Build Your Own Heavy Duty Steering - JK 1 Ton Swap Video Series 

lmao awww

Is this really mom!?

It's ok. Most moms feel the same way.

I was going to say a thicker wall larger outside (OD) with the same inside (ID) to fit those bungs would be much better & stronger.

Thanks for watching man!!! so close to being done. I’m excited to have them under the Jeep so I can get back to making more videos!

It will be strong enough for 46"s

Yeah I’m unsure how well it will help, but since I’ve bent DOM steering before I wanted to see if this made a difference. Worth a shot 🤘

Agreed

Physics? Lol. What exactly is in MOTION in those "solid" steering "rods"? If there isn't motion there is no Physics. And aluminum is ONLY "strong as steel" by WEIGHT. NOT "SIZE". You cannot "reinforce" STEEL TUBING with aluminum "rod", lol.

Same man. I need to get these under the Jeep so I can continue making other videos. I can tel people are getting tired of these videos

JK Gear and Gadgets shoot I’m not I can watch these all day I love technical videos. Makes me wanna go one tons even more.

I feel the same idk why it's under I thought it was ment to go in the double sheer spot

Well, it’s worked fine for a while now lol. It’s been wheeled all over the country

Haha yeah, it doesn’t have to be perfect. Even with a perfect straight edge you will still be off until you can check it with the axle installed and on the ground

Especially when/ if your not the same distance from the center of the axle (both in front of & above.)

Sorry to hear that man! Will insurance help out? As for the bracket I would recommend finding a new HD control arm bracket and have it welded on

4.5” backspacing is the maximum. I’ll be running 4.25”

I was wondering about that as well.

Yes, but at that angle the trackbar and drag link might be off.

JK Gear and Gadgets ahhh! Ok. Thanks. Ordered my ox lockers and gears today. These videos have definitely inspired me to pull the trigger

Now you know how to get Cassie 😉🤫😅

I was also gonna ask. What is VAs "opinion" on welded steering? I know it will depend on whichever ward of the state you select to approve whether your vehicle is safe to be on state roads but as far as I know, VA doesn't really care.

4.50” or less. I went with 4.25”

They all have quite a few differences. I went with Barnes because they are easy to install and the best price, plus free shipping. And haven’t done the video on the tone rings yet, Dodge Ram sensors up front, 60 tooth rings on rear hubs, have a machine shop turn the hub and press them on. And no need for a BBK on these axles

I would like to do the drag link on top, however the trackbar mount isn’t high enough for that, so I’d have a good amount of bumpsteer. The tie rod is still about 4” higher than the JK stock setup, so I’m not worried about clearance, plus how it sits now makes it easier to mount a hydraulic ram. Otherwise the ram would have to mount under the tie rod and that would leave it vulnerable.

I have my tie rod in double sheer and the drag link mounted on top but I have noticed just as Ben mentioned the angle of the the drag link and track bar are not ideal and as such my steering feel suffers. While I dont really have a ton of bumpsteer or wonky handling I am going to change the the position of the steering linkage and see how it feels. But my main goal is to open up some room to be able to mount the ram up and out of the way and copying hiw Ben did this seems like the best way

@@JKGearandGadgets Ah, I couldn't make out where your track bar mounted, makes sense. Nice work!!!

Honestly it comes down to price. A full high steer knuckle setup is nice, but pricier

It helped, but still can bend on some very hard hits

No issues, with 12.3” travel shocks I’m not having any issues with the heims binding

@@JKGearandGadgets Thanks for the reply. I'm getting ready to go to 37's on my 2 door jk and trying to decide whether to build up my rear 44 (front 44 is already built up) or just go with tons. I had superduty tons under my TJ that I sold, so been there, done that, but the JK is my daily driver while the TJ was just an off-road rig. I know people say the JK 44's can be built to handle 37s, but here in West Virginia, even the rock trails are muddy and we have to have a lot of wheel speed to get over things.

No issues at all!

I have plenty of clearance, a lot of diff covers are too bulky though. I’m waiting for Barnes to release their new low profile diff cover. I did not remove the BJs, and they are still fine so far.

I have a video of the high steering arms if that’s what your asking about.

JK Gear and Gadgets yea I must have missed it. I’ve watched several of them multiple times. I’m doing d60 but used the sterling 10.5 rather than 14b. I have a tj though so different beast

Man it’s so hard to tell, I eventually went full aluminum steering. I think it helped some, but it still eventually bent.

42.5” overall from bolt hole to bolt hole.

Did you make sure to check the spark plug gaps? Clean your intake and sensors. I would suggest looking online for suggestions, there are probably some good forums that have stalling tips and tricks

Possibly bad gas. Get a gas/water treatment additive

Completely different lengths. I’m hoping with the inside full of aluminum it will be less likely to bend

I think he was asking why didnt you just go with aluminum steering

Michael Sullivan price. The only “kit” For these axles is close to 1.2K. And if I wanted to do it myself I would have to buy the aluminum ($200-300), buy the Heim joints etc, and then have a machine shop tap the aluminum threads ($100-200). I would love to go aluminum, however it adds up fast when doing custom stuff.

No idea yet 😬😬😬

@@JKGearandGadgets 😮 Get busy!

You would get a check engine light is that was the case

Over years and years I’m sure it will happen. But in a realistic view it will last years. Sure, in 10 years I’ll probably have to replace it, but what tie rod lasts that long anyways lol.

In about 10 years yeah, but most tie rods won’t last that long anyways

After watching the rest of the video the weld might keep any moisture out.

I think a natural reaction will still occur. But it will take a long time for it to do any damage at all.

