OnThatPipe
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I've seen a lot where people are bending/losing their hinge pins, and want to shed some light as to why it is and how to solve it.
Why:
Landing is the easiest way to bend/lose hinge pins with a stock Savage, This is due to:
Stronger A-Arms?
Thinking the arm was a POF, I opted for the RPM A-Arms. Are you kidding me? Both the lower and upper arms bind the suspension severely. Company recommends to "drill a hole" or ream it out. Really? I mean come on. Trust me, I wrench. Unless you have the special tools needed to due that properly....everything you have done for your suspension will be moot. These hinge pins are a pivotal design to the suspension and if there is a ......01% of play they will wreak havoc on your suspension.. The RPM arms also don't have sway bar mounts. Only disadvantage to using those IMO.
Steel Bulkhead?
Yes and no. A steel bulkhead itself is not going to protect the hinge-pins. The metal plate, will however, prevent the hinge pins from from coming out on that side however the opposite end still needs to be captured, Again, often with the kit, but I only needed the toe blocks I am used to. This also saves me a tremendous amount of weight.
How to Fix It
I hope this helps you guys.
Why:
Landing is the easiest way to bend/lose hinge pins with a stock Savage, This is due to:
- During a nose dive, ton the Savage, often the tires will hit the ground before the bumper begins to absorb the impact. This causes the A-arms to spread, the and the lower hinge-pins (unless protected) will bend. They are the .
- Neither of the upper or lower aren't captured. This is a major flaw when it comes to front or rear impacts.
- The bulkhead is simply not protected. The lower hinge pins are held in by thin, nylon stops and those will wear very quickly.
Stronger A-Arms?
Thinking the arm was a POF, I opted for the RPM A-Arms. Are you kidding me? Both the lower and upper arms bind the suspension severely. Company recommends to "drill a hole" or ream it out. Really? I mean come on. Trust me, I wrench. Unless you have the special tools needed to due that properly....everything you have done for your suspension will be moot. These hinge pins are a pivotal design to the suspension and if there is a ......01% of play they will wreak havoc on your suspension.. The RPM arms also don't have sway bar mounts. Only disadvantage to using those IMO.
Steel Bulkhead?
Yes and no. A steel bulkhead itself is not going to protect the hinge-pins. The metal plate, will however, prevent the hinge pins from from coming out on that side however the opposite end still needs to be captured, Again, often with the kit, but I only needed the toe blocks I am used to. This also saves me a tremendous amount of weight.
How to Fix It
- Use something to capture the upper pins (not zip ties) in their existing toe block. The HPI sway bar kit comes with perfect mounts for the upper pins. You can use them without the Sway bar as well.
- The Alza toe block kit uses a normal toe block design you see in most flat-chassis vehicles. They are a little heavy for toe-blocks, but Dejan did a good job recognizing this flaw.
- Tbone Racing Bumper. As noted, using the stock bumper, the a-arms spread on front end collisions. The T-Bone bumper stops that. Completely.
- Alum shock towers. While this was not having an affect on the lower hinge pins bending, it was causing an issue with the joint posts bending. This nylon stock flexes and impacts the bulkhead. Once this happens, the truck will be tweaked and you will burn spurs all day long.
I hope this helps you guys.