Anti-Roll Bar P Clamp broken cant get replacement.

Made and attempt at 2 clamps today, can see my first attempt at the bottom of the pic then 2nd from bottom is original clamp and the 2 at the top are the ones made today. Just need to drill the hole through it but should do the job.
 

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Any tips for me on how to drill the hole? I was thinking of just holding it in the vice then using the hand drill. I dont have access to drill press or other big boy tools lol.
Do i drill tiny pilot hole etc etc. The more tips i get the more chance of success.
Will rest for couple of days, missed with the hammer and got the finger so its all sore now.
 
Without a drill press, I'd use a center punch to make a starting point, then a cobalt or carbide bit if you have one. Either way, a pretty sharp bit.

Use very low RPM (difficult to modulate with a hand drill, maybe a cordless with multiple speeds would help), high pressure, and cutting oil. Don't let the bit spin without creating a continuous spiral of cast material. You don't want a bit spinning but not cutting, so it's work hardening the metal.

With a hand drill, it may be necessary to do a pilot hole first, but don't use TOO small a bit or else it will be easy to snap in a hand drill from the needed pressure. You may also end up with a little oversized hole so if I had to pick between drill sizes, I'd start a little under rather than a little over. Granted high precision doesn't seem all that critical in this situation.
 
Thanks for the reply. The original clamp had a 13.2mm hole, I'm looking to do a 12mm one so will use a 12mm bit. I do have smaller bits here maybe i should do a pilot hole with a 5mm bit?
 
Got hold of a carbide bit so will be drilling holes soon.
Also i noticed that mild steel flat bar is considerably cheaper than stainless, for the price of 250mm stainless can get 800mm mild.
I take it mild steel will rust out within couple of years? Or can it be painted or coated to do a lasting job or is it not worth it?
 
Got hold of a carbide bit so will be drilling holes soon.
Also i noticed that mild steel flat bar is considerably cheaper than stainless, for the price of 250mm stainless can get 800mm mild.
I take it mild steel will rust out within couple of years? Or can it be painted or coated to do a lasting job or is it not worth it?
Yes the mild steel would need to be coated for it to last. The stainless is more resistant to rusting, because of the content of nickel/chrome. Most likely what you have is the 409 type stainless, it will develop surface rust but won't rust through, can last up to 10-15 years. Sure, you can coat that to make it last a long time but 409 on its own can last a very long time.

Yes.. mild steel probably would rust through in 2-3 years if not coated.

and congrats on the work! Glad to see you're almost done and now you have the part that no one had anymore! (y)
 
Yes the mild steel would need to be coated for it to last. The stainless is more resistant to rusting, because of the content of nickel/chrome. Most likely what you have is the 409 type stainless, it will develop surface rust but won't rust through, can last up to 10-15 years. Sure, you can coat that to make it last a long time but 409 on its own can last a very long time.

Yes.. mild steel probably would rust through in 2-3 years if not coated.

and congrats on the work! Glad to see you're almost done and now you have the part that no one had anymore! (y)
The stainless i got was 304 grade, im assuming its worse than 409 since 409 is bigger number and bigger is better?
 
The stainless i got was 304 grade, im assuming its worse than 409 since 409 is bigger number and bigger is better?
Not sure how the numbers work for 304 or 409. but 304 is actually better than 409, 304 has more chrome in it! So you did very well! That won't rust at all.. (y)

I have 304 made cookware, put it in the dishwasher all the time. And no rust at all.. In that case it's 18/8 or 18/10, nickel/chrome percentage content. The 409 has less chrome in it 0.5% so that's why it has surface rust.
 
I'd take some plastic, even from an old soda bottle, and sandwich it between your clamp and the subframe. You might get dissimilar metal corrosion between stainless and regular steel.
 
Now that you've made what you need out of metal, time to start over and do it with carbon fiber so it doesn't rust out. ;)

304 should be fine. It may take on some surface corrosion after a few salty winters but should last a long time.

