Long Travel BS Thread

What measurement are you looking for exactly?

 

rear steer ~24" center to center, front steer ~26" center to center.

I have looked at packaging a woodward, but I may just end up making a slide rack and pushing my rack points back a little.

if I convert to front steer I need to re-jigger my front swaybar

 

JD welds fail because its 4130 tacked style together/ or super low heat spread apart whips.. to not input any extra heat and cause the metal around the weld to become brittle. Only proper thing to peen it, or anneal it. In terms of the rack, mine did the same thing but my whole shaft was bent. The hydraulics still worked but struggled significantly, seals somehow still held, wasn't skipping teeth. I did not have a slide rack so you might have the same issue but not as exaggerated.

 

Actually, it never was 4130 like we were all told. It’s just welded in tack and go fashion with no fusion and no penetration. But I won’t keep this one going.

@Bandido my inner pivot center to center is roughly 30.625”, assuming that is what you were after.

 

yeah, thanks

it continues to make me feel stupid lol.

it really helps to make sure the steering rack is actually centered if you only scan one side of the truck

 

Where would you guys start in straightening out my steering, assuming nothing looks bent or cracked?

My current plan is unbolting the steering shaft from the rack, straightening the wheel and the tires, and reassembling. I can't think of any other place it would've slipped.

 

I would double check that the rack is not centered in its travel when the wheel is pointed straight before adjusting it in the steering shaft, but I have seen some slip there so that's my guess.

If steering is centered with the wheel straight and you adjust the shaft you will end up with more steering angle one way.

 

Yeah I was concerned about that, but my brain can’t logically wrap around that happening, the slide rack should keep the rack centered relative to the wheels

 

It is still possible for the rack to jump teeth. I would start with pulling the clevis’s and looking at the back sides. Mine caved in at the rack. If that checks good I’m sure it just skipped teeth.

FWIW the slide rack is solid mounted and the steering rack isn’t. It is worth while to solid mount the steering rack as well while you’re in there.

 

I did the super stiff delrin when I did it. Figured that was good. And ah now I’m seeing what you’re meaning now with the rack jumping teeth. I’m tired this morning I guess lol.

 

You doing the Tacos on the Rubicon event?

Always wanted to visit Bodi. Sounds like a fund trip

 

Im not sure what events if any are happening on our Rubicon trip..

The Bodi Trip is gonna be badass... Crossing the Mojave into different parts of Death Valley and the Paniments. Crossing over the White Mountain Travers and through the Benton Plains and the Hot Creek Geological areas and then into the Sierra Nevedas

 

Sounds like a rad trip! DV / Paniment valley and then the whole Eastern Sierra and 395N zone is just Chefs Kiss. Be sure to post up a trip report!

Some Day I'd like to link a Mojave road into DV up 395 to Rubicon/Fordyce on one trip... Gotta make the crawler go fast though. haha

 

We have the technology

 

Any movement with your stock rack upgrades?

 

Ever so slowly yes.. Ended up making a minor change with materials, but things are moving. This one man show stuff is rough sometimes!

 

I mentioned this the other dozen times the steering shift argument has come up and nobody wanted to hear it Those splines are miniature compared to every other part of the steering. Makes it easier on that part when everything else is made beefier so i think that's why it isn't so obvious an issue but it just has to be imo

Also check the rubber section up towards the steering wheel more. That part will shift quite a few degrees into different spots as it wears out. Definitely another hidden source of people's steering issues over the years. Pretty easy to lay a few little bridge welds on it and eliminate that and any softness to the steering feedback

 

Fuckers mint now. Got it straightened out no issues. That huge fuckin hit did make a teeny tiny crack in my spindle gusset so I’ll have to fix it. But if that’s it then I’m a happy camper