Steering Rod with KA swap.

[project620]

has anyone cut and rewelded it in order to clear the front oil sump????:confused:

[BEEBANI]

I actually made a whole new one with rod ends so it would attach from underneath instead of on top. And I also had to put a bend in it. Look in my build thread, I put a couple of pics of it in there.

[project620]

what kind of tie rods did u use to make work????

[fiveNdime]

Both are good ideas. I would however prefer the new tie rod setup but if you did do the pan notch then I would add more to the front or rear of the pan for added oil.

[BEEBANI]

what kind of tie rods did u use to make work????

 

I used rod ends that I bought from mcmaster carr, they have the bolt integrated into the rod end. I'll see if I can find the part number.

[BEEBANI]

Both are good ideas. I would however prefer the new tie rod setup but if you did do the pan notch then I would add more to the front or rear of the pan for added oil.

 

I'm not a big fan of notching the pan, pans are made of shit metal which is hard to weld and get to seal up perfectly. Then you have to possibly mod the pickup tube, which brings the same amount of problems. Just my .02

[nismopu]

I would rather lose an engine than my steering, personally. peace.

[BEEBANI]

I would rather lose an engine than my steering, personally. peace.

 

That's fair I guess. But my steering is just fine, and been working fine for a long time. Believe me, I've tested the shit out of it.

[fiveNdime]

I really don't care. I would do the pan first cause I know how to weld. Really its not that hard...just gotta make sure its clean, and don't use an arc welder:lol:. And at this point it would allow you to add baffles and weld in a compartment for an extra quart or two. The pickup wont be in the way. I have looked this over already. But frankly I wont be doing either on my car, so again I really don't care. I am going to use a swap style sway bar and my steering is fine in stock form which is just the way it is.

[project620]

yea it would be helpful to have the part number. how much did you have to go down in order to clear the pan????

[BEEBANI]

yea it would be helpful to have the part number. how much did you have to go down in order to clear the pan????

 

I would say 3/4" - 1", basically the stock rod mounts on top of the "pitman" arm and I had to mount mine from underneath and put a slight curve in it to clear the pan.

 

Here's the mcmaster part number: 60645K461

 

I took 2) 1/2-20 x 3" grade 8 bolts, cut the heads off and pressed (and I mean pressed) them into some DOM and plug welded them in place. I then threaded the rod ends onto that and figured out where the bend needed to be.

The 1/2-20 stud that comes out of the rod end fits tight in the steering arms on the truck and I used a grade 8 nylock nut to hold them in place. The truck steers great, and it only took me about an hour to build the arm.