Tie rod replacement

[Elcapitano]

So i have my 3" lift completed and am currently trying to get it aligned now. my current stock Tie rod is frozen and wont budge.

im looking to replace but dont want to dump a TON of cash into it right now.

i have seen that ZJ tie rods are solid and a direct replacement. but for after market rods one that caught my eye at a reasonable price was Rustys HD tie rod w/ ends for $99. http://rustysoffroad.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=RS-TR125-UV&Category_Code=ste

anyone have any experience with this? or am i better off and just getting the ZJ one for now until i have more money to put into it?

 

[iwannadie]

I have an IronRockOffroad tie rod setup and think it's pretty awesome. It's a bit more money than rusty's but it is also Solid not a tube like stock/rusty's.

 

[Elcapitano]

that looks alot better then the rustys, are the TREs they provide OEM? or better?

 

[tbburg]

I did the ZJ swap on mine. Bought all new parts from NAPA. Came to around $120.00. If you decide to do this using new rod ends, but want to save a little cash, the adjuster sleeve for the ZJ tie rod is the same assembly for the XJ/TJ/ZJ drag link. JY part for 5-10 bucks.

 

[Johnnie Walker]

I have the ironman4x4fab tie rod with Moog TRE's definitely worth the $$

 

[imtiredzzzz]

that looks alot better then the rustys, are the TREs they provide OEM? or better?

The rod ends they provide are an OEM equivalent. I would think that the TREs are going to fail before the ironman4x4 tie rod ever budges. If you want stronger TREs then you should look into full size one ton TREs, but that requires alot more work.

 

[Johnnie Walker]

The rod ends they provide are an OEM equivalent. I would think that the TREs are going to fail before the ironman4x4 tie rod ever budges. If you want stronger TREs then you should look into full size one ton TREs, but that requires alot more work.

The TRE's that ironman4x4fab has are basically "one-ton" but with stock taper. I believe if you cross reference the PN of the TRE's they are for a late80s full-size ram van and/or truck.
I purchased some Moog TRE's for cheap on ebay when I got my tie rod from him, as he did not offer the TRE's at the time. If you PM/contact him he can give you the part numbers. I don't know off hand where my Moog boxes are at the moment. They will cost more than ironman's but you can get good quality TRE's at your local Napa

 

[Elcapitano]

Ill give him a call to try and get the part numbers for the TRE's. i called napa earlier and they were asking for either a right hand thread or left and 20mm or 11/16th anyone have any idea what the correct measurement is off the top of thier head?

 

[Johnnie Walker]

Well, you will need a LH and RH.

 

[kastein]

I put a V8 ZJ tie rod (I6 ZJ tie rod is same as stock) on mine from the junkyard for 10 bucks. I've beat it mercilessly and haven't come close to bending it yet.