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can you weld an antiroll bar?
ewanspence - 11/2/05 at 08:45 AM

I have a Honda Prelude and the rear antiroll bar has snapped. I removed it in order to pass the MOT (if its not there it can't fail).

Can you mig weld spring steel (Is it spring steel?). The bar if approx 1 in with 2mm wall. I know I can weld it but would it survive use? I would use and oversized tube to ovelap the cracked area to give greater support/strength than a butt weld.

Thanks

JAG - 11/2/05 at 08:58 AM

You can weld it - but the properties will change and the bar will fail pretty quickly and right were you welded it.

The support tube you propose would simply make the situation a little bit less severe but the end result will be the same - it will fail right were you repaired it within hours.

The heat from welding and the support tube will act as a stress-raiser and will focus the stresses in the bar on that area. Every time the car roles the bar will flex and failure is inevitable.

Sorry to be so negative

ewanspence - 11/2/05 at 09:07 AM

I kind of thought this but wanted and expert to validate it. I will get onto the scrappies and source a replacement.

Thanks

DarrenW - 11/2/05 at 11:45 AM

There are some specialist Jap car breakers around who will mail order. My local one is Jap parts in Cleveland.

britishtrident - 11/2/05 at 03:53 PM

Try the scrappies at Denny if they can't help there is a specalist Jap breaker in Glasgow at Ibrox -- Hellen St (I think) in what used to be the old British Polar Engine Works.

also a Rover 620 bar might fit

[Edited on 11/2/05 by britishtrident]

Volvorsport - 11/2/05 at 07:01 PM

we used welded anti roll bars on Darrians , its different with it being spring steel tho . Id still advise getting a scrappy one .

the crappiest mild steel you can find is least affected by welding it

Marcus - 12/2/05 at 11:17 AM

The weld on the bar would become quite brittle. It may be an option to sleeve the bar with a tightly fitting sleeve, then weld the sleeve on. This is how I did my panhard rod, although it's not spring steel.

Marcus

Rorty - 13/2/05 at 03:31 AM

quote:
Originally posted by ewanspence
I have a Honda Prelude and the rear antiroll bar has snapped. I removed it in order to pass the MOT (if its not there it can't fail).

Can you mig weld spring steel (Is it spring steel?). The bar if approx 1 in with 2mm wall. I know I can weld it but would it survive use? I would use and oversized tube to ovelap the cracked area to give greater support/strength than a butt weld.

Thanks

I'm not familiar with the Prelude, so I don't know what form or shape the bar is, but if it's a tube rather than a solid bar, it may be possible to weld it, as it may just be mild steel. I would test it before weld it though.
I've seen and used ordinary mild steel tube for ARBs on several occasions.

NS Dev - 13/2/05 at 09:47 AM

I have also used mild steel cds tube for antiroll bars, but not welded!

Doing some development work with a friend who is a partner in a "leading kit car manufacturer" nearby, a mild steel tubular bar was used with tubular blades welded on, it lasted about 25 laps of donington before the weld failed at one end!!!

I had advised that it would but he wouldn't listen to "little old me"!!

Rorty - 13/2/05 at 12:58 PM

quote:
Originally posted by NS Dev
I have also used mild steel cds tube for antiroll bars, but not welded!

How did you attach the legs to your tubular ARB if not welded? I have seen legs welded onto straight tubes and copied the same idea myself with success, albeit with saddles. It's a lot cheaper than cutting splined ends and sockets.
Where room permits, I have also used bent tube, but even then, on probably more than one occasion, I have welded large washers onto the ARB to butt up against the bearing clamps to prevent the "bar" from walking sideways.
I wouldn't weld washers onto a solid bar though, clamp on collars would be a better bet on them, as they tend to be made from spring wire and don't take kindly to being welded.

NS Dev - 17/2/05 at 09:15 AM

The tubular ARB was bent to form the blades at each end. I used sleeve clamps to control the sideways movement in the mounting bushes, and the droplinks mounted via further sleeve clamps to allow adjustment of the roll stiffness. There was no welding at all done to the bar.