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Steering conversion

PostPosted: January 25th, 2012, 11:42 pm
by Young Gun
Hey i think it is time to ditch my bent tie rod and drag link. I know there are tons of companies making systems but I am wondering what steering systems you guys like/dislike. I know the currie system is probably ideal but im not in the pay bracket for that. Any good options on the cheaper side?? Are there any systems that can go over the knuckle with simplicity?? Give me your thoughts and pictures if u got em!

Re: Steering conversion

PostPosted: January 26th, 2012, 4:13 am
by casaintsfan
ChickenHawk has the Rockrawler steering set up.
I think some have done homemade steering with heim joints and DOM tubing (smaller tubing inside bigger tubing for a double wall tie rod)

Hope that helps, I'm sure others will have more options


Larry

sent to you from a paper cup & some long ass string

Re: Steering conversion

PostPosted: January 26th, 2012, 7:24 am
by Lake_v2
use a tie rod from a v8 zj, to get some extra strength on the cheap. instead of it being a hollow piece of 3/4" metal it is a solid piece of 1", available at junkyards and nothing else has to be changed.

If you bend/break that one, then look into running the big steering 1.5" dom style stuff.

at least thats my suggestion. Its what me and rebecca have on our jeeps. It works good, i beat on it at hungry valley and didnt taco bend it like i did the stock one.

Re: Steering conversion

PostPosted: January 26th, 2012, 8:09 am
by Desert Dog
With 33s, you shouldn't need to beef up too much. But its always good to ditch the paper-thin stock tie rod for something solid. It sucks that Jeep made the drag link connect to the tie rod on your TJ, otherwise it would be easy to just make your own.

With 33s, the crappy factory tie rod should be your only weakness.

Re: Steering conversion

PostPosted: January 26th, 2012, 11:32 am
by Young Gun
I will look into the v8 grand Cherokee conversion. Think i could find it at any junkyard or do i need to go to a jeep specific lot? And what is a good price range for it? I am aware that my 33's arent pushing the boundaries much but with a tie rod that has bent numerous times I figured why not pick something significantly stronger. 33's wont be on forever :)
thanks

Re: Steering conversion

PostPosted: January 26th, 2012, 8:34 pm
by Young Gun
So i went out to jeeps only today looking for the zj steering. They didnt have it... Any other ideas?

Re: Steering conversion

PostPosted: January 26th, 2012, 9:06 pm
by Lake_v2
me and rebecca picked up two at pick/pull(octopus) sign in bakersfield for around 50 for both of them,

was only two they had last month, would look around at different yards and see what they have. It's not a rare thing to find, just look for yourself, its pretty evident how big of a difference it is if you see a few cherokee draglinks, then find the v8 grand cherokee piece

happy hunting

oh and if its totally impossible to find at a jy, can buy the pieces new at parts store for around 100ish i believe. ask them for tierod from 95 grand cherokee with a v8.

Re: Steering conversion

PostPosted: January 26th, 2012, 11:34 pm
by Young Gun
Thanks will keep hunting! DId your jeeps handle like crap with the stock steering?? My jeep is just short of dangerous. dives allover the road and i know the toe in is fine... Any guesses... I dont want to spend the money to upgrade the tierod/draglink if it wont fix my problem...

Re: Steering conversion

PostPosted: January 27th, 2012, 9:24 pm
by Lake_v2
tie rod and draglink are not a fix unless the old stuff is worn.

both of our jeep have had bad steering at one point or another. On mine it was a bad steering box and flex on the steering box mount. On Rebecca's it was a trackbar mount being wore out.

If you have bad/scary steering, what i like to do to find the cause is jack up one wheel and have someone move the steering wheel back/forth while engine is shut off and look for steering, balljoints or suspension mounts that have to much movement. do this on both sides of jeep.

stock steering will not make for a bad ride, its just more vulnerable and weaker when it comes to offroading.

Re: Steering conversion

PostPosted: January 28th, 2012, 10:29 pm
by Young Gun
Awesome! will do it tomorrow!
thanks

Re: Steering conversion

PostPosted: January 29th, 2012, 2:01 pm
by Dirty LJ
I have the Curry system on mine. It is worth the money because with 33's you will bash your tie rod into rocks and bend the hell out of it. The Curry hold up to the abuse.

Re: Steering conversion

PostPosted: February 29th, 2012, 7:43 pm
by Mickey
I did not like my currie set up.... As a matter of fact i bent it my first trip to the rubicon and it hadn't even been on my jeep more than 3 months. I went with the Rock Crawler X-factor set up. Not only was it beefer! but it also gave my fron end more flex by about an inch. I know this cause i measured the currie before putting the Crawler one on.