That looks like the bushing is too tight on the bar and locking the bar instead of allowing it to rotate. When mounted, the bar should be able to move with only minimal resistance. Ideally, it would be completely free to move, but that type of mounting will always have a little drag due to bushing compression and sticky grease.
Good old HAZ, coincidentally was talking to someone at work yesterday about why we don't weld the structures on the airframes for that very reason despite the amount of welders we have. Its inevitable without heat treating after.
New Steeda bar is scheduled to be delivered next Friday. I can honestly say Steeda customer service continues to be top notch, Mike at Steeda is extremely knowledgeable and definitely a people person. I appreciate the Steeda crew for helping me with this!
That's not from haz. That's something with the material. A small tack wouldn't cause a haz that would make that material do that.
You mean like produce an initiation point for a fracture? It doesn't matter if it's a track weld, steel had to be melted to produce it and when that cooled, it formed a small, brittle inclusion where a crack could form to enable an endurance failure.
The heat affected zone (HAZ) is a non-melted area of metal that has undergone changes in material properties as a result of being exposed to high temperatures.
It will put a little push in the car, but it will be mostly unnoticeable. Actually, it will probably ride a little better if you drive over choppy pavement.