If you used thicker mild steel, and paint it (and silicone paste the inside where the bushing rubs), should take a very long time till it rusts through. They salt winter roads here and for the past few decades, all my vehicles came with mild steel sway bar clamps yet none have rusted out yet. Rusty yes, failed, not yet. Your originals were just too thin to last long enough, IMO.
 
thats good to hear. i tried making a clamp using 5mm flat bar but just couldnt bend it easily enough, its too thick. maybe if i had a bigger hammer but its still gonna be difficult.
the new clamp is wider by 2mm so maybe puts less stress on the bolt area so could be better long term.
will remember to grease the bushing and the clamp. will also remember to use copper grease between clamp and bolt and the part where it mounts to.

i dont have silicone grease, need to add it to my collection of greases but i do have some red rubber grease. dunno if thats gonna be ok to use?
 
Saltwater will corrode 304.
True. BUT 316 stainless has a nickname. It is "marine grade" stainless; it has 18% chromium and more nickel than 304 and adds 2-3% molybdenum, this makes it more resistant to salt corrosion. More than likely, you can obtain it at the same place you're getting the 304. Series 400 stainless WILL rust, it has ferrite in it. 409 stainless is what cheap "stainless" steak knives are made of at Walmart. 400 series stainless is very easy to differentiate from 300 series, as 400 is slightly magnetic, 300 series is completely non-magnetic. And your parts are looking great!

https://blog.dahlstromrollform.com/...6 stainless is the,it more resistant to salt.
 
thats good to hear. i tried making a clamp using 5mm flat bar but just couldnt bend it easily enough, its too thick. maybe if i had a bigger hammer but its still gonna be difficult.
the new clamp is wider by 2mm so maybe puts less stress on the bolt area so could be better long term.
will remember to grease the bushing and the clamp. will also remember to use copper grease between clamp and bolt and the part where it mounts to.

i dont have silicone grease, need to add it to my collection of greases but i do have some red rubber grease. dunno if thats gonna be ok to use?
I don't know exactly what your red rubber grease is, nor what your bushing material is. Some rubbers don't like petroleum based greases, but I'd hope that red "rubber" grease, would be safe for rubber, probably has a castor oil base? That should be safe to use but not as long lasting.

I always try to replace original rubber bushings with polyurethane when available, and it is fine to use either petroleum tacky grease, or silicone paste on poly, and the silicone will last longer. At the same time if I were going to the trouble of fabricating clamps for poly bushings, I'd tap a hole for a grease zerk and have a matching passage hole and a slot in the poly bushing to distribute that grease... not trying to keep the clamp from rusting (your 304 stainless will likely outlast the rest of the vehicle) but rather for sway bar to bushing contact lube so it doesn't get squeaky. This is not needed with a black rubber bushing (in most cases).

If I could only have 2-3 greases, one of them would be silicone. It's not just for moving parts, also does a great job of preserving rubber window moldings/etc, just put on a VERY thin coat so it's not so tacky to be a dust magnet... well, in a highly dusty area, it will still be a dust magnet but your rubber will last longer. :)
 
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thats good info to know, i will keep an eye out for some silicone grease.
here is a pic and info of the red rubber grease i got lying around:
526770270.jpg


Triple QX Red Rubber Grease is used to protect and lubricate rubber components. It is manufactured using vegetable oil as the base lubricant. Vegetable oil is used as it does not damage rubber and synthetic rubbers; unlike other oils. The red colour is due to the addition of a red dye to make it easily distinguishable from other greases.

Red rubber grease is ideal for use: in the installation of lip seals on a raw water pump, as a barrier on rubberised components such as shaft seals / stuffing box seals, and as a preventative from oxidisation on rubber cable glands to decrease the risk of water ingress, among other applications.

Triple QX 526770270 is supplied in a 500g tin, which would be sufficient to perform a variety of tasks over multiple seasons and is always handy to have on the shelf.

says its made from vege oil, thats odd??
 
Finished shaping all the clamps today, made some spares too just in case. 3 i have cut to size but still got 3 more to cut down, got tired after hacksawing.
Iv attached some pics so people can get an idea of how i made these.
Once the hole is drilled i will give them a coat of paint and put them on the car.
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after getting tired with the hacksaw i was wondering, i got one of those small rotary hand tool dremel thingys with tiny cutting wheels on it. can that be used to cut the metal?
 
All clamps cut to size now and filed edges to be smooth. All thats left now is to drill the holes and give them a coat of paint.
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Was crazy to try this with hand drill. Lucky my uncle had a pillar standing drill and left the clamps with him to drill out.
Got one done so far. Pic attached
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