Making a rubber boot for it doesn't seem like it would be too tricky. Where I am, rust isn't an issue, so I wasn't even thinking about that. I grew up in the NE and you are 100% correct, the winter salt exposure destroys nearly everything metal.
There is no pre-determined service interval for it - your 32K number so specific, it had me wondering if you had our product confused with someone else's literature. We've not been able to wear ours out and we have a HARD 15K miles on our Bronco. It hasn't needed to be adjusted, nothing. I would have to guess as none have worn to date. I have no qualms with saying 100K+ on a normal Bronco before you maybe need to replace the Bronze wear surfaces but, again, time will tell as none have achieved measurable wear to project replacement interval. Keep it greased and it'll take care of you!
replied!
We're looking into boots for the knuckle-side as we've had a ton of success with them on all our HD Truck track bars that are run in inclement weather.
Lol my local shop got that number from someone from Carli, they recommended rebuild every 50,000km (~30,000 miles). Which for me was a shock as I was expecting at least 100,000km
They definitely didn't get that from us... not sure the source of that one.
Hey! Don't knock So Cali, we have some sweet action around here as well....He needs a 3.0 setup. Shame cause I’m in Norcal and really want thisNorcal always gets forgotten but we are the best part of Cali
It's a more robust, serviceable steering system. It will fit stock OR modified.
This all looks pretty sweet but I've had poor longevity with heim steering so I'm wary of anything that's exposed to the elements. What does a rebuild kit cost?
Can you give us an idea of the actual tie rod dimensions or diameter...thread size?Let's talk tie-rods! One of the prominent issues among early adopters is the Bronco’s steering. When adding larger-than-stock rubber, it became commonplace to carry extra tie-rods for when the factory unit snapped while out exploring. Our Engineers went to work on a bullet-proof solution!
Tie Rod
The Tie-Rod itself is machined from heat-treated 4140, then protected with the same moly coating found on our legendary (Ram) ball joints. The heart of the Inner Tie-Rod assembly is a ball joint with machined grease-grooves and a drilled port through to the zerk fitting hole for easy greasing. The Grease-Port is drilled pre-boot ensuring the tie-rod remains protected and greasing the wear surfaces is quick and convenient.
Inner Tie-Rod Assembly
The Inner Tie Rod Assembly is simple, extremely strong and fully adjustable/rebuildable. The Tie-Rod is encapsulated with Bronze wear surfaces on both sides. The coating on the tie-rod, being moly-based, mixes with the redline CV2 grease to provide the perfect lubricant to polish the 4140 to the bronze races. If and when you achieve measurable movement, tighten the cap to remove the slack! This whole assembly is protected by the provided boot.
Outer Tie-Rod Assembly
On the other end, you’ll find the outer Tie-Rod machined from a solid chunk of 6061 Billet Aluminum. This rod-end is treated to a hard-anodized coating for longevity. We’ve added a billet machined bracket to provide double-shear support to the outer tie-rod end connection. The two lateral bolts secure in place of the upper two hub bolts providing unparalleled support while the the outer tie-rod is spaced between this bracket and the knuckle by the provided 17-4 Stainless Steel misalignment spacers to maximize the travel range of the system.
The outer tie-rod end attaches to the threaded tie-rod via the machined threads and secures in place (and adjusts toe alignment) via the 2 pinch bolts. The pinch bolt hardware is 12-point and threads into (replaceable) press-fit steel inserts to ensure maximum strength relative to small diameter aluminum threads.
The bearing assembly is made up of our CUB (Captured Urethane Bearing) joint. At the center, a 3/4″ Teflon Lined FK bearing which we encapsulate with our propriety races to dampen vibrations while extending the life of the heim. This assembly is preloaded into the housing and retained under-tension with a safety washer and snap-ring.
Not sure, actually - the BRaptor would need a rework; we've not checked any parts for compatibility.
We're working on sourcing a boot so longevity isn't affected by the elements. The wearable item currently "exposed" is $35 from any race supply (3/4" Teflon Lined Uniball).
We're on it! Trying to find something that isn't so round and matches the profile of our housing a bit better than your run-of-the-mill heim boot. Time will tell if we can.
Material is 4140 Chromoly - Diameter is 3/4" and threading is 3/4 - 16.
