Superduty Crossover Steering Kit with 7-8" JMX rod ends
- Complete kit for building a reliable steering system
- Uses 1.5" OD 1/4" wall tubing
- High-quality materials and made in the USA ensure top-notch performance and longevity
- Superior handling and control on and off the road
- Artec Industries' attention to detail and commitment to excellence
- Upgrade your rig with confidence
- Made in the USA.
Artec Industries' Heavy Duty Tie Rod and Draglink Steering Kit provides everything you need to build a reliable and durable steering system. Crafted with the highest quality materials and made in the USA, this kit ensures top-notch performance and longevity. Trust in Artec Industries' attention to detail and commitment to excellence, knowing that your steering system is built with the best components available. Upgrade your rig with confidence, and experience superior handling and control both on and off the road.
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Install Instructions
Warning: This kit
requires basic fabrication skills (Cutting, Drilling, and Welding ) If you are
not confident in your abilities please have this installed at a Local Off-road
Shop.
Tools Required :
Safety Glasses, Gloves, (optional), Jack Stands, Floor Jack,
Drill, Drill 3/4" Drill bit or Reamer , 1-1/4 Wrench, 1-1/8"
wrench, Socket Set/Wrench or Impact, Breaker Bar, Torque wrench, 1-1/8 socket,
Socket for your vehicles Pitman arm Nut (most vehicles use around a 32-34mm socket) Measuring Tape, Sharpie, Cutting Device
(Sawzall, Band saw, Cutoff wheel, Chop saw, Hacksaw), 7/8"x14tpi Tap (Both
Left hand thread and Standard) Lug wrench, Wheel Lock Key (If you have wheel
locks the guys at the tire shop probably lost the wheel lock key), Pitman arm
puller , Tie rod separator, Needle Nose Pliers, Large Hammer, Map
gas Torch (Optional but probably
Required in Rust Belt States) Anti seize, Blue Loctite, Cutting
oil, Welder/ Welding PPE, and a helper/wrenching buddy.
Step 1:
Open Packages and take Inventory
all of the Parts Please contact Artec Industries Immediately if you are missing any
parts @ (855) 278 3299 .
Step 2:
Please make sure your wheels and steering wheel are
strait, An you do not have any bent or broken steering components This
can throw off your measurements which will be critical later on.
Step 3:
Grab your buddy, Use the tape measure. You will want to measure
and record the lengths of your current Tie rod from center of bolt on the
knuckle to center of bolt on the knuckle. Now measure the current
drag-link length from bolt center to bolt center of the drag-link
ends.
Step 4:
Thread the Jam nuts onto your Heim Joints, Then Thread the Tube
adapters onto the heim. We recommend when assembling the Heim to measure the
distance from center of hole in heim to the inside edge of tube adapter where
it will bottom out against the D.O.M. Set that length to 3"
This will allow for plenty of adjustment later on. The Artec uncut assembled
Tie rod Should Measure 60" and Drag-link should Measure
54" if you did this correctly. Subtract your current Drag link
And tie rod lengths from the measurements for the Artec steering and cut the
difference out of the tubes. Remember to Measure 2x Cut once !
Step 5:
Remove Heim from Tube adapters and Weld the tube adapters into place
(You will want to ensure
you have 1 tube adapter with a groove LH Thread and one non grooved
Standard Thread on each piece of tube to allow adjustment on the vehicle
). Once
the welding is complete allow tube adapters to cool for a bit. Once cooled
chase the threads with a 7/8x14 Tap . Welding can cause the tube adapters to shrink some. After the threads have been chased
grab the Anti seize ( Yes, that stuff that will make you look like the tin man
from The Wizard of Oz !) Put some anti seize on the treads of the heim
and thread them into the tube adapters.
(The LH Thread Tube
adapter will have a grove machined on to it you’ll want a LH Thread tap for it )
Step 6:
Chock your wheels, Start to break loose the front lug nuts
free while Jeep is on the ground (Do not fully remove the lug nuts)
Step 7:
Jack up the Vehicle and set it securely on jack stands.
Now continue to remove the lug nuts and wheels.
Once Wheels are off. Remove the brake caliper off the knuckles (Hang the calipers off the frame with a bungee
cord or modified Metal coat hanger if you let the caliper hang freely brake
lines can become damaged )
Now remove the brake rotors (You
may need to tap the hat of the rotor if it is rusted on.) Set the rotors on a flat surface. (Do not stand the rotors on end it can cause them
to Warp.)
Step 8:
Remove cotter pins on Tie rods and drag links, Then
loosen the castle nuts. (Leave the castle nuts installed by a few threads ! ) Grab your Tie rod Separator, wedge it between
the knuckle and the base of the tie rod Hit on the end of the Tie rod separator
with your Big Freaking Hammer until it pops loose Then repeat on the other side
and with drag link . Remove the castle nuts and the Drag-link and tie rod
should drop off the Vehicle.
( Tip : If you have a small Map gas torch heat the Castle
nuts and heat the knuckle some this will help break parts free in the rust belt
states )
Step 9:
(We Highly Recommend
Removing Pitman arm to ensure it is drilled strait and makes drilling a lot
easier)
Use your appropriate sized socket to remove Pitman Arm Nut
. Once the nut is removed attached your Pittman arm puller and
start to pull the Pitman arm.
Once the Pitman arm is removed from the Jeep you will want to
Put it in a drill press and drill out the hole to 3/4" if you
do not have access to a drill press you can use a bench vise just ensure you
are drilling it strait. If you do
not have access to Either a drill press or bench vise the pitman arm can be
drilled on the vehicle but we do not recommend it.
Tech Tip : You can use the torch here to help Just remember if you used any type of penetration
oil to soak the pitman arm it could
cause a fire. Be sure to keep a Fire Extinguisher handy . You can also
give the Pitman arm a whack with the Hammer and sometimes till pop right
off. Sometimes you have leave the Pitman arm puller on under tension for
a bit. walk away for a bit when you come back its magically on the floor
Step 10:
Reinstall the Pittman arm it is keyed so it should only go on 1
way, Use Blue Loctite on the Pitman arm nut . You will want to use your
torque wrench when installing the Pitman arm torque to your vehicle manufacturers spec.
Step 11:
Grab your drill and 3/4" drill bit or reamer and drill out the tie rod hole and drag link hole (if equipped) on the knuckle. Once the knuckle is drilled out, install the tie rod
followed by the drag link. When installing hardware you will want to have
the Bolt go through the knuckle then Washer on underside of knuckle sandwiched
between the knuckle and misalignment spacer in the heim than the nut against
the other misalignment spacer.
Step 12:
Reinstall the brakes (if your brakes are worn this is the time to replace them.)
Install the wheels on vehicle and tighten lug nuts. (Do not torque them yet !) Lower vehicle off of the jack stands and onto
ground then torque the lug nuts to manufacturers spec.
Step 13:
With the vehicle back together and on the ground, Did you
remember to record the measurement of your steering you took in step #3.
Use your helper and a tape measure to make sure your adjustments are the
same or as close as you can get. to those numbers . You will want your tires
set Toe in 1/16" - 1/8" ( Toe in is when the Front of the tires closer together than the
rear of the tire.) Set this by
loosening Jam nuts on the steering and twisting the tie rod using a wrench on
the wrench flats machined into the tube adapters. This will get it
so you can drive the vehicle to an alignment shop to have a professional
alignment performed by a shop.
Step 14:
Go Wheeling and enjoy your new steering .
After 50 Miles or a few
Trail runs (whichever happens first
Please check steering to ensure it is tight
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