Aluminum tie rod?

XJsavage

XJsavage

CounterCulture
Joined
Aug 15, 2009
Location
Lyle's Ford SC
I'm calling upon the wealth of knowledge here to help me make a decision on whether or not I should take the time to go with a solid stock aluminum tie rod on the Jeep.

Back story: On my weekly trip to the scrap yard today I stumbled upon a piece of solid stock 1.5" OD aluminum 6061 while I was scrounging around for stainless and aluminum for a few projects around the house. It's roughly 8' long, straight as an arrow, and I was able to walk away with it for ~$20. Couldn't resist. Weighed in at 16#.
IMG_20170105_142327862_HDR.jpg

So, is 6061 a good material to use as a tie rod on a 1 ton v8 Jeep? If I did, I would drill and tap to allow for threading in the 1 ton GM TREs that are currently installed. Right now I have 1.5 .250" DOM which im sure weighs a good 25-30 lbs by itself. For weight savings alone, I could shed 15-20 lbs right off the bat. Not to mention cool factor.

Should I? Worst case I can always use this elsewhere.
 
Looks like most places are using 1 3/4 7075.
I'm not sure how comfortable I would be using that as a tie rod. You would probably also want to know what temper it is.
 
I was familiar with the 7075 used as link material. At half the strength of 7075 I may not want to risk it.
 
T651 I thought is stating it's heat treated and stressed relieved?


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I have bent my aluminum tie rod many times, hit it hard enough to touch the axle tube and it always bounces back straight. One of the best things I have done. Believe mine is 7075
 
7075 is pretty common, but that doesn't mean that a free piece of 6061 isn't also fine.

TJ High Steer Aluminum Tie Rod Kit w/ Offset Stock Taper Tie Rod Ends - TeraFlex

Depends on how much abuse it will take, how high up it is, how long it is, and how heavy the vehicle is, and what the impulse loads from tires/steering are. You're more likely to bend it (if it gets bashed) or buckle in in compression than any other failure mode. Depending on the vehicle, I would have no worries about using it.

Find a temper condition marking on it, it should be part of that line of text. Don't use it if you can't find a temper, because you don't really know what you're working with.

Do yourself a favor and make sure you get a tap that properly matches the thread tolerance of whatever Heims you're getting for it. This is important. Don't just grab one out of your Craftsman tap kit.


And worst case, there are other things you can use it for....
 
Hmmm... I'm no good at deciphering these codes really.

KaiserSelect made in USA, precision rod.

IMG_20170105_182619267.jpg

IMG_20170105_182456680.jpg


And no worries on having a good tap. I've got plenty. If not, I can get ones I don't by chance already have.
 
6061-T651 is that part that is important, in the second picture.

T651 is similar to T6 temper, but T651 has been stretched after extrusion to relieve residual stress. Treatment after that is the same as T6 if I remember correctly.
 
Yeah T6511B is the complete reading on it.
 
XJsavage said:
Yeah T6511B is the complete reading on it.
Click to expand...

Oh, that's actually slightly different than T651. T6511 is generally straightened for tolerance, I think that's the only difference. Doesn't really matter for what you would be doing, as the shape between the Heims isn't important and it's going to get bashed anyway. Good piece of stock for $20 though.
 
Thank you for sharing that sir! :beer:
 
tknopp said:
If you dont want it I will give you $21.00 for it. :)
Click to expand...
There was more than one stick there. I don't mind grabbing the rest next time I go if anyone's interested.
 
Are you running high steer? I would be more ok with it if it was farther away from the rocks. Or maybe convert to tie rod behind the axle. :cool:
 
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