That’s true too!!
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Portals - which is best?
- Thread starter Texasgrillchef
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74Weld is in a different category! Their product is COMPLETE, tested, and works! 100% US made and designed, and if you call them w/a question you will most likely get the lead engineer, and head of the company, who can explain the hows, whys and what fors behind his design. As others have said he has been instrumental in getting race portals to become more or less standard equipment for any racer who wants to seriously compete, and that level of support is now available to the "weekend warrior" such as myself!
The kit itself is absolute 1st class quality down to the catch cans and hardware, and even includes fluid! Sure the price tag seems steep, but for what you actually get? Really not that bad! I also have one of their racks, and STRONGLY recommend adding that to a portal build!
The kit itself is absolute 1st class quality down to the catch cans and hardware, and even includes fluid! Sure the price tag seems steep, but for what you actually get? Really not that bad! I also have one of their racks, and STRONGLY recommend adding that to a portal build!
74weld has legitimate engineering credentials and it seems they design and evaluate their products with good R&D methodologies. This judgment is based solely on their steering rack housing. I can’t judge their portals for lack of info available to me.
BB sells a product that he takes full credit for, the tie rod brace. This product has NO engineering value. A brace is a completely inefficient solution for strengthening a structural member. It will not transfer shear sufficiently across the interface and presents a last resort. Simply Increasing rod diameter is more efficient by the third power. And tie rods are easy to replace with a stronger one. The BB brace also has a square cross section which has no strength benefit over a circular one. Its sole purpose is marketing at the expense of engineering. Looks massive but no real value and can interfere with coilovers. This should send off significant alarm bells to any product he endorses.
I do not have any judgment on the tibius portals for lack of information. Just pointing out lack of engineering R&D methodology in BB products.
BB sells a product that he takes full credit for, the tie rod brace. This product has NO engineering value. A brace is a completely inefficient solution for strengthening a structural member. It will not transfer shear sufficiently across the interface and presents a last resort. Simply Increasing rod diameter is more efficient by the third power. And tie rods are easy to replace with a stronger one. The BB brace also has a square cross section which has no strength benefit over a circular one. Its sole purpose is marketing at the expense of engineering. Looks massive but no real value and can interfere with coilovers. This should send off significant alarm bells to any product he endorses.
I do not have any judgment on the tibius portals for lack of information. Just pointing out lack of engineering R&D methodology in BB products.
Rather than put a judgment on each of the products, I will just tell you that if it was my money, I would be buying the 74Weld portals.
Are there some things that seem attractive about the other products, absolutely, but my final biased analysis says 74Weld and be done with it.
I have not seen all three of them in person, only the Tibus and the 74Weld units.
Are there some things that seem attractive about the other products, absolutely, but my final biased analysis says 74Weld and be done with it.
I have not seen all three of them in person, only the Tibus and the 74Weld units.
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This just in. Happened today in Moab. My understanding is 74w has their own billet knuckle. BB bolts to stock knuckle. This is my answer to the OP.
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Sorry to see that happen but would have been my guess. Happened sooner than I thought it would.This just in. Happened today in Moab. My understanding is 74w has their own billet knuckle. BB bolts to stock knuckle. This is my answer to the OP.
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To be fair, the lower shock pin failed causing the above on BB
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I don't buy that for 1 1000th of second. That knuckle broke, then when it hit the coilover it broke that tooHe’s been beating the hell out of for a week out there.
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That’s kinda what I was thinking. But I’m not there.
The top of the knuckle is broken off.... The knuckle came inward and broke the coil over mount.... The coil over mount no way broke and then moved outward to break the Knuckle then moved back inward.... That Knuckle broke first and I think there was (past tense) a whole bunch of discussion about that probably happening at some point, even in this thread it was mentioned. Just way too much stress on that casting that the knuckle was never designed for.
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I wish I had a cnc lathe and mill
‘Send it’ billet bolt on knuckle braces…..
‘Send it’ billet bolt on knuckle braces…..
You could probably make a lot of money.
.... You could call it the Knuckle buster........?
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I am not surprised, that cast knuckle was suspect the first time I saw one fail in an accident. This is reason #1, I would pick 74Weld for portals.
You are probably more observant than I am.... My reason number one was the straight cut 4 gear vs the helical 3 gear... BUT you are right the knuckle may end up being even more important..
Not to say I did not recognize the issue... I did, I just did not think the stock knuckle would be designed as light as they are. But I did not have a Bronco to look at then. Actually ordered the portals within days of getting the Bronco; 1st day 74 offered them for order.
43" tires on portals with dumbass behind the wheel, not surprising at all to me...the leverage those tires and portals add want to twist the A-Arms apart...Even if knucklehead made a billet knuckle then he would just destroy the UCA and the UCAs mounts. the OEM UCA is very flexible and it will be the next in line to fail.
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