[Fatzook]

Anyone ever seen a 4by with a tie rod that was intensionally bent for clearance? Or have any reason why it would not be a good idea?

Backstory:

I have too much going on in a very confined space on the front of my ute. There is 2/5 of FA room to get the panhard rod inbetween the diff pumpkin and the tierod ( when on full steering lock in both directions)

So my idea was to have a funky shaped panhard (which I have made) and then make a tierod that bends up and forward at both ends, with an adjuster nut right in the middle. It would be a fairly chunk replacement (5mm wall cromo) with heims at either end, through bolted to the knuckle arms.

thoughts?

[want33s]

Early Falcons run a tie rod with a bend in it but they are cast steel.

Couldn't fid a pic of said Falcon units so here is one of an inflammable 4wd.

[Fatzook]

I see

I'll give it a go

Thanks

[daisy]

Ran the same thing in the 'scrapper' buggy was a double tubed 25nb inside 32nb and welded shut with captive nuts used to screw in heim joints 3/4's. - it was bent about 30degrees in at each end to give clearance for the large diff pumpkin cover (d60)

No reason why you shouldnt have any issues with it.

Although steering geometry - ackermans angle changes with the bent tie rod i think.

[alien]

wouldnt it be prone to bending more unless you gusseted at least one side of it?

[daisy]

alien wrote:

wouldnt it be prone to bending more unless you gusseted at least one side of it?

Now that you mentioned it.. yes we ran a piece of triangle flat on top and bottom of the bends to gusset it.

[Teracis]

alien wrote:

wouldnt it be prone to bending more unless you gusseted at least one side of it?

This was the first thing I thought of doing, wouldn't need to gusset it too much surely?

It only needs to be stronger than the next part in the system right?

[royce]

Heres one I prepared earlier

[alien]

i wonder if rather than welding it etc, with fatzooks skills... could you not make up an adapter block?

something like this:

[Fatzook]

I have a better one than that Royce

And as for the bar bending further, well heavy wall cromo would be hard to bend me thinks. Time will tell.

[royce]

dont ever bag these again

[monley]

Fatzook wrote:

I have a better one than that Royce

And as for the bar bending further, well heavy wall cromo would be hard to bend me thinks. Time will tell.

Is that what my d-link is made from??

[jonno_racing]

ah love a Z link

[Fatzook]

royce wrote:

dont ever bag these again

Me? Never!

Tie rod Royce, not drag link

My theory on the non-linear tierod is that it shouldn't care is its straight or not. Its only job in life is to move from left to right.

The drag link however moves up and down, AND left to right. It also has a special relationship with the pitman arm, which a bent drag link (or Z-link) can upset.

[steak_knife]

monkey wrote:

Fatzook wrote:

I have a better one than that Royce

And as for the bar bending further, well heavy wall cromo would be hard to bend me thinks. Time will tell.

Is that what my d-link is made from??

[31zook]

there might be some ideas in here
http://128.83.80.200/taco/scarysteering.html

[31zook]

[SierraDan]

Damn yanks

[Fatzook]

WTF are you guys smoking? Who said anything about a bent drag link?

[DarkHorse]

That's... creative...

[daisy]

Fatzook wrote:

WTF are you guys smoking? Who said anything about a bent drag link?

Agreed... Ive seen people always get the tie rod and drag links mixed up...

Other than that... you should be fine with doin slight bends at each end... what size is the pipe anyway? I've a 25nb die - not sure if it'd suit your purposes and could possibly bend it although it'd be hard... or you could use a 20 ton press if you have one (surely you have one???) and make a small die for the pipe to sit in it and press it in to shape using pieces of angle

[31zook]

daisy wrote:

Fatzook wrote:

WTF are you guys smoking? Who said anything about a bent drag link?

Agreed... Ive seen people always get the tie rod and drag links mixed up...

Other than that... you should be fine with doin slight bends at each end... what size is the pipe anyway? I've a 25nb die - not sure if it'd suit your purposes and could possibly bend it although it'd be hard... or you could use a 20 ton press if you have one (surely you have one???) and make a small die for the pipe to sit in it and press it in to shape using pieces of angle

my first post was a joke, but in the pic i put up the tie rod has bends in it, it's factory, and im sure you could shorten it or make it work somehow.....

[skyman]

I agree with your earlier statement FatZook, the tie rod goes back and forth only.

It does not matter at all if it is crooked, zig-zagged etc. The bent tie rod will act as a straight rod from arm to arm. as long as the heims do not allow vertical, or forward movement your good to go.

Draw a line from arm to arm, and this is how the tie rod will act. (a long as it does not bend, or move out of it's intended plane.

[Fatzook]

daisy wrote:

Fatzook wrote:

WTF are you guys smoking? Who said anything about a bent drag link?

Agreed... Ive seen people always get the tie rod and drag links mixed up...

Other than that... you should be fine with doin slight bends at each end... what size is the pipe anyway? I've a 25nb die - not sure if it'd suit your purposes and could possibly bend it although it'd be hard... or you could use a 20 ton press if you have one (surely you have one???) and make a small die for the pipe to sit in it and press it in to shape using pieces of angle

Not sure on size. Would be 1.25" minimum (31.75mmOD) heavy wall moly.

I have 25,32,40NB dies and formers, aswell as 1.75" (44.45) cromo die and former. So I may need to buy a 1.25" for this job also.