Since it will never be removed from each other I don’t have any worries

In his case it shouldn't be a concern but in my case where I used steel heims into threaded aluminum links I researched and found a product called TefGel which is made for exactly this. It acts as an antiseize compound while also guarding against dissimilar metal corrosion. Its expensive stuff but I also used it on all 128 bolts on my Beadlocks which probably wasn't necessary since they are steel bolts into steel inserts but with the exposure to dirt and junk I wanted to make sure those bolts would come out when needed.

Robert Saxton what about a bunch of grease , that’s what I did with my aluminum lower control arms ?

@@Gunmetalbluejeeptjs where did you apply the grease? Its pretty well known that grease can actually cause more damage than protection due to dust and dirt sticking to the grease and cause accelerated wear from the grit digging into the surface of the joints or areas of movement. Ideally you only want to apply grease to specific areas that are meant for it.

Robert Saxton I unthreaded the bushing side out of the control arm and put it on the threads and re threaded it , think that will ruin it

I will be adding everything up and talking about cost here in a few videos!

I mean... it never has to come out lol. Plus with the welded bungs it can never come out unless it’s cut apart

It worked well and took some good hits. It’s not chromoly, it’s just DOM tubing.

Yeah, might see an issue in like 15 years lol

@@JKGearandGadgets Lol. Let me know if it happens any quicker ;)

I was talking about damaging the threads of the joint with weld spatter. Wheel bearings are perfectly fine, it was just a tack. Already have a few thousand miles on this setup so far. But yes, I wouldn’t recommend welding a bunch through a ground on the stud.

It looks more like 3 or 4 tacks on 2 ends so 6-8 tacks. Yes welding more has a greater risk of doing more damage but tacks are all it takes to do some. I dont really care what you do but I want to make sure anyone watching you and following your lead know that you NEVER stick a ground anywhere where the path of current has to travel though a bearing, that is a rule and it has no exceptions, ever. Sure, you have a couple thousand miles on them after doing it. Possibly god smiled on you and you ended up with no damage, more likely it did arc a little and damage was minimal and will only show up down the road. At any rate, anyone watching this, dont be dumb and always put your ground directly on the piece you are welding.

Not this Jeep , but go into more details about your issue

Steering setup has worked great. Aluminum inside helped some, but after some really big hits out in Johnston valley it bent. I’m now running the Barnes4WD aluminum setup made for this swap. Jkgear code is still active, and the aluminum setup is really nice.

The high steer knuckles from Barnes are no longer offered with 2 holes on each side. Also the closest hole on the passenger knuckle is to far away from centerline of the spindle , causing you to lose some steering angle. The other thing I encountered is the frame side trackbar mount they give you will contact the pitman arm and draglink joint at full left steering, further limiting steering angle on that side. It was terrible. I suggest you save time by getting a nicer trackbar bracket like RPM offers . or even take a look at the TMR customs swap kit. I also wish i would have just bit the bullet and purchased some reid knuckles or had the top of mine machined to accept the WFO high steer arms. They will drill them where you can achieve full lock on your steering.

The pitman arm would hit the drag link unless I limited my uptravel a bunch. This setup has been working pretty well over the past 3 years.

Yeah if you plan on keeping the same tie rod on an off-road rig for 20 years lol. Plenty of other things to worry about.

@@JKGearandGadgets on my channel I’m actually building a Dana 60 chassis and I’m looking for a good website to buy those crossover arms you’ve got on the axle

In about 10 years or so yeah, but a normal tie rod wouldn’t even last that long.

The aluminum rod is about 2” shorter than the steel

So far it’s held up fine in single sheer (yes I know it’s not ideal), but so far it’s tackled a good amount of trails across the country with no issues

It worked really well! In fact, a lot of ultra4 racers are doing this same thing in their steel links now. Thanks for watching!

Yes they are left hand on one side and rh on the other. This is an old video, jeep is still running great years after this video. And many projects completed since, koh build included. Thanks for watching

No need to be all fancy... axles are under the Jeep now and the steering is spot on. It’s all about experience and doing stuff right. fancy tools and equipment help, but in the end there is no need to go spend $25 on aluminum when you can get the exact same outcome with using what you have. This ain’t my first rodeo lol

So please explain to me how it is supposed to work. Actually, feel free to call them up on Monday and see what they have to say.

The great thing about Barnes4WD is that they make parts to suit builders needs. They have always made parts for people who want to make their own stuff, fit their own needs, and do what they want.

Like I said in the video. I can always move the tie rod back up, however I would rather make sure the clearance will be good before I smash the tie rod flex. Each build is different, and it’s important to think ahead when doing these kind of swaps

It's your build dude people alter things all the time that's what makes it personal some times it gives them an edge sometimes, they fuck their shit up and ruin brand new parts...I understand your reasoning for it. I think they had it their way for leverage your going to need that(depending on the size) if your not running a some type of booster. I helped a friend install a Sterling in a xj a couple days ago on Friday. he's looking for steering ideas on the 60. I'm not a Jeep guy. he is the first guy I've hung out with that is into it. I'm willing to learn anything though. knowledge is irreplaceable and free on the net. Being as MFGs have been doing steering that way since the beginning I don't see there being a better way you want that tie rod to put lateral stress on that pipe not angular and you put a slightly angular stress on it I mean I doubt it matters as over built as it is but! there is a whole lot that goes into PROPER steering people don't think about. with a strictly off-road rig close is good enough. but 75 down a highway on = ≥38s with others safety to consider, a slightly wrong angle or crumby weld can turn bad for more than just the driver. It's happened before. I just really think a disclaimer should be put on more of these videos especially steering when changing something for the beginners you never know who's watching and what their skill level is. You have people on here learning the complete wrong way bc they don't know better and taking some idiots advise.

I do like the aluminum idea though that is a nice touch that would also help it not crease if ever severely bent you may be able to unbend it and get yourself out of the woods or trail