Thoughts on steering setup

[9T3XJ]

I have been researching steering setups for a while now and came across the OTK setup that goatman used on his D30, i think i'm going to copy it using 3 TRE's from a grand cherokee and 1 heim.

I have a couple of questions thougth:

1. when you guys tap the ends yourself, do you just tap the ends by hand or do you use a drill press or a lathe.

2. this is for goatman, i'm curious about what you thought of this set up vs. the inverted T you run on your D44. i'm thinking the inverted Y would have less clearance issues then an inverted T on the 30.

 

[rockwerks]

tap by hand, tube in vise, PAM spray for cutting oil,

 

[Goatman]

I have been researching steering setups for a while now and came across the OTK setup that goatman used on his D30, i think i'm going to copy it using 3 TRE's from a grand cherokee and 1 heim.

I have a couple of questions thougth:

1. when you guys tap the ends yourself, do you just tap the ends by hand or do you use a drill press or a lathe.

2. this is for goatman, i'm curious about what you thought of this set up vs. the inverted T you run on your D44. i'm thinking the inverted Y would have less clearance issues then an inverted T on the 30.

I've done it both using a lathe, and doing it by hand with the tube in a vise. The lathe is definitey the superior way to go, but it can be done by hand at home. I ended up getting tubing that was the correct inner size so I didn't have to drill to the correct size before taping, since it's harder to drill straight than it is to tap straight when doing it by hand. One of the issues of not using a lathe is getting the end flat so the lock nut seats properly, it's easy to do on a lathe. You'll have to get the metric taps and drill bit for the TRE's.

I like both setups. One element is the angle of the drag link, determined by the height of the steering arm on the knuckle. With the D30 I liked the inverted Y (really liked it), but on the D44 with hysteer arms the steering is higher and the drag link angle is better so the inverted T works real well. The inverted T works better with ram assist if you use a double adjuster to adjust the toe, but I guess there's also no reason a double adjuster couldn't be used with the inverted Y. Basically, I'd choose inverted Y with more drag link angle and inverted T with less drag link angle........but I'd easily run both. Now, when talking about inverted T I mean one with the drag link joint directly on top of the tie rod using a rod end, not out front like when using a tie rod end.

 

[FIREBLADE]

I used the DIY steering kit from Ballistic Fab. I went with 7/8" chromoly heims. The larger the heim the longer it lasts plus it is super strong. I love my steering and the price is really good. http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/Complete-Steering-kits_c_13.html

 

[rockwerks]

I used the DIY steering kit from Ballistic Fab. I went with 7/8" chromoly heims. The larger the heim the longer it lasts plus it is super strong. I love my steering and the price is really good. http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/Complete-Steering-kits_c_13.html

with 3/4 16 heims and 1 3/16" dom and tap etc I will be right at 150.00 for it all about half that price.

 

[Goatman]

I used the DIY steering kit from Ballistic Fab. I went with 7/8" chromoly heims. The larger the heim the longer it lasts plus it is super strong. I love my steering and the price is really good. http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/Complete-Steering-kits_c_13.html

I like their hex head tubing inserts.