hey guys im a regular on JKOWNERS but figured id come here for some of your guys advice

I have gone thru ball joint afte ball joint so i decided to go with some good 5/8 heims

My question is how well do you think this will hold up on the road. I know that the heims are not DOT so i wint go there but my wife does drive my jeep to work every day and her saftey is a big concern of mine,

Thanks,

scott AKA dr.dirty



its made out of chromolly and FK rod ends

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y268/szmartin7401/photo-37.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y268/szmartin7401/photo-36.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y268/szmartin7401/photo-34.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y268/szmartin7401/photo-33.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y268/szmartin7401/IMG00102-20090730-1337.jpg

AT LEAST put safety washers on it....

I believe heims should be captured on both sides. I have seen other rigs run this and you get alot of slop. The way you have them mounted puts all the pressure on the bolt and outer c not the heim.

Just my 2 cents I run 1 ton tie rod ends and i daily drive it.

good luck

Agree, the only safe and reliable way for a heim is double shear, otherwise you will wallow out the holes, been there. Marc

I like the QA-1's like these.

http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/thumbnail.asp?file=assets/images/rodends/xm14.jpg&maxx=300&maxy=0

They are a two piece design as opposed to a three piece like the FK's you're using. The race on the FK's is pressed in and can distort and separate from the body. The safety washers trap the body in case this happens.

I use 7/8's QA-1's on my steering and have no concerns about their reliability. I would suggest you change your rod ends or at least add safety washers.

I don't see exposed threads after the nut on your bolts, they may need to be longer.

I wouldnt run 5/8 heims on anything. For me its 3/4 or 7/8 heims

I believe heims should be captured on both sides. I have seen other rigs run this and you get alot of slop. The way you have them mounted puts all the pressure on the bolt and outer c not the heim.

Just my 2 cents I run 1 ton tie rod ends and i daily drive it.

good luck

I will def work on adding another support

I like the QA-1's like these.

http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/thumbnail.asp?file=assets/images/rodends/xm14.jpg&maxx=300&maxy=0

They are a two piece design as opposed to a three piece like the FK's you're using. The race on the FK's is pressed in and can distort and separate from the body. The safety washers trap the body in case this happens.

I use 7/8's QA-1's on my steering and have no concerns about their reliability. I would suggest you change your rod ends or at least add safety washers.

I don't see exposed threads after the nut on your bolts, they may need to be longer.

ive been looking for sftey washers local i didnt even think about that at the time, i knew there was a reason to ask for advice from the experts :D

I wouldnt run 5/8 heims on anything. For me its 3/4 or 7/8 heims

you dont think that 7/8 or 3/4 would be over kill for my jeep? the factoy tierods are puny i figured the 5/8 would be overkill just for the drag link but i will give qa1 a call and get the parts i need to do it right

like i said i want it to be safe on the road

well here is what i came up with......
i have to get a longer bolt for the heim but any other imput would be awesome


http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y268/szmartin7401/photo-40.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y268/szmartin7401/photo-39.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y268/szmartin7401/photo-38.jpg

that looks a lot better.

that looks a lot better.

Thank you i figured something had to be better than nothing right

i did use a sleeve to make up for the factory taper

here is the finished product :D

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y268/szmartin7401/P8010459.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y268/szmartin7401/P8010460.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y268/szmartin7401/P8010457.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y268/szmartin7401/P8010458.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y268/szmartin7401/P8010461.jpg

I would still add a safety washer on the bottom of the pitman arm heim.

I would still add a safety washer on the bottom of the pitman arm heim.

do you know of a good source online or maybe even a local shop that would carry them ?

www.ballisticfabrication.com

www.ruffstuffspecialties.com

Not trying to be a critic, but check the nut on the pitman arm bolt every week if not running double shear, I daily drove mine for almost 9 years with that setup, and the bolts would constantly come loose. Not sure if anyone on the site makes a double shear pitman arm, but I would definetly look into it. Marc

do you know of a good source online or maybe even a local shop that would carry them ?

http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/Safety-Washers_c_111.html
http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/thumbnail.asp?file=assets/images/spacers/3-4safety.jpg&maxx=300&maxy=0
http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/thumbnail.asp?file=assets/images/spacers/safety2.jpg&maxx=300&maxy=0

Not trying to be a critic, but check the nut on the pitman arm bolt every week if not running double shear, I daily drove mine for almost 9 years with that setup, and the bolts would constantly come loose. Not sure if anyone on the site makes a double shear pitman arm, but I would definetly look into it. Marc

What type of nut were you running for it to easily back off? I ran the same set up on my DD for 5 years with no problems. It isnt my DD any more and still holds up fine.
I am not sure of the exact name but I run a "crush nut". The face of the nut has dimples from when the threaded body was compresses after being tapped. It serves the same purpose as a Nylock.

What type of nut were you running for it to easily back off? I ran the same set up on my DD for 5 years with no problems. It isnt my DD any more and still holds up fine.
I am not sure of the exact name but I run a "crush nut". The face of the nut has dimples from when the threaded body was compresses after being tapped. It serves the same purpose as a Nylock.

Typically in these types of applications, especially dealing with the stock knuckles, it's not an issue of the nut backing off, the issue is the iron knuckle is soft enough that the side loads tend to deform or sink into the iron where the rod end contacts it and then you lose the tightening torque you started with.

Depending on how tough the pitman is, you could get the same thing going there as well.

Typically in these types of applications, especially dealing with the stock knuckles, it's not an issue of the nut backing off, the issue is the iron knuckle is soft enough that the side loads tend to deform or sink into the iron where the rod end contacts it and then you lose the tightening torque you started with.

Depending on how tough the pitman is, you could get the same thing going there as well.

I would not doubt that the stock knuckle or pitman arm material could deform. They are pretty easy to drill out for heims. I guess I have always torqued the crap out of anything to do with steering because of how important it is.
The only problem I have had with my steering is sheering the passenger side studs on the flat top knuckle. I orginally ran a 1" spacer to get the hysteer over the front springs. The pitman was contacting the tierod due to stretching the front end so I went to just crossover steering but left the 1" spacer in. I think the addtional leverage from the 1" spacer put too much of bending moment on the studs. The studs broke and I was towed off the trail by my tierod. The hysteer arm is now directly on the knuckle with less of a bending moment and more sheer like it should have been.
This is right before the studs let go.
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=453963&stc=1&d=1247500148
Here is the existing setup. It is hard to see but there are saftey washers on all of the heims for capture and a couple double for misalignment. After looking at this picture I think I am going to tie the hysteer bolt to the stock knuckle bolt for a little extra insurance.
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=453954&stc=1&d=1247499639http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/parts/hms3small.JPG

I wouldnt run 5/8 heims on anything. For me its 3/4 or 7/8 heims

x2

I've broken my steering 3/4x3/4" FK heims on my samurai w/ 35" tires.

better upgrade to at least 3/4" or 7/8" heims. overkill is not a bad thing, especially when it comes to safety.

FK heims are a little weaker than qa1 I have noticed.

The pitman arm and the knuckles over time will wallow out from minimal movement of the bolt, especially if wheeled alot hard. It doesn't matter what type of nut I used, it would come loose. Once the arm or the knuckles oval out, you won't be able to keep it tight. Marc

You've got some fab skills, double shear that pitman. I personally prefer 2 piece heims over 3, and at least run 3/4". Run what you got for now until they wear out and upgrade to a 2 piece 7/8" .02

You've got some fab skills, double shear that pitman. I personally prefer 2 piece heims over 3, and at least run 3/4". Run what you got for now until they wear out and upgrade to a 2 piece 7/8" .02

im trying to figure out a way to double shear the pitman arm....... i am definately sourcing the parts i need now to upgrade it and i can use what i made for a spare if needed one of the main reasons i went 5/8 was i didnt want to drill the knuckles out incase i ever went back to a tierod setup

i knew i should have came here first heres the new list i came up with let me know if you guys think i am missing anything Kartek was way over priced for the same parts they wanted 286$

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y268/szmartin7401/parts.jpg

can you guys think of anything else i may need

can you guys think of anything else i may need

You could add more saftey washers to your list. A couple extra heims will save you some headache on the trail and you wont have to carry a whole spare draglink.

You could add more saftey washers to your list. A couple extra heims will save you some headache on the trail and you wont have to carry a whole spare draglink.

sounds like a plan i figured it just carry this one just in case since i all ready spent 200 bucks on it lol

or do you think this would be a better option and i could do the tie rod also

http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/Steering-Kit-34quot-with-Standard-Spacers_p_1336.html

http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/assets/images/parts/75wsms.jpg

well i got my saftey washers and now i have a question can i use them with the high misalignment spacers should i just add a big washer instead ???????

also i am making a new tierod should it be made out of chromolly of would regular 1.5 .120 wall be fine im thinking chromolly