off-road steering angles
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Jan 2004
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Ok i see what your all saying and understand it . With the arm on top of the king pin it will be stronger and give me a better angle on the drag link That also means that i will have to raise the trak-bar higher off the axle to get the angle i want so what is the most i can raise it without going overboard right now with rough measurement im going to have to raise it like 7-8 inches above the stock mount seems like a lot and will that affect anything such as strength . I am also putting hydrolic assist on it to steer eaiser.the tires on it as it sits in the pic are 33'',will be getting 44's in a couple of months. How thick is the steel on the king pin arms j/w that way i can make my own i'll only need the pass. side right?
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Jan 2004
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Well i did some moveing of the rods and made a mock set up for the high steer arm on the ps side just to get some angles and measurements even if i use the high steer arm it will still be to steep of an angle for the rod ends i'll only have a couple inches of downward flex before they are maxed out.Just an idea but what if i move the tierod below the knuckle and put the draglink on top along with the bends in it . If i do this it should even out the force on the knuckle that way all the force is not way up in the air as with the tierod over knuckle. The bents are not that extreme 14 deg. and i was looking at a site (bullet proof steering and they also bend theres in certian cases with a max of 14 deg. So if you have any new suggestions or comments on what i have stated please let me know THANKS
Post Fiend
Joined: Jul 2003
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From: Spokane, WA
Originally Posted by f150_514ci
even if i use the high steer arm it will still be to steep of an angle for the rod ends i'll only have a couple inches of downward flex before they are maxed out
Elder User
Joined: Apr 2004
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Not really the answer you are looking for, but do you really need 20 inches of lift???? Unless you are building a trailer queen show truck, you dont need that much, nor would you want it!! Consider loosing some of that lift (10 inches???) and using some body lift and cut out flares if you need that much room for tires- it will be a lot safer and stronger!!
Post Fiend
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 11,945
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From: Spokane, WA
Originally Posted by wyldstallyn73
Consider loosing some of that lift (10 inches???) and using some body lift and cut out flares if you need that much room for tires
Why would anyone remove some suspension lift to install a body lift? 
If it's designed right and works there's nothing the matter with it.
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Jan 2004
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OK OK 20'' is a lot but i'd never go with a body lift to supliment a suspension lift to me body lifts dont look good and seem cheesey dont get me wrong i have 3'' body but only to clear the motor and headers . Any thoughts on the other idea (tierod under and drag link over the knuckle)? One more thing how about the angle on the trak bar with raising the drag link that means im really going to have to raise the mount up off the axle or down off the frame really far for the trak bar what affects / weakness will this have ? '' THE BIGGER THE BETTER'' THANKS.
Last edited by f150_514ci; Dec 21, 2004 at 09:40 PM.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Jul 2003
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From: Spokane, WA
Originally Posted by f150_514ci
Any thoughts on the other idea (tierod under and drag link over the knuckle)? One more thing how about the angle on the trak bar with raising the drag link that means im really going to have to raise the mount up off the axle or down off the frame really far for the trak bar what affects / weakness will this have?
There's no problems with building brackets to adjust the tracbar angle. The less the angle on the trac bar the better.
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Jan 2004
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Originally Posted by jesse460
You can get high steer arms that have rise to them. get one with 4-6 inches and you will be set.
Where can i get these ? Just wanted to see what would work and what wouldn't thats why i had all the ?'s i figurred it was better to ask than to spend money on trial & error .Again thanks for all the help.
Elder User
Joined: Apr 2004
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I agree that body lifts do look funny if theres too much, but everything has it's trade offs. By the picture it looks as if there is plenty of room for a raised mount on the axle or a dropped mount on the frame- I would go with some on each side, that way you are distributing the added stress on both components instead of putting an enormous amount on just one. Just make shure you use thick steel, solid welds and extra gusseting where room allows. My biggest concern would be the suggestion to use a crossover arm with built in lift. Ford dana 60 kingpin knuckles are generally regarded as being the weakest at the top of the knuckle, thats where all of your steering force will be applied with the crossover arm and using one with added lift would just multiply the forces being applied to the knuckle. If this is only a street driver or used exclusively in mud then you will probably be OK but severe trailriding duty wil break that knuckle eventually.
Elder User
Joined: Sep 2002
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Your worried about a highsteer arm breaking his knuckle, but you recomend full hydraulic?Maybe he could test the slave cylinder setup we discussed in the rockwell thread.
Last edited by jesse460; Dec 22, 2004 at 07:47 PM.