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weld it or clamp it

i'll be welding mine to a steel tie rod
 
i'll be welding mine to a steel tie rod

as i would to, if i had a steel tie rod, but my steel one ton rod bent so bad it couldnt be rebent w/in reason to straight so i went w/ alum. now. question is would it be adviseable to weld steel or alum. brackets to a alum. tie rod ?
 
alum brackets may make sense then TIG it
 
I wouldn't weld it -- What is the alloy of the tie rod? -- how about the bracket?

Clamping to aluminum just makes sense here

What is the worst that happens, you clamp it and your clamp moves -- if it doesn't hold then you need to weld it
 
I wouldn't weld it -- What is the alloy of the tie rod? -- how about the bracket?

Clamping to aluminum just makes sense here

What is the worst that happens, you clamp it and your clamp moves -- if it doesn't hold then you need to weld it

why is welding is the backup plan rather than the plan? curious why you wouldn't do it right the first time...
 
I had a buddy that used a clamp for his hydro-assist, and even though the clamp was as tight as it would get, when we were on the Rubicon it continued to rotate. If you go the direction of using the clamp make sure there is something that the clamp can grip to vs just the smooth tie rod. Lay some small beads down to create some ridges, or cut some groves in it, so the clamp is not having to grip to a completely smooth surface.
 
If you use that clamp, you can machine/grind a small flat spot on the bottom half and use the 2nd threaded mounting point as a 1/2-20TPI set screw........

And follow the directions on the website for hydro assist
 
why is welding is the backup plan rather than the plan? curious why you wouldn't do it right the first time...

Welding to unknown aluminum alloy is tricky — do we know the alloy

Are any of the parts hardened? The heat from welding will change that

Personally I wouldn’t want that small “hot spot” on my tie rod could easily cause a brittle spot

Here’s a thought — are we talking an iron man or stinky fab aluminum tie rod — give them a call — I’ve spoke to Andy at iron man before and I know he’d be happy to talk about connecting options on one of his aluminum tie rods — I’m sure it would be the same with Dallas over at stinky fab
 
its a stinky fab rod. thx for the tip.

That's 7075 aluminum which is not weldable (with traditional techniques). The composition of the alloy makes it develop super brittle areas around the circumference of the weld and ultimately will crack every time.

Its unfortunate because 7075 is a great alloy.
 
Welding to unknown aluminum alloy is tricky — do we know the alloy

Are any of the parts hardened? The heat from welding will change that

Personally I wouldn’t want that small “hot spot” on my tie rod could easily cause a brittle spot

Here’s a thought — are we talking an iron man or stinky fab aluminum tie rod — give them a call — I’ve spoke to Andy at iron man before and I know he’d be happy to talk about connecting options on one of his aluminum tie rods — I’m sure it would be the same with Dallas over at stinky fab

make sense, thx for the explanation :read:
 
we used a clamp on the alum steering on 4643 and never had a problem with it.
 
we used a clamp on the alum steering on 4643 and never had a problem with it.

I guess a good quality clamp that fit properly would not be a problem.

I have one the RuffStuff offering that is used to attach the steering dampener ion my XJ. I would not hesitate to attach a steering ram for hydraulic assist to it. It is that well made and the fit (and finish) is second to none.
 
Before I found my PSC clamp(same as Ruffstuff) I would just make one from left-over chromoly.
17870024_zps3jftvzcp.jpg
 
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