Rusty's Over-the-knuckle Steering

theres a shit ton of leverage on that one bolt, like 4".

edit: on a D30 knuckle at that! steer clear of that mess (no pun intended)
 
^hes got it right.....all the leverage created by both of those links, on just the top of that bolt, on top of a d30 knuckle is just asking for a failure

now if one were on the bottom, the leverage wouldnt be quite as bad, it would be distributed to both sides of the knuckle and would reduce the chance of failure....but still, being a d30, the knuckle doesnt have enough material/strength to hold up in the long run
 
I agree . There is a lot of leverage on that one long bolt. I think it would either brake the bolt or possibly the knuckle
 
You can also look at doing a WJ knuckle swap. Not a huge deal to do(and basically the do-it-yourselfer Down East Kit).

If you have any question just give me a shout or do some searching and we can help you out.

Andy
 
Thanks guys! In the ad it says you can run the tie rod under, but I think I will steer clear of it anyway! I don't want steering failure on the trail.
 
Off Road Only has a "U-Turn" Kit that looks pretty good, again not the cheapest, but I'd think its definitely better than stock.
http://www.offroadonly.com/products/new/u-turn/

Then there's also the currie kit. I've been thinking about going with it. Probably the best bolt on kit around.
http://www.currieenterprises.com/cestore/product.aspx?id=1219
FYI they have it listed for $349 on the Summit Racing site.

Edit: Also have you looked at the Rusty's tie rod conversion?
http://rustysoffroad.com/Merchant2/...=rustys&Product_Code=SC-250&Category_Code=ste
Not as pricey, and it looks a little safer if you don't like the idea of heims, single shear, etc.
 
I've got the Big Daddy tie rod and a ZJ drag link on my XJ, it's been good so far, the Big Daddy tie rod has not bent after some good abuse! I'd still like something better. Been thinking about doing a setup like Donna and Sheldon run, using a right hand drive drag link so it ends up being on top of the knuckle and using their tie rod flip kit.

Gary R
 
As to the Shear pressure, strength, here's something regarding that issue; http://bulletproofsteering.com/steeringoption.html

I run a setup similar to the bomb broof. I look at it this way; it can't possibly be worse than the stock setup... A 5/8 grade 8 bolt shear strength is reasonably high. i'd probably be more concerned about other stuff breaking before the steering knuckle bolt.
 
i broke 3 5/8 grade 8 bolt in my steering with a single heim on the tie rod. experience speaks volumes. moved to 3/4 haven't broke any...
 
Yeah I'd likle to go 3/4 but that doesn't leave a whole lot of material on the knuckle/steering ear on the 30 .. I do carry a full array of spare hardware for my steering too.
 
i agree, 3/4 on a 30 is probobly not a good idea. mine were on a 60, so i had some more beef on the knuckle.
 
Also, if your 5/8" or whatever hole isn't a perfect fit (i.e. a little oversize from being done with a drill), then the load placed on the bolt will be higher...
 
Rich said:
Also, if your 5/8" or whatever hole isn't a perfect fit (i.e. a little oversize from being done with a drill), then the load placed on the bolt will be higher...
Click to expand...


True, but the same principal would apply to a 3/4 inch setup.

My only point was that the setup isn't a death trap. As with everything in this sport, it could be built stronger, but for anything you would want to run with a dana 30, it should get the job done just fine.
 
ecu88xj said:
True, but the same principal would apply to a 3/4 inch setup.

My only point was that the setup isn't a death trap. As with everything in this sport, it could be built stronger, but for anything you would want to run with a dana 30, it should get the job done just fine.
Click to expand...

Absolutely true, but the strength goes up exponentially with size, and it just takes a whole lot more to break a 3/4"...

I still think it's a very bad idea, it's a big lever being put on there. If it didn't snap the bolt, it wouldn't surprise me to break the arm right off the knuckle... The tie-rod under the knuckle is a better idea, but then there's little clearance gain.
 
I don't want to be snapping the knuckle. If I just run a large tie rod for now, until I get the DEO kit would the knuckle hold up? If the tie rod is so beefy that it does not give would all the force be applied to the knuckle, possibly creating a failure? I am thinking of a pretty good bump upon the front, not just pulling up to something.
 
the force caused by the impact with something solid would be a lot higher
than say hitting it with your old tierod. a beefier tie rod would take a lot more
abuse and yes it would apply more force to the knuckle area when you slam
something with it, since it will be less likely to bend. the bend absorbs
some of the impact. so by what ever that bending force difference is, thats
at least some of how much more force you would be applying to the knuckle
at impact. shock load figures into that somewhere, so does shearing forces.
but really the question is:
how hard are you planning to slam into an object to get over it?
hard enough to crack your stock knuckles? if so get it up as high as possible
or go to a beefier front axle or knuckle set up. or change your driving habits :D
 
Well, I don't have very abusive driving habits, but sometimes you don't plan on bashing something, it just happens.


jvmin said:
the force caused by the impact with something solid would be a lot higher
than say hitting it with your old tierod. a beefier tie rod would take a lot more
abuse and yes it would apply more force to the knuckle area when you slam
something with it, since it will be less likely to bend. the bend absorbs
some of the impact. so by what ever that bending force difference is, thats
at least some of how much more force you would be applying to the knuckle
at impact. shock load figures into that somewhere, so does shearing forces.
but really the question is:
how hard are you planning to slam into an object to get over it?
hard enough to crack your stock knuckles? if so get it up as high as possible
or go to a beefier front axle or knuckle set up. or change your driving habits :D
Click to expand...
 
Wolfpack OffRoad said:
I am thinking of a pretty good bump upon the front, not just pulling up to something.
Click to expand...

yeah you never know about people.
I have learned over the years not to assume too much.
especially if you don't know somebody.
I wasn't bashing your driving habit I was just going by what you posted
sorry about that. and besides I said it with a smile :D
if it's a daily driver drive it like you got to drive it home

beefier is in most cases better
but it usually just exposes a new weak link
and in most cases the newer weak link is more expensive to fix
 
jvmin said:
yeah you never know about people.
I have learned over the years not to assume too much.
especially if you don't know somebody.
I wasn't bashing your driving habit I was just going by what you posted
sorry about that. and besides I said it with a smile :D
if it's a daily driver drive it like you got to drive it home

beefier is in most cases better
but it usually just exposes a new weak link
and in most cases the newer weak link is more expensive to fix
Click to expand...


Hey, I have no problem. I woulda said the same thing if the roles were reversed.

I agree with exposing the weak link. I do not want to be busting the knuckle. But if I do, that will just give me a reason to upgrade to the d60. :D
 
i did the wj steering w/ andy's welding and reaming help and have been very satisfied. we used 1.5 dom .280 wall, chevy 1-ton tre's, and reamed the knuckles so you use over the knuckle steering. if you do the wj conversion you also get dual piston calipers with 13" rotors. i think it's well worth the money if you don't want to get a new axle right now.
 
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