Balljoints vs Heims for steering

RatLabGuy

RatLabGuy

You look like a monkey and smell like one too
Joined
May 18, 2005
Location
Churchville, MD
Working on beefier steering.
For the 86-95 IFS, one popular option for the tierods is is to change to FJ80 TREs.
This requires also making a tierod body to match the 23mm thread of the FJ80 TREs. Can get weld-in thread insert for 1" DOM etc from Sky and others. Total cost ~$170 for the change, by the time you buy a bunch of the inserts, quality TRES etc.

Now, another option would be to just change to Heims, say 3/4", and drill out the tapered hole for a matching bolt.
ASE Heims and matching inserts are alot cheaper (although it kills me since everything else is metric) and easier to find.
Plus, later a plan to make my own beefier relay rod, which fitting a Heim to would be alot easier than a tapered hole.

However I've heard that Heims aren't DMV legal for steering although I can't find this anywhere, and I wonder if the bolt loosening would be a problem.

Thoughts?
 
RatLabGuy said:
However I've heard that Heims aren't DOD legal for steering although I can't find this anywhere, and I wonder if the bolt loosening would be a problem.
Thoughts?
Click to expand...


DOD legal? I dont think we care what kinda joints you use on your steering.


JK, I have been thinking about why there arent heims offered for the hi steer with straight drilled steering arms.

I have seen some "street legal" rigs running full hydro with heims.
 
I use 1.5" OD(.25" wall) DOM with 3/4" heims for tie rod and drag link on my "street legal" CJ7.
Seems to pass the safety inspection every year, and it's bulletproof.
 
Here's the only thing I wonder about.
Your typical ball joint has a tapered end on the stud, this is so you're guaranteed a nice snug fit into the eye, and that way the shoulders of the hole carry the weight instead of the back side of the ball, by being crushed by the nut.
W/ the Heim however you really an only put a bolt through and tighten the snot out of it, and hope the fit it tight and stays there. Is there a concern of them working loose?
 
Heims are better when in double shear applications. In single shear they can start to have "bolt slop" after a while. I don't care how tight you get the bolt, it will eventually start to wobble. The taper of the TRE's keep it nice and tight. For a street driven truck I prefer TRE's. FJ80 ends are nice and big.
 
On IFS steering you're going to have to run high misalignment spacers so if you run 3/4 rod ends you'd run a 5/8 bolt. Or run the bigger and much stronger 7/8 rod ends and you'd run a 3/4 or 5/8 bolt.
We run rod ends on almost everything here, we stopped using 3/4 rod ends long ago due to reliability issues and the 7/8 were working much much better. We've never had a hole waller out out unless the vehicle was neglected and not given a quick once over every now and again which is far and few. Thats most likely your DMV issue, just like beadlocks. Its not the fact that they're "unsafe" but the fact that most people won't check them.
 
OK I'm pretty much sold on converting to Heims. Looking at Total Chaos, they have a kit that does this also, looks like it is a 5/8" bolt and 3/4" threaded ends. If it works for TC, works for me!
Now is it possible to find a 7/8" threaded end heim w/ only a 5/8" hole? Looking at the center link and steering arms, I don't think I'd want to bore out > 5/8" b/c it'd be pushing housing around it awefully thin.
Yeah I'm guessing the misalignment spacer is needed b/c the body of the center link will get in the way. Here's a guy that did it, but used washers for spacers
http://www.ttora.com/forum/showthread.php?t=118487&highlight=heim
 
Oh, or I guess I could get a 3/4x7/8 heim, and use a 34-to-5/8 reducing high alignment spacer, if thats any cheaper
 
Back
Top