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1 Ton Rack and Pinion Steering on a SFA rig...

Deuling

Deuling

“I like to make things”
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So my buddy wants to SFA and 4 link his 91 GMC Sierra 2500 to be able to jump at the dunes.

The catches are...

1. Crossover and 4 link cause too much bump steer (what Heath told us anyways) with alot of axle movement.

2. Full hydro would be best but not legal on road and he wants to still be able to drive it around and to the dunes.

So our thoughts were....

Why can't you take Rack and Pinion off a 1 ton newer model silverado

Like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/2009-2010-S...pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr

and make a custom steering shaft that has a slip joint in it with double u-joints for angles and such, this would allow for the entire steering setup to stay constant with the axle and not mess with any odd angles.


If its got enough strength to work on a 1 ton, why would it not work for this? :dunno:
 
I've kinda had thoughts of a very similar setup on my burb. :thinking: I guess great minds DO think alike:haha:


If it couldnt be done on a dune jumper for some reason< why not a DD
 
Yah Idk rick. We've just really been toyin with alot of steering Ideas and this is the only setup that seems like it would work for his constraints.

I feel like it would really work well with some sort of slip yoke style steering shaft. Basically a front driveshaft off of one our rigs (with the cv style joints) but in smaller form.
 
I looked into it when I was building my truck. The steering shