New steering setup completed

This is from the guy who had the sstem made and a link to the pictures, looks promising...
"OK, I loaded up the X and did a roadtrip to Santa Barbara for the weekend. I still have both sway bars out and the handeling is great . It feels stock now, minimal bumpsteer if any. We did bumpy 2 lane corners in the loaded, lifted truck at speed without difficulty. Andy knows what I am talking about!

He mounted the inner tie rods to the rear of the centerlink as discussed before, and the outer tie rods are still to the top of the spindles.

I will get prices for you tomorrow also, I am figuring around $900, but it could be less. I am not making any money off the deal, I am only the bridge between you and the fabricator (for now). Over half of the costs is the heims alone. If you are leary of the price and performance, come drive my truck! I am glad the centerlink woes are behind me!

Are there any Pathy's or HB's in So Cal that are interested? I would like to know if the measurements are the same. "

http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/climberrn/lst?.view=t&.dir=/New+Steering

Are the tie rods the same length as stock or are they longer?

Damn, "Access to theis Briefcase has been disabled." Anyone have the pictures? I'll mirror them on my server if I can get them.

The tie rods are completely changed, they are longer and attach to the side of the new centerlink unlike our dogbone setup which puts pressure on the idler arm bushing.

Chris I will e-mail you the pictures...I thought that might happen so I downloaded all of them.

Cool.

Longer tie rods will greatly reduce bump steer. I've had some ideas about that for quite some time but I've got no time to R&D any such projects right now.

Do you know what the wall thickness on the tubing is?

You can see the pictures at http://hxoc.net/gallery/climberrn_steering . Thanks, Todd! It looks pretty solid from the pictures, and I can't see any weak spots. I think I'll let it be trail-tested a bit before I invest, though.

*edit- Updated link to more appropriately named URL.

There does appear to be a design flaw in that setup.

Where the tie-rod attaches to the relay rod, the nut is simply tightened onto the rod. This creates a very tiny mating surface, which could break. The rod should have a boss on it like the image below.

That should be easy enough to fix though. Just think after all of this time, and we will have at least two options soon. I can't wait to get a new setup. I am saving pennies now! Can't wait to hear about the new setup you got going Ian.

I personally don't think the bolt situation comprimises the strength any but if it is a problem, it is pretty easy to have a flat bushing made and mounted. The centerlink is double walled tubing for strength.

If anyone is intrested, it is available for purchase. Contact me at ClimberRn@yahoo.com for any more questions. I am glad to have the centerlink woes behind me!

The final price has not been set by the fabricator but will be around $900, complete with all hardware and powdercoated.

That is cool Joel. Have you banged the hell out of it off road yet?

Another question, are you drilling out the knuckles, idler and pitman ?

will it need to have a idler arm brace added for support?

Good eye IAN...I hadn't even noticed that. Also, to add to IAN's pic an even better option is to sleave the entire section and not just use a bushing on the outside of the CL. It does make a small contact patch and could "theoretically" shear the bolt, which could be catastrophic.

As long as Climbrn is doing the testing and it's not me. [ ]

Overall, it looks good to me and I hope it works...Still $900 bucks though....

Ian, any word on what you are supposed to be testing/reveiwing yet....

Cliff

As DR said, all four mounting points were drilled out. I banged the crap out of it off road and has held up well. If you want to wait and see, feel free. I will be running it for the next year or two until I do the SAS. The AC idler arm brace is not included but you should definately use with the system for strength.

I talked to the fabricator today, and before I even brought it up, he said he is going to make a new center section with sleeves all the way through. it will be powdercoated in my choice of colors (grey). It will be installed in a couple of weeks, but will be what is offered for sale .

The final price is $850+ shipping. Includes all mounting hardware, heims and bushings. You will need to drill all four arms out to the instructed size. I will try it with stock rims to check clerance for those interested. If you wan't to drive to Hesperia, Ca and have him install it, the price is $1000. All heims are available all over the country and are easily replaceable. There are other brands heims out there but Andy wore a set out in AZ in less than a week. I have been running this since Feb. without a problem.

You can contact me at ClimberRN@yahoo.com or E-Mail Rob at RobRJfab@aol.com for purchase information.

Sweet! I like the design, looks like the geometry is much improved! Ian, good call,I didn't even notice it until you pointed it out. I'm interested in the system since I notice that my centerlink made contact with the frame in Moab!! No adverse effect yet,but I noticed the nice shiney mark on the frame on the pass. side above the centerlink. Anyone else have this happen?

That is what happens when it wears out.

It will tweak your tie rods if your tire hits something hard enough and the centerlink binds with the frame. Take it easy or carry extra tie rods until the centerlink is replaced.

Good call Ian....and I'll take it a step further. Even with Ian's suggestion the nut will loosen and the bolt will begin to show play (slop). I would drill a slightly larger cross bore hole (where the bolt that Ian points out is located) and insert a sleeve. That sleeve would then be welded into place and a end thread only bolt could be used.

As it appears now the bolt to "tube" contact is less than ideal. With a end thread bolt and a sleeve with tight tolerance to the smooth portion of the bolt, the contact is more even and distributed.....smoother operation.

As posted before, it is going in for a revision soon to have exactaly that done. One of the reasons the bolt is like it is, is because we were still testing it. We were thinking about going back to the previous setup if this didn't work.

It is so much better now. It feels exactaly like stock. A new center section will be made and powdercoated. I'll post pics for whoever is intrested when it is done.

Joel,

For my curiosity, can you explain why you took off your swaybars. In your opinion, do you feel this is a safe or unsafe practice?

Sedona,

I have had the rear sway bar out for over a year, and the front goes in for long roadtrips, and out for good trail runs. I don't care one way or the other around town and unloaded. I get MUCH improved articulation with them out and it wheels so much better and rides smoother.

Now for the safety issues. Nissan puts them in to decrease leaning in the corners and decrease rolling potental. Do I think it is safe? NO. But, if you drive respectable and are aware you are in a truck and not a 300ZX, then you will not have any problems. Many people have removef them without problems. It is a personal choice, just be careful if you decide to do it.

You don't get flex like this with sway bars in: Flexin

Thanks for the link.

Is that McSoo stuck and broken everywhere in the AZ Run pictures (beat Pathfinder w/no doors, skinny 16 year old driving) ?

That's some embarrassing shit for someone who claims to know all and be a master of driving.
Two flat tires on a dirt road ?
Stuck in a ditch on a dirt road ?
Another flat tire on a dirt road ?
Broken down on a dirt road ?

Hey, maybe it was his twin brother or something.

He's probably using this excuse. "I'm just trying to break my IFS so I feel better about getting a solid axle swap."

I really think he believes an SAS will make him a better driver. He idolizes the POR guys, nuff said.

Thanks Joel. I think I'll just have to take the swaybars off and see how it handles and decide for myself.

As for McSoo, I have met him. I can tell you that in person he is a good guy. He's a college kid, who like alot of college kids, thinks he knows it all. I've actually heard him compared to Ian in the sense that he can be a really nice guy in person but can be a really big jerk on the internet.

There's a story behind the whole tire incident, although I don't remember the details. Basically, a kid being a kid. His life is in his own hands.

For not liking Xterra's and Xterra owners he sure doesn't have a problem with them helping him out on the trail and wheeling with them.

'Arguing on the internet is like being in the special olympics. You may win, but your still retarded.'

I agree, arguing on the internet is ridiculous. It's one thing for people to share their different opinions, but quite another for someone to attack someone's opinion because they don't agree.

Yes, many of those pics are McSoo. The time with the 2 flat tires was a dirt road, with too low PSI, and driving too fast trying to keep up with the group, heading to the next trail. The next time the bead was thrown was on a hairy offwidth I almost rolled my X on. Mikey was nice enough to run up to my truck and hang off the drivers side roof rack for a LITTLE added weight. He slid into the ditch just after I got through. I knew I was in trouble when Flipper started slipping sideways into the ditch in front of me. He had nothing on the roof, new tires, and less lift.

Mikey may not make many friends on the internet, but I have been wheeling with him on 3 full week runs and he is a really nice guy.

You see the pic of my generator on Pauls pathy? That was a sight.