Originally Posted by YoungChazz
Most cars use steel hinge pins, which on rare occasions (good) break, ending your run (bad). Also, they tend to load up with dirt causing binding in the suspension (bad) which means you must clean them frequently (well,,,,OK)
Titanium hinge pins almost never break (good) but they bend more easily than steel (not so good); however, many times this does not end your run (good). Ti is lighter (good), starts out freer (good), and does not load up with dirt nearly as much for less binding (good).
We tried to balance all that, and what tipped the scales for us was that we could get the Ti pins from Lunsford. Great!
Brian buys 1/8” hardened rod in 3’ lengths and cuts his own pins, then reams the arms, bushings, and toe-in bars to fit. He does the same with all the other hinge pins on the car. Good for him, his hinge pins never break; maybe that's because he drives like ... Brian Kinwald. But it's not so good for us.
We went to that manufacturer and got some 7/64” pins cut to length from what we thought was the same material. They broke like toothpicks – too hard. We got a new batch of the next hardness down – still too hard. We got another batch, this time lots softer – too soft and they bent. This whole process took about a year. So, for now, the Lunsford Ti ones work, and we’re using them.
We’ve been very busy with other stuff for the last two years: X – 60, 6 Squared. Entire Car, SCX – 60, Rear Men Wear Black, working on the 4WD. That’s a very large amount of engineering, testing, expenditure of capital, production, marketing, and shipping mixed in with the regular business at a two-man company!
But in there Paul has been working now and then with the pin company, and we think we’ve found a good hardness. Now we’ve got to buy a small run (expensive) and get them to The Boyz for testing; given the problems above The Boyz will test thoroughly. It won’t be next week; however we are making slow but steady progress on having a DDP hinge pin that’s right. When we do, you will know.
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