• Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

1-ton OTK steering with ruffstuff diff cover - diff cover clearance issues

T

themangeraaad

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Halifax, MA
So I finally got my 1-ton OTK steering done and installed and I found out that my tie rod is hitting my ruffstuff diff cover.

When researching the 1-ton OTK setup I read somewhere on here (or elsewhere, don't remember) that some folks were running 1-ton OTK steering with a ruffstuff cover and had no problems... well clearly that's not the case and I should have done some additional research. Live and learn :banghead:

So I guess I'm curious what you guys would recommend doing to resolve this issue. Should I (can I) modify the ruffstuff cover to make it fit? Should I spend the extra money for the ruffstuff offset TREs? Or is there some other solution I am missing?
 
RoyalXJ said:
you should be barely be hitting the cover. if it bothers grind out a spot so it clears. that cover is 3/8" thick
Click to expand...

I'm hitting the diff cover at a little over 1 turn to the left so I still have a bit over 1/2 turn of the steering wheel before I should be hitting full left lock. Not sure how much more the tie rod will be travel towards the axle over that 1/2 turn though. Will have to take some measurements tomorrow to see if grinding the cover is a reasonable solution.

philagony94xj said:
Adjust steering stops?
Click to expand...

I have considered doing that for the time being but really don't want to decrease my turning radius if at all possible
 
Last edited:
DeftwillP said:
Use this for the driver's side knuckle? Are they the same size?

http://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/catalog/TREOFF.html
Click to expand...

those are the ruffstuff offset TREs I mentioned. From what I read I THINK those TREs have the same thread as the 1-ton chevy ends but would require that I ream out the knuckles a bit more (not the end of the world if that is the case).

I'd rather avoid using those if possible because A) I already have the 1-ton chevy stuff and B) buying replacements for those would be impossible if I needed a replacement short-notice... and since you have to ream the knuckles out more in order to run those I wouldn't be able to use a standard rod end as a trail spare. Aka if I break one of those on the trail I would be SOL.
 
I had the same issue with UTK 1-ton and the RuffStuff cover - it just barely touched at full turn. I found that rotating the pinion down would help increase clearance but I ended up grinding down the RuffStuff cover. It is 3/8" thick and its unlikely that a rock will hit it that high up.

Edit: Adjusting the steering stops is not a "fix" as far as I was concerned. I did not want to give up >33% of my turning radius.
 
Probably would help my caster but I don't have the option to do that right now (still running stock control arms at ~ 3.5" lift).

Going to take some measurements and start grinding. Hopefully that will give enough room to get back to full lock-lock. :thumbup:

Thanks.
 
I cut a big hole in my RS cover at the top corner where the tie rod hit and welded in a patch plate. Like others said, you aren't going to hit a rock up that high and plus it would hit the tie rod first anyway. There is almost an inch of clearance between the cover and ring gear at that point, so no worries with that.

I have the 1.5" RS steering, so it would have hit the diff cover and still will hit the coil bucket on the drivers side. No idea what to do about that because the tie rod hits the spring itself.
 
sunburned said:
I cut a big hole in my RS cover at the top corner where the tie rod hit and welded in a patch plate. Like others said, you aren't going to hit a rock up that high and plus it would hit the tie rod first anyway. There is almost an inch of clearance between the cover and ring gear at that point, so no worries with that.

I have the 1.5" RS steering, so it would have hit the diff cover and still will hit the coil bucket on the drivers side. No idea what to do about that because the tie rod hits the spring itself.
Click to expand...

I'm going to try and avoid cutting/welding if possible because I really don't want to pull the diff cover and lose the oil since it's still pretty new stuff but I will do so if I end up grinding too far :gee:

I think I should clear the DS coil bucket fine. My passenger side could be trimmed a tiny bit more but it just barely touches when I hear my steering box hit full lock so I'm not losing any sleep over it just yet. I'm more concerned with throwing some more bracing on/around the coil bucket.
 
Damn, now hitting drivers side coil bucket with around 1/4 turn to full lock, and the coil bucket is trimmed back as far as it can be.

Will adjust the stops for now and figure that one out later.
 
are you sure everything is reamed properly? I run JCR's otk setup with a ruff stuff cover and don't touch my diff cover.... I do touch my trackbar tho (still in stock location on the axle). Could be possible you reamed the knuckles to far which lowers the tie rod just enough to rub the cover?
 
XGarfX said:
are you sure everything is reamed properly? I run JCR's otk setup with a ruff stuff cover and don't touch my diff cover.... I do touch my trackbar tho (still in stock location on the axle). Could be possible you reamed the knuckles to far which lowers the tie rod just enough to rub the cover?
Click to expand...

I reamed them just far enough to get the cotter pin in, pretty sure they aren't reamed too far.
 
I would throw a stock cover back on and see if it clears. If it does (which it should) then i would get a diff guard that protects the lower half which is the vulnerable spot and sell the RS cover and call it a day. No sense in over thinking this. Yah it sucks that you wouldn't get to keep that awsome cover but not everything works together with other parts and sometimes you gotta ditch some parts in order to run others that serve a greater purpose.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

T
1 Ton steering clearance issues
Replies
9
Views
847
XJChang
X
E
Steering Redo.... Questions before I dive in.
2
Replies
28
Views
994
RCP Phx
R
G
Crossover and High Steer (Wagoneer Dana 44) Clearance Issues?
Replies
9
Views
2K
Evan03
E
WGxj
97 xj Repair/Replace Rear Arches & Finish or Cover with QP Armor?
Replies
5
Views
55
DirtySouthXJ
D
J
Lower track bar mount issues
Replies
17
Views
5K
xcm
xcm
Back
Top