c-rok this

In the process of putting my engine back in my jeep, me and the old man decided to create OUR own steering box plate. Why not just pay the 100 bucks for a new one you ask? Well because my father has the ability to make one of our own. Nothing against crok at all..just that were stubborn.

One of the main reasons we decided to do this is because A) i broke off a bolt inside the box, and B) i broke the steering box bolts on my daily driver w/ 31's. So having 2 jeeps w/ broken bolts and rigged up to drive, we had the perfect opportunity to take the steering box out w/o the engine being in the way.

We used 3/16" steel that my dad got out of the scrap bin at his work. ( they were throwing it away..what a waste) We decided to get rid of the stock 7/16" bolts and go w/ 1/2" bolts. So we had to re-tap the steering box to run the 1/2" bolts.

here are some pictures.

Heres the plate freshly painted chevy orage. All the bolts drilled to accept the bumper brackets.


Here is the steering box all re-tapped to accept a 1/2" bolt and w/ a fresh coat of paint. My father set the steering box up on a boring mill and knocked it out in 15 minutes...doing this at home w/ a normal drill would have been a pain in the ass.


Here is it installed


We used 1/2" grade 8 4" long bolts. The bolts fit PERFECT, like it came from the factory!! They barely stuck through the steering box.


Here are a couple more at a different angle.




We will be putting it to the test in about a week. We will have the stroker in the jeep and running this weekend, and hopefully drive it out to jeepfest in new castle PA the weekend of the 26th.

Hope ya'll enjoy!

That's nice lookin' work.

I like it.

Good job.
Why change the box bolts?
Are the old ones weak?
Or did they just break after years of rust and then trying to get them out?

why NOT change them with new galvanized grade 8 bolts boy

If you had it off, why didn't you plate the inside?

Why not do the inside?



damn you terry

OT said:

If you had it off, why didn't you plate the inside?

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That is one thing i left out. We left it out mainly b/c the inside factory bracket ( believe it or not ) was still in good shape. We were going to machine out some round spacers to take the place of it. We did that on my daily driver to make it a quick fix. W/ the 1/2" bolts and the plate, i think it will hold up, if not we will make an inside plate.

Ive seen two boxes that broke at the casting with 7/16" bolts...

why remove CAST material that is weaker than the bolts and make it even weaker?

Do you carry a spare steering box that is already set up for 1/2" bolts?
If not - what if you have an issue on the trail and need another one, and now the holes are 1/16" to big in the frame, and you have to come up with 7/16" bolts?

and dont say a steering box isnt something to worry about - Ive replaced two on the trail now...

XJ_ranger said:

Ive seen two boxes that broke at the casting with 7/16" bolts...

why remove CAST material that is weaker than the bolts and make it even weaker?

Click to expand...

not sure if im following what your saying ...explain

You mean like this:arrowr:
http://www.c-rok.com/insideff.html
That's where one of these inside plates sure come in handy :thumbup:
http://www.c-rok.com/sb.html

XJ_ranger said:

Do you carry a spare steering box that is already set up for 1/2" bolts?
If not - what if you have an issue on the trail and need another one, and now the holes are 1/16" to big in the frame, and you have to come up with 7/16" bolts?

Click to expand...

Do you not think the 1/2" bolts are a good option?

There would be no need to carry a spare steering box setup w/ 1/2" holes. In theory, i would just need 3 extra 7/16" bolts and an extra steering box. We didnt touch the frame holes. The frame holes are the exact same size as they were w/ 7/16" bolts. Either way if i had a stock steering box w/ regular size bolts or the one i have now, id be screwed on the trail if it were to brake.

The top bolt on the steering box was the one w/ the messed up thread, so thats what lead us to go to 1/2". So i had to option buy a new steering box or just re tap it and in theory make it stronger. So the second option was cheaper and better in our opinion.

XJCreeper said:

You mean like this:arrowr:
http://www.c-rok.com/insideff.html
That's where one of these inside plates sure come in handy :thumbup:
http://www.c-rok.com/sb.html

Click to expand...

Considering i cracked both steering box bolts on both my cherokees, and that inner bracket didnt break, im sure it will hold up. If it doesnt, i will be posting anther brace for the inside. not a biggy.

I say do the full deal before you have too much more fun. Plate both frame rail sides. Also sleeve them beefy 1/2" steering bolts through the frame as well. Make it good and strong, then go and play hard. Just my .02. I'm running the C-ROK on both sides and I haven't broke mine yet.

I don't have any pics, but I made inner and outer plates.....CRok style.
Egghead now has the outer plate that I made, I still have the inner.

It seems as if you think it is an advange to have the 1/2" bolts. I don't see the advantage of going with bigger bolts. Seems like a bigger PIA than anything else. How can it be stronger? You are removing material from the steering box on the ears no less. The bolts may be stronger but you weakend the steering box. No?

XJawgi said:

not sure if im following what your saying ...explain

Click to expand...

What he's saying is that the material around the holes is now thinner and more likely to crack. Look at the lower right bolt hole. It's looking a little too thin maybe.



Don't get me wrong, your brace looks great, and I think you took the best route with the stripped hole on your box, but you will need to watch for cracks in your case around the bolt holes now.

I wish your dad's work's scrap bin was closer to where I live!

So he's gonna have to watch for cracks and maybe break a new steering box? Sounds alot like where he was at the beginning of the post. Messed up steering box. If I stripped a hole I might do the same. After all bolts are cheaper than steering boxes :thumbup:. I hate having to keep buying them uke:.Don't they make a stronger steering box for the XJ. The last AGR box didn't cut it for me. 1.5 years and kaput. Maybe hi-steer is the answer if you got more than a certain amount of inches of lift.

XJawgi said:

The top bolt on the steering box was the one w/ the messed up thread, so thats what lead us to go to 1/2". So i had to option buy a new steering box or just re tap it and in theory make it stronger. So the second option was cheaper and better in our opinion.

Click to expand...

XJCreeper said:

So he's gonna have to watch for cracks and maybe break a new steering box? Sounds alot like where he was at the beginning of the post. Messed up steering box. If I stripped a hole I might do the same. After all bolts are cheaper than steering boxes .

Click to expand...

Actually, he's going to have to watch for cracks in his used box which he salvaged by drilling out and tapping a stripped bolt hole.

XJCreeper, have you looked into a Durango box? Not necessarily better than the AGR, but they can be had for cheaper and are supposed to be stronger than the stock XJ box. That's what the interweb told me, anyway.

Israel said:

Actually, he's going to have to watch for cracks in his used box which he salvaged by drilling out and tapping a stripped bolt hole.

XJCreeper, have you looked into a Durango box? Not necessarily better than the AGR, but they can be had for cheaper and are supposed to be stronger than the stock XJ box. That's what the interweb told me, anyway.

Click to expand...

All AGR boxes are, are revamped J-20 boxes, tapped for hydro. Or so I've heard

Israel said:

What he's saying is that the material around the holes is now thinner and more likely to crack. Look at the lower right bolt hole. It's looking a little too thin maybe.

Don't get me wrong, your brace looks great, and I think you took the best route with the stripped hole on your box, but you will need to watch for cracks in your case around the bolt holes now.

I wish your dad's work's scrap bin was closer to where I live!

Click to expand...

yea i got what everyone is saying now w/ the 1/2" bolts.

i guess time will tell if it holds up or not....i will let everyone know in about a week and a half.

Haleyes said:

I don't have any pics, but I made inner and outer plates.....CRok style.
Egghead now has the outer plate that I made, I still have the inner.

It seems as if you think it is an advange to have the 1/2" bolts. I don't see the advantage of going with bigger bolts. Seems like a bigger PIA than anything else. How can it be stronger? You are removing material from the steering box on the ears no less. The bolts may be stronger but you weakend the steering box. No?

Click to expand...

how can it not be stronger? it may weaken the steering box a bit, but its by 1/16". the bolts have snapped each time on both my cherokees, so ill sacrafice the material being removed to get a better bolt.