heim joints dom tubing, fab work etc.?

[Swims350]

anyone ever do any steering with heim joints, dom tubing etc?

I know the crossover kits they make use either TRE's or heims and both use dom tubing and tube nuts that weld in, just wondering if anyone has ever done anything like this?

like where's the cheapest to buy stuff? is it safe and legal? stronger then reg.?

should I stick with tre's or go heims?

This would be for crossover on my solid axle swap on my 88 gmt400. I'll be using a gm 10 bolt, not a dana 44(older) but like 80's gm 10 bolt.

I've seen kits from wfoconcepts, and oru ord something like that, just seeing if it's cheaper to buy the parts seperate.

I can buy a tie rod or drag link kit for like $125-130 so far is what I've found, and it's basically nothing more then 2 TRE or heims, one LH and one RH thread, tube nut/inserts to match the TRE or heim threads, jam nuts and a length of dom tubing like 3.5 or 4 feet I think.

I'm relly new to it and it confuses me.

I am going to try and reuse the stock gm tie rod that ties both wheels together, so i guess what I need from the ps steering arm to the pitman arm would be a draglink kit. Not sure on what the difference is between a tie rod kit and a drag link kit. I can post links if need be.

 

[bucket]

In this case, the tie rod is the one that connects the two wheels, the drag link connects the steering box to the knuckle.

I'd run the tie rod ends. Get them at a parts store when they need replaced, and they probably last a lot longer on the street too.

 

[Swims350]

same thing I thought, cheaper too.

so far it looks like buying the kit is the best to avoid trying to find crap, but I like to hunt and surf, so what the heck I might come across everything cheaper, buy a litle at a time and make it work.

I think I'm pretty set on using TRE's I wonder what they come from, I think chevy 1-tons, from what I kep seeing, they say 7/8 threads and some have mentioned chevy 1 ton.

 

[crazy4offroad]

You'll run into headaches with crossover steering on a 10-bolt. It wont have a passenger steering arm on the knuckle. You can buy a knuckle that has been machined for a steering arm for around $300 here...
http://offroaddesign.com/catalog/HDsteeringknuckles.htm
...or you can have the stock one machined if you can find a machine shop that has done this before. There is also a 3rd option I've seen, where people use a heim on the passenger side of the tie rod, and a heim on the passenger side of the drag link, and bolt them to the "steering arm" on the knuckle where the tie rod would normally go. You have to drill the hole out since it's tapered for the TRE, so a regular bolt can go in and not be wobbling around.

As far as getting DOM, there's some guys who buy all that stuff for custom 4-link, I think you could get all you want/need at WV Steel here in town...
http://www.yellowpages.com/charleston-wv/mip/west-virginia-steel-11095460
...call em up and see what they have. You'll probably want at least 0.20" wall, 1.5" diameter DOM. Some guys cut the threads (or have em cut) in the DOM itself so all you need is a jamb nut since the weld-in bungs are so expensive but just remember one end has to be right hand thread and the other needs to be left hand thread.

 

[Swims350]

yea I was going to track down a d44 ps knuckle that's needing machined and have it done, ebay and several companies do it, you can even find them already machined for like $150.

That's what I was going to do with mine.

the weld in bungs aint too expensive, rod ends like maybe $10 a piece from what I've seen but I can buy a kit with TRE's weld in bungs, and dom tubing, they want like $125-130 on wfoconcepts for it.

I wished they had a local place that could get me some dom and then machine threads in, not sure if there's one or not.