4 Wheel & Off Road – October 2019

66 OCTOBER 2019 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD 4WHEELOFFROAD.COM

THREE-LINK IN A BOX?

“

Gone was the

drivetrain windup

associated with

accelerating with

leaf springs

”

8

We placed the upper link frame mount

ahead of the lower mount. For added

strength, we tied it into a factory crossmember

and added another support plate under the

mount. RuffStuff also offers an adjustable

mount for this location to allow more tuning,

should you choose that option.

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RuffStuff provides large 1^1 ⁄ 4 -inch rod ends

and matching threaded inserts for the

upper and lower links, along with misalignment

spacers. The big joints use one-piece construc-

tion from heat-treated chromoly steel. The

inner race is injection molded using Teflon-

impregnated nylon.

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The upper and lower links are construct-

ed w ith 2- inch - diameter, 0.250 -wall DOM

tubing. We MIG-welded all the inserts to the

tubing.

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RuffStuff offers frame-side Panhard

mounts in several configurations. This

shows ours tack welded outside our framerail.

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The Panhard rod uses^7 ⁄ 8 -inch rod ends

mated to 1.5x0.250-wall DOM tubing. We

placed the axle-side Panhard mount angled

off the rear of the axle on the driver side. The

Panhard vertical angle at ride height is about

10 degrees.

13

Debate s w irl s around how best to weld

threaded inserts for rod ends after

they ’ ve been tack welded in pl ace. W hen pos -

sible, we like to thread an old rod end into the

insert, then weld the full circumference before

removing the rod end after a cool-down period.

In any case, it’s wise to apply antiseize com-

pound to the treads before mating them.

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RuffStuff offers^1 ⁄ 4 -inch-thick plate

shock towers in two heights and also

tubular mounts, depending on your preference.

We opted to use the plate mounts with includ-

ed tabs that can be welded to accommodate

the spacer width of your coilovers.

15

Here you can see the cut-and-formed

plate construction of many of the

mounts. Some require welding at some of the

fold lines. Some mount s al so come w ith addi -

tional keyed reinforcement plates.

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