This morning I headed out early to pick up some things and put a little 100 in the tank from the local Sunoco. The last turn off the main road entering the mall it happened. I was behind a big *** vehicle and fell hard into a hole of infinite depth at 5 mph. Immediately I knew something broke. I limped into the parking lot and parked as soon as I could. The pictures tell the story. At first I thought something was left loose and fell off . Then I crawled under the car and saw the broken Speedy Benz camber arm. After a chat with the wife (she wanted me to call a tow truck) she came to pick me up. We went home and I loaded the car with my tools and the stock camber arms. I had a few adventures with the connecting hardware and had to pack up and find a bolt and nut but it's together again. Other than the camber arm and the shock hat which suffered greatly, no other damage is apparent. Upon inspection of the camber arm it seems to have broken where it would contact the sway bar from time to time. The pictures show the sighs of being beaten on. I've done gymnastics to solve the contact in the past and I'm giving up and going back to the stock arms with a Kmac kit. Well, that's what I'm thinking at the moment. The best part of all this is I confirmed that I can get it apart and together in 15 minutes ...... with the correct nuts and bolts. Mall security looked at me a few times but decided I was just a poor ba$tard with a broken car. I'm thanking my lucky stars that the arm didn't break at 140 mph in the half mile.

Les

 

ouch......yeah, 140 wouldn't have been good......

 

OUCH! Your VERY lucky!

 

Wow, those are kinda skinny. You could rectify the interference problem with adjustable sway bar links. Did the rear of the car want to fishtail? Glad to know you made it safely

 

Not much likelyhood of encountering a hole at the track...

 

I've got Mikes adjustable links, ask him who hounded him until he made a pair.

Les

 

Les, that's a real bummer...... glad everything worked out without much serious damage....

the SpeedyBenz arms are tubing, not solid rods, correct?

 

Diddo - glad you and your ride are A-OK

 

The SpeedyBenz arms are hollow. The threaded portion extends about 3/4" beyond where the break occurred. It broke where the threaded eye ended and the hollow began. I can see where the tube was dented inwards by the sway bar from contact which weaken it. I'm thinking of taking lots of pictures and sending them to SpeedyBenz. I don't blame the part but they need to know.

Les

 

Your widow would blame the part. I'm happy to hear you and the Crossie are OK, but I rejected the SpeedyBenz design as soon as I saw them. Designed to fail, IMHO. The swaged tube format is mainly for 4-bar links and tie rod ends.

NOT for load support. Lots of folks shake their heads and laugh/cry at the OEM dogbone, but it will never break.

MikeR's and mine are built...er...Chrysler Tough.

 

Howard had the same issue at the Dragon with the TVT bar pulling the threaded eye right out of the bar. Scary stuff, glad I have Mike's camber bars and links

 

I wonder if MikeR can make Les a set of Titanium$. If they would be any stronger than the SS arms he already makes?

 

I'm sure he could but every camber arm I've tried, other than stock, has contacted the sway bar during race conditions. Mikes won't break but the contact would be the same. I've already ordered the Kmac's for the rear stock arms so even if they're not the best, no more beating on the sway bar.

Les

 

Gotcha. Good luck.

 

Rear KMac kit came in today. The surprise is that the camber adjustment bushing goes into the lower control arm inward connection point. I think Sunday will be the day I try and do it myself.

Les

 

I recall seeing that the KMacs go in the lower control arms. Does that mean you are going back to OEM on the top?

James

PS I still think that a set of upper arms like Mike makes can have an arch to them to clear the sway bar. It is just that you will have to remove one end to adjust them. Pain, I know, but it should work. I pre-adjusted mine to 12" OC before installing and never touched them since.

 

Yep, Kmac's go into the lower control arms. You know, I have the K&W's set as high as possible and the Speedybenz arms were still making contact with the swaybar, at times. Stock camber arms are going back in and let's see what happens. I've been fighting a loose condition at the limits for years and perhaps the problem has been found. I'm depressed and excited at the same time. Perhaps my problem is solved and at the same time 2 years wasted adjusting on the car. I hope all my data isn't rendered useless by this discovery. Celebrate or cry ..... I'll drink, tonight. Sunday I'll be sober and turning wrenches.

Les

 

Thats a problem right there. No need to be sober to turn a wrench