Adjustable Panhard rod for Ascona A,

By Bob Legere.

 

 

The first step is to locate a stock panhard bar as a donor.
I like to use one polyurethane end bushing and one heim joint in my panhard bars.
The reason for this is I've found that using heim joints at both ends on a road-going car can be a bit unforgiving.
For example, if a solid item were encountered in a sideways motion, there is very little yield....
Parts tend to break this way.

 

 

 

Next, a few hits with a hammer will knock the stock rubber bushing from the eyelet.
The eyelet should then be cleaned of any undercoating, paint and rust.
I used a wire wheel and sanding rolls to do this, a sandblaster or glassbeader would do a better job in less time,
If you've got access to those machines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once cleaned, the eyelet must be cut off the panhard bar.
My favorite way of doing this leaves about 1/2" of the panhard tubing still attached to the eyelet.

 

 

 

 

 

After cutting, I drill a hole through the tubing for greater strength when welding.
Using plug welds will greatly reduce the chances of the welds breaking away.
A hardened grade 8 bolt will serve as the right hand threaded portion of the panhard bar assembly.
It's 2.5" long, and will require grinding the head down to fit inside the panhard bar tubing.
Measure the tubing ID first, as GT's and Manta's have different panhard tubing diameters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I used a bench grinder with a coarse wheel to grind the head of the bolt down,
And fitted it tightly to the 'stub' of the panhard eyelet.
If you have access to a lathe, it will do a much more precise job and probably in a lot less time.
I was able to get the fit close enough with a bench grinder that I had to tap the bolt into the tubing with a plastic mallet,
So it's a good tight fit with no slop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I TIG welded the bolt head into the eyelet stub,
Welding 360 degrees around the bolt, through both drilled holes in the tubing (plug welds),
And for good measure I added a few more beads at the transition from the tubing to the actual eyelet.
For a strong weld, all plating, paint, rust, etc must be removed if you are using a TIG welder.
MIG welding is a bit more forgiving, but the parts should still be as clean as possible.

 

 

 

 

 

Here you can also see the thick wall aluminum tube I used for the panhard bar.
For a Manta, I've found a 30" long tube does the trick.
For a GT, 26" works well.
This tubing is tapped left hand thread on one end, and right hand thread on the other.
This allows you to adjust the length of the panhard bar while it's in place on the car.
I got mine from a local circle-track supply shop, for about $14.

You'll also need to get some thin-head jam nuts, one left hand and one right hand.
And you will need to buy a left hand heim joint.
Do NOT be tempted to use the cheaper commercial grade rod ends,
As they have a lot of slop in them and will only get worse with time.
Go for the stronger precision-grade chromoly rod ends with teflon liners.
They do not require lubrication, and they are built to much tighter tolerances.
They cost anywhere from $28-$40 depending on the brand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A pic of the chromoly heim joints I use (Aurora),
and of the polyurethane eyelet bushing I use from Opel GT Source.

 

 

 

I've used two different options for the rear axle attachment
(the body attachment uses the polyurethane eyelet so there are no hardware changes required).

 

Option 1:
I remove the stock attachment stud from the rear axle, and weld a 5/8" nut to the backside of the mounting surface.
Then, a hardened bolt is used with appropriate tapered spacers (also bought from the circle-track supply shop)
And a lock washer to hold the panhard bar to the axle housing.

 

 

 

 

Option 2:
Simply remove the stock attachment stud, and have a machinist turn the OD down to fit the heim joint.
You'll still need the spacers to prevent the heim joint from binding, but this fitment is arguably easier and stronger.