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dana 60 ford knuckle upgrade

6K views 16 replies 10 participants last post by  BIGWOODY 
#1 ·
i am always in fear of breaking my knuckles with the high steer and now in the next month i will going full hydro, so i wanted to reforce the stock one's. i took a pieace if 3/8 T-1 and welded it to a piece of 1.5''X 1/4 thick T-1. i welded the two parts together and using the existing OEM hole i welded a large 1'' nut to it, then i welded the 3/8 to the contour of the arm. arms can be removed if needed but the bottom 3/8 and 1/4 flat bar stay, heres a few ( crappey pic's ) pictures, maybe santa will bring me a new cammera, jason.
 

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#3 ·
Not to piss in your wheaties, but you wasted time and money--didn't do anything to reinforce the vulnerable area of the knuckle. What you did was to reinforce the high steer arm against vertical stress.

There have been a couple of threads about plating stock knuckles where the knuckle was basically "layered" with steel plate.
 
#4 ·
yes and buy incressing the high steer arm strength i take the load off the top 4 bolts turning my jeep. now its spread over a larger area and hence making them stronger. it was my time and no money put towards it, what did you do to your arms, jason.
 
#6 ·
I used the stock arms on my knuckles- spreads the stress out over the entire knuckle.

I just dont see how you have added any strength to the vulnerable part of the knuckle.

When mounting a high steer arm to a knuckle, it concentrates all of the side to side steering stresses on the bolts/top of knuckle- exactly where it is thinnest. Add to that wide assed tires and offset rims then slammity buncing around and its no suprise that stock knuckles break- Ford, Dodge or GM. By plating the knuckle, you effectively make it thicker AND spread the loading out over more of the knuckle. Your "gusset" idea won't work because you have only gusseted vertically--but honestly, theres nowhere to gusset to that would provide any resistance to side stress type failure on a knuckle. If you think about it, it's the same reason you put an X brace in a rollcage- you just cant do that to a knuckle. Only thing you can do is make it thicker (plating) or build it out of stronger material (aftermarket)

I stand by my original critique- you did little to nothing for that knuckle.

Am I the only one that sees this??? Am I wrong here?? Is anybody even reading this thread??
 
#12 ·
OH! I am reading this thread and I understand what you are saying, wildstallyn, but what he did for the fill was to add more strength to the lateral forces. It's not only concentrated at the top but the bottom as well. Solid hook-up.
 
#7 ·
After studying your pics, to see if there was something I just wasnt understanding, I think if you added some THICK vertical ribs to each side of the plate it would help. Not trying to be a dick here, but if I am wrong I wish someone would explain it to me because this would be a simple way to strengthen a knuckle ---if it worked--- I just dont think it will.
 
#8 · (Edited)
I think this technique would improve the strength in the "turning forces" by transmitting a portion of that load through the full front face of the knuckle instead of it being completely focused on the steering arm bolted flange area.
I don't think it will help with the problem that larger tires and reduced backspacing bring in especially when your bouncing, that thin area of casting just outboard and below the kingpin flange see's a tremendous load, and the leverage of tires and low backspacing is focusing on it.
I think you have to do at least some plating in that area before you call it good.
 
#9 ·
ok heres my idea agin. i saw pictures of stock knuckles break where the 4 bolts attach to. what i did was give it two more points conected to the arm spread out over the the thinest part of the knuckle. i see your piont buy it wont add strength to the rest of the knuckle but where the folcrum point of the of the steering arm is located 6'' to 8'' from the 4 bolts there will be some support because the end two 3/4 bolt's pass thru the plate i welded to the knuckle. i think it will help and it cost me nothing, so if it does nothing its still better than what was factory, jason.
 
#10 · (Edited)
well three hard runs out and the KP bolts are not loose like they would be after one day. so i would say they extra arms are working, the reel test will be after i install the full hydro, jason.
 
#13 ·
IMO you put the plate on the wrong side of the high steer arm. My friend did this exact mod upon my suggestion and I posted pics of it in rustynut's thread. he put his plate on that side too, not understanding where I was saying I think it is best

it fits nicer, but it doesn't connect the inner 2 bolts to the thin inner webbing any better. I believe that you added strength, but I don't believe you got the full benefit. the top 4 bolt area likes to tear away from the ribbing that runs on the inner c side vertically down and away from it. you could have put your plate on the inboard side of the arm and welded around that thin bend (would have had to bend the brace plate) and done a whole lot more. I still feel you are way stronger doing this mod as not.
he also did another way to brace the back of the arm to the knuckle while plating the back of the knuckle the proper way too. I told him to use bigger nuts, but it still works.
 
#15 ·
i agree with about adding the plate to the other side, but i wanted to pick the origanal bolt hole in the knuckle. i used that hole along with the welding to the knuckle, with it bolted down and welded i spread the force out. i am 100% satisfied with the results, the one major thing i was trying to do was keep my KP bolts from loosing up and i did, so yep im happy. like i said three hard trail runs and there not even out of tourqe spec, they are right where i left them. one last thing is i might add the extra plate like your suggesting, so combined this with whats there, it will never move those bolts out, jason.
 
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