DIY 1/2 heim steering upgrade (part numbers and prices inside)

[98rangerdave]

Wish I could run these in the Midwest without them wearing out from exposure.

I’ll update this thread every 10k miles or so (yearly) and give updates on how these components are wearing.

 

[Zeusmotorworks]

If you look around you can find boots made for the ends. I would caution that I'd call these dust boots and not river crossing boots. Might be an option for you poor souls who have to deal with all the salt, etc.?

rod end boots - Google Search

On the flipside, they are cheap enough I might experiment with filling the ends with marine grease if I lived somehwere they might get dunked frequently and the boots sealed really well. I've see some that do a great job sealing and others that were lack luster to say the least.

 

[98rangerdave]

Got the truck aligned today, toe was in about 1/2” - 3/4” per side. I made sure to measure rod ends compared to the OEM tie rods and they were the exact same length. Only thing I can think of is the ball joint style OEM tie rod sat lower on the spindle compared to the new heim setup. Maybe the angle messed with the toe angle? Either way the left hand thread on the rod end made toe adjustment an easy task and they got the truck back into spec without issue. Happy the DIY stuff worked.

 

[98rangerdave]

Was finally able to touch up the paint from when I had it aligned. The tech had to put a wrench on the painted hex area in order to correct the toe. I wonder if powder coat would’ve held up better in the long run? Either way it’s back to full color and should hold alignment for a bit.

 

[GCATX]

Was finally able to touch up the paint from when I had it aligned. The tech had to put a wrench on the painted hex area in order to correct the toe. I wonder if powder coat would’ve held up better in the long run? Either way it’s back to full color and should hold alignment for a bit.

Next time put painters tape on that part before the gorilla lays his meat hooks on it.

 

[98rangerdave]

Next time put painters tape on that part before the gorilla lays his meat hooks on it.

Yeah I didn’t think they were going to have to use a wrench, I purposely used the left-hand thread, with the right hand thread so it was easily done by hand. But they said they were unable to turn by hand. I’m assuming they probably didn’t try.