end like NMB and a lesser brand like National or Aurora on a Formula Ford given the expected loads.

What are your thoughts?

[LolaT440]

I just bought some labeled Aurora "High strength" but not teflon lined from the Chassis Shop.

Why did I replace them? The car had some cheap no name rod ends on it and one just broke at Lime Rock Park on the last race of the year. Luckily I did not hit anyone or anything. But it is costing me way more in crack checking the rear uprights and replacing the radius rods than the rod ends would have cost.

I have never cut a corner without it costing triple.

[bob darcey]

I've used Aurora XAM rod ends on my car for years. They seem to be of very high quality and last a long time. For the shift linkage, you'd probably be better off with old, loose ones than new ones.

[Purple Frog]

Call Keith Averill. He can explain differences, etc. in lay terms.

[Rick Kirchner]

I went thru this same analysis early this season. Go to the aurora and NMB web pages. The NMB page has an enormous amount of technical information. The Aurora site has a lot of practical racecar application info. The racecar sales guy there (I don't have his name handy but I'll edit the post tomorrow when I find it) was extremely helpful. So knowledgable he recited the sizes of my 94 VD rod ends from memory. I used to put the cheaper ones on my car because with few exceptions you are never going to approach damaging loads on a rod end unless you hit something - hard.

However, the quality of the liner has a huge impact on the life of the part. The ball doesn't wear measurably - the race and liner does, and all liners are not created equal. Some races are softer than others and the repeated pounding expands them. I figured that teflon was teflon - WRONG! On the upper A-arm outer joint, the inner ends of pushrods, and the leading legs of rear A-arms I was going through the cheap stuff in 6-10 weekends (and I'm slow!).

The replacement cost wasn't killing me but the frequent disassembly and putting a setup back on the car was a royal PITA.

If you are trying to make min weight, the super expensive mil-spec (or top-of-the-line aurora and NMB stuff) is made out of much stronger stuff, has less beef where the race transitions to the threaded rod, and are therefore somewhat lighter. Given the size of the rod ends on early vintage cars, that's likely to be a couple of pounds or more across the whole chassis and some serious dinero. There is a bright side - They're essentially a one-time purchase. I doubt if you could race a Lotus 69 on today's top quality joints long enough to wear them out - the load being applied vs the design load of the joint is almost in the noise.

For shift linkages I use the high quality suspension rod ends that have worn sloppy. The spherical bearings for shift linkages are usually metal on metal with a split race held together with a wire ring. I use a dremel tool on the inside of the ball to get a sliding fit on the shift rod. It's much easier to do than turning down the rod (standard brit practice) and when you chop up the rod to replace the shift joints you don't need to turn down another. Just make sure the rod doesn't hang up in the ball from the exhaust heat.

[Paul LeCain]

My observation about NMB vs Aurora, on FA cars at least, is that the Aurora Perfromance Racing series last longer than the NMBs do.

They both last quite a while, but the NMBs loosen up sooner.

The strength ratings are essentially the same for the two, size for size.

[Larry]

Almost all of the manufacturers have several grades of rod ends. The cheapest are suitable for garden tractors at not much more! Stay away from anything with a bronze insert. NMB is excellent, but as you noted, incredibly expensive. Aurora has good quality in their better, chrome/moly units, as does National, F&K, etc.

Your shift linkage takes very little load. The rod end is used mainly to align it and provide some adjustability. You could use almost anything here, including an older rod end that came off the suspension.

Don't skimp on the suspension units. i've seen a few cases where old units break at the shank. Usuallyl they just loosen up or get hammered out of shape, but I would replace all suspension rod ends on a regular basis to avoid the problems associated with a failure.

Larry Oliver
International Racing Products

[kea]

4redno,
In most applications, you WANT a PTFE liner, otherwise, there will be "give" between the ball and the body, which you do not want at the four corners.
As Purple Frog said, call me and I will gladly talk about rod-ends. (I will be gone to PRI, Thur - Sat).
Keith
Averill Racing Stuff,Inc.
248-585-9139

[stephen wilson]

I didn't have an old, loose rod end for the shifter, so I bought a new Aluminun one. To loosen it up I tightened a bolt/nut into the ball, added some lapping compound, and spun it with a drill, trying not to build too much heat. Flush thoroughly when at desired looseness.
The only place I used NMB on my RF78 was the inner rear LCA. The larger body of the Aurora bearing wouldn't physically fit.
Steve

[Stan Clayton]

We switched from NMB to Aurora rod ends on our Ralt RT-41 FA more than a decade ago, and have never had a failure. The Ralt generally uses very small rod ends, so we've replaced the suspension bits every season. Stan

[Wes Allen]

What about NHBB? They are made with 440 heat treated Stainless Steel. They would be strong yet bend before they break. Unlike the race grade Aurora,they break instead of bending. Does anybody have experience with these?
Thanks Wes

[Paul LeCain]

NMB and NHBB are the same company.

[Rick Kirchner]

The racing application guy at Aurora is John McCrory. Really knowledgable and very responsive.

[tonyc]

There is a company in Danbury, CT called Radial Bearing. They have a precision high strength line of rod ends that I have used for years with great results on an old Chevron Atlantic and a newer Reynard Atlantic. Their quality is as good as or better than the Aurora parts and their prices are very competitive. You can reach them at 203-744-0323.

[ian Staples]

Hi guys , I'm after a complete set for a Lola T440 resto and it seams Aurora XAM is probably the way to go. Where is the best/cheapest place in the US to get these from??? just to add some confusion to things what are peoples thoughts on QA1 XM series rod ends, thet don't look so flash to me but I am new to this. Jegs sell them.
thanks and regards Ian.

[bob darcey]

These guys seem to have excellent supply and pricing:

http://www.chassisshop.com/

Click on "catalog" and "Aurora".

[T492]

I've had very good dealings with Spidertraxx. They are off-road specialists but have a very good selection of Aurora and FK rod ends at reasonable prices.

http://www.spidertrax.com

Spidertrax Inc.
7510 Hygiene Road
Longmont, CO 80503
(800) 286-0898

[Gmretired]

Gents,
I buy most of my bearings through BDI Canada. For those of you in the US, BDI Usa. They sell it all. Bearings,Belts and seals. Check them out you may save a bit.
Dave