Slam Specialty(UPDATE: 7-21-08)

For about $80 I'd build you two new bars. Lol.

The heims don't necessarily feel sloppy per say, what I mean is that they move pretty freely. At least the ones I have seen. They should be a bit more firm to move the ball around.

What I mean about the articulation, is when the link bar articulates. Both sides of the bar have a rod end, so while it is bolted onto your truck, you can grab it with your hand and twist it side to side. Now if you put a bag on top of that, and air it up the bag will twist the bar one way or the other. It will take the path of least resistance. If the bag is slightly offset it will always lean to that side. If they are dead nuts perfect, it will lean to either side depending on how the truck lifts, or if one valve reacts slower than the other. Does that makes sense? Basically the bottom of the bag will twist out to the side and put stress on the bag itself and also the heims. On just a bag over axle setup this isn't a concern because the bottom of the bag is mounted to a predictable surface.


Okay notches. If you notch the frame like so:


Its pretty simple to install a notch, and doesn't take much work to keep the frame perfectly square (or as good as the factory had it). Now all you would have to do, is measure from where the top of the stock frame was to the top of the new notch. From that measurement you can make bed mount spacers. So, say they are going to be 7" tall. What I do is cut some 1.5" round, or some 1x2 and weld a plate on the bottom. In that plate I weld a nut to the backside, usually 3/8". This side of the spacer will bolt to the stock bed mounts on the frame the same way the stock bed did. Now clean the bottom side of the stock bed mounts to bare metal, and set the bed on the new mounts. Line it up, and then weld the spacers to the bottom of the bed. This is the point where you would body drop your bed.

When I plate my frame I use 10 gauge, or 1/8" plate.

And since you are running 5/8" heims, I don't know that I can get a self hardening threaded insert that size, so I couldn't really make an adjustable end for it. It would probably be even better however to run the bushing side without adjustment because ti will be more stable. Also a wider bushing will help with stability as well and prevent the bag from rocker to either side.

Shiiiet! Really? LOL!

I'm going to give you a PM!

I see what your saying, the heims I have, you can rotate the whole "ball" any way you want and it feels like it moves on nothing! I think they are really nice actually, but I've never seen anything else, lol.

I completely understand what your saying about the bags kicking to one side because of the heims. I was just trying to compare it to a bag on axle setup, but I think it is totally a diff. ball field. I was going to say about how the bag undergoes the same stress when 3-wheeling, IMO, but I'm sure the limiting straps keeps it from this scenario.

LOL, okay, sorry for being such a tard as well! I was'nt quit sure what you meant about notches! Okay so I see your point:

- Just raise the whole bed via the bed mounts with spacers. This lifts the bed but in turn you can BD the bed that much so it can serve its purpose of hiding the undercarriage.

Makes perfect sense!

Thanks for the patience man! If you keep visiting this thread, your gonna need it!

BTW, Parker metal works are friggin' sold out of plasma cutters! NOOO! I called them today and they are pretty much out of stock with all of them! They certainly are slammed!

^ That sucks. I need them to replace my torch. The top cracked and the tip swivels now.

ehh... not so much. longer bars will equal less of an arc your axle travels during suspension travel, equals stays in the center of your wheel well better.
u should b able to get correct pinion angle thru all travel in a properly set up link system regardless of bar length.

and i like the idea of z-ing the rear of the frame. raises the gas tank at the same time (i'd relocate it tho) i think big notches are ugly and it looks more stock underneath with a z'd frame. really doesn't matter tho. definately plate the inside of your frame with 1/8" tho. my bag gussets tore my frame. u'd wanna fully weld your plate with a few plug welds for max strength.

I would have to say IMO that you worded his words a diff. way but the idea is right. Longer bars would mean less translation at the other end and cause less pinion change.

I will be relocating my tank to the rear, but I think I'll just be spacing the bed up insetad of z'ing the frame. I'm sure it will be easier and more efficient.

EDIT: BTW, Seth, would my link setup work if I just changed out 4 of the link ends instead of all 8? Would'nt it keep the bar from rolling?

u can keep your upper bars with heim's. no biggie. even your axle ends on the lowers can stay heims, but definately i'd change the frame ends on the lower bars to bushings.


no. like i said length shouldn't affect pinion change.

^ No, Geoff is correct. Your link bars could be 7 feet long, or 7 inches long and depending on the geometry they would have the same pinion angle change. Longer does not always mean better. Longer bars offer a less sever wheel arc. The length of the bar has nothing to do with pinion change. The spread between pivots at the axle and at the frame is what controls your pinio angle change throughout travel.




It probably would. Just so long as the jam nuts don't come loose it probably wouldn't ever twist the bar.

Well, I'm not experienced enough or anything, but when I visualize it, I would still say no matter what, it would cause a pinion change. It just depends on how far you go before it pushes or pulls on the axle housing. Just all very minimal.

Ya, that sounds sweet! Cause I could still keep my 4-link, just change out 2 ends and spend waaay less money and be good!

EDIT: Got your PM Seth, heres my reply. I suppose if you cant build them because of the 5/8" stud, I'll just order 2 bushing ends from FBI and forget all the hassle! Now, as far as the Zerk fitting, I just drill and tap a hole for it right?

OH, and I think our explanations on the long link bars are all the same idea. We are all right? I'm pretty sure I'm on the same path of what you are saying, lol. I understand it atleast!

Dude, seriously, length has nothing to do with pinion angle change. Just the distance between the pivots at the frame and at the axle. If you had a 7" long parallel 4-link it would get 0 pinion change until the link bars touched the axle housing, it would just have a very small wheel arc and move forward and back a lot. Now say you have a 30" bar with a 10" spread at the axle, and a 4 inch spread at the frame. That setup is going to change more throughout travel. Or if your spread is wider at the frame than the axle (which puts your IC behind the axle, never do this) it will have a more drastic effect.

that would work.