Trackbar axle mount beefing.

I think I asked about it before and even got an answer “manufacture a new mount”, but I can not find the thread , probably it was lost during the site crash. So here it goes [again??].

During installation of my lift I redrilled the trackbar axle bracket, and the new hole was pretty close to the old one. Now I am doing a round of steering upgrades and this sieve will be significantly weaker than the rest of the steering system. I am pretty sure since my tie rod is not going to bend anymore, this bracket will break on the same spot on Thompson Hill.

So far I found this
http://jeepin.com/features/trackbarfix/
and, of course, this
http://jeepin.net/forum/showthread.php?t=14271
My steering wheel does feel a little shimmy on a highway, but not much.

What I do not like about this approach is that it takes care of the front hole, but not the rear one.
That mean cutting/manufacturing/welding. The only material I bent in my life was paper, tie rod does not count . I would probably want to make the new mount of 3/16” steel.

Here is the first round of questions:
1. Is it something that can be done in a parking lot?
2. Does it require taking the axle out?
3. What do I use to remove the old mount?
4. How do I bend 3/16” steel?

Thank you,
Andrey

Slonopotam said:

I am pretty sure since my tie rod is not going to bend anymore, this bracket will break on the same spot on Thompson Hill.

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Dont say that Andrey! You will jinx us all!


I have never seen anyone wallow out the rear hole. But adding something into the rear would be hard, as the access hole is rather small.

The front would take 5 minutes to make, and that same amount of time with a welder to get that on there. Is there someone local that can burn it on for you?

What steering setup did you end up going with?

Starboard M said:

You will jinx us all!

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Again

Starboard M said:

I have never seen anyone wallow out the rear hole.

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Do you want to see one on Dusy ? I am a man of many talents.

Starboard M said:

But adding something into the rear would be hard, as the access hole is rather small.

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This is why I am talking about replacing and not patching.
I will order trackbar today and will get it on the next week, I'll take a look on how my holes are doing, may be I am worrying about nothing.

Starboard M said:

Is there someone local that can burn it on for you?

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I am not in Austria, if this is what you are talking about.

Starboard M said:

What steering setup did you end up going with?

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Here is what I am doing to earn some good trail karma.
Currie steering - already on
JKS SBS - bought, waiting in the back to be installed.
JKS miniskids - bought, waiting at home to be installed.
panhard - still choosing between TnT and RE:
RE1660/RE1665: $195 shipped, works with lifts 4"-6", and I have sagged 3.5, so I would have to pump it up an inch ($150-200)- can of worms; will work for 5.5-6", if I ever go for TnT y-links;
TnT: $260(+shipping???), works with lifts 3"-5", no install complications, but will have to change before y-links, which is a long long way.
So far leaning towards TnT.

The RE trackbar fits 3" lifts no problem.If the hole is getting sloppy you might opt for the larger 1/2" bushing kit!

RCP Phx said:

The RE trackbar fits 3" lifts no problem.If the hole is getting sloppy you might opt for the larger 1/2" bushing kit!

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Which one works for a 3" lift ? RE1600 or RE1660 or both ?

Both,but dont waste your money on the 1600!

Removing a welded mount usually is doable with an angle grinder - as long as you can get all the way around the thing. If you can't hit all the welds, you cut it off just above the welds, then grind "smooth" (I know, you can't get perfectly smooth. Just remove the stub and flatten the rest.)

Bending steel - especially larger gages - usually takes two things. 1) A form to bend around. 2) Pressure.

Stamping is going to be right out (too much work involved for a one-off piece,) but you should be able to get the thing bent if you can come up with a form and borrow a press somewhere. I don't have one large enough (a hydraulic will give you more control anyhow,) but you can make the form from wood and watch it when you bend (so you don't overdo it.)

When bending, don't forget about the "spring factor" - you'll need to take the form out of the bend and take it just a little bit past where you want it to end up, since steel does spring a little.

For something like this, I'd just as soon not "hammer-bend" - where you use a hammer to wrap the thing around the form you're using. It would probably be fine - I'm just cranky that way. A smooth, even bend using consistent pressure would win the day, for me.

When you've done bending, drill the holes you need (if you can do it off the vehicle,) then put it in the oven and heat to 400*F for a half-hour. Let it cool overnight with the door closed (this is to remove residual stresses from cold-bending the thing.) It's not ideal, but it will help you some.

Can you do it in a parking lot? Depends on if you can get power out there (to cut/grind and weld.) Do you need to remove the axle? Depends on how much room you have to work in - it may require jacking the front end up to "full droop," but that would still be better than having to remove the axle entirely. As long as you can weld the thing on both sides, you should be fine.

Andrey, what you'd probably want to do would be find some square or rectangular tube that the end of the track bar just fits into, instead of messing around trying to bend steel plate. Drill your bolt hole through it, and trim back the top and bottom as necessary for clearance.

Cut out the old axle mount and weld on the new tube.

Hope that helps.