dana 44 bent tie rod???

[koa's93ranger]

was tossing up the idea of using the stock tie rod after i do my sas temporarily untill i get around to the full crossover.

i dont have another full size truck here to compare to so im hoping someone may know off the top of their head...is the tie rod supposed to have this bend in it or not?

ill be checking out the junk yard on wednesday, so i can look at another truck while im there. but till then, im curious as to whether this is supposed to be bent or did it happen from wheelin'?

its a 79 f250

 

[The Mud Addict]

Yup, its bent

 

[legoms013]

Short answer, no.

Long answer, bent.

If all it is gonna be is a temporary just put it in a vice and bend it back a little. Hell I'd probably run it as is! Some will disagree with me I'm sure but it isn't that bent. Better yet put a high-lift in there on top of it and between the bumper and straighten her out....that's how I have done it to my dad's tie-rod once or twice out on the trail.

 

[koa's93ranger]

thank you for the tip. i think i just may do that. i figure theres no sense in wasting money on crossover steering just yet as im not sure how i want to run it. once i decide whether or not i like the set up im about to rig up, then ill know what direction to go from there

 

[legoms013]

When you do your sas and if there is enough forward room between the pitman arm and the tie-rod location, I would run full crossover for sure. But if there isn't you'll have to go with a T-link setup.

Not sure on what is more commonly used, as I have seen it done both ways with the steering box in the same stock location.

I like the way full-cross over looks though

 

[koa's93ranger]

T style wont work as the leafs are in the way. ive seen one guy put this front axle on 3" blocks so that the drag link clears leafs but that seems unsafe to me. i wish i could do TREs for long lasting and less maintenance, but highsteer arms and knuckles cost way more than just replacing a few $16 heims every other years or so.

and yes, full crossover with heims does have a badass look to it, another reason for my decision to go that route haha.

what exactly do you mean when you say enough forward room? do you mean so that the tie rod and drag link dont contact on bump? if it does, couldnt i just move the axle forward a few inches? that is my plan anyway so that my tires dont hit the rear of the fenders. but im not sure how far i can go forward, will resarch that a little more once i move closer to build time

 

[koa's93ranger]

I just read railmans build thread. He went 4" forward and is using stock gear box. Is that practical or will that cause issues down the road?

 

[wahlstrom1]

4" forward is right at the limit of the stock box location.

As for the high steer, use TRE's not heims and buy high steer arms with the step to clear leafs.

 

[koa's93ranger]

I've posted. Thread asking about brake lines and got no answer. Maybe someone can help me here. Will my brake lines fit my new axle or do I have to get adapters of some sort?

 

[wahlstrom1]

My procomp extended lines (for ttb) worked fine on my D44 calipers.

 

[koa's93ranger]

Thank you for the quick response. I have extended lines from earl's for 8" lift so I should have enough line, but wasn't sure if the fittings are the same

 

[koa's93ranger]

Anyway... Back to the topic on hand. I've decided to order all the steering at once. No sense in paying for shipping twice as its only a $2 difference to ship everything at the same time. Are the stock d44 knuckles and ranger pitman arm thick enough to hold the 3/4" bolt and be stout? Not sure what's a better option, stronger bolt, or stronger knuckle

 

[wahlstrom1]

I would just straighten the stock tie rod until you can get the proper high steer parts to run TRE's instead of heims as they are illegal due to lack of DOT approval and your vehicle can be ticketed/impounded for them if your local LEO's decide they don't like you.

 

[koa's93ranger]

Holy crap. Didn't know that. I see a lot of ppl using them around here, but that may not be their DD like mine is. Maybe a junkyard, unbent tie rod is in my near future

 

[wahlstrom1]

It's just like removing cat's (hate to bring up that whole thing), it's illegal and many do it.... BUT, it can end with you getting fines and getting in trouble etc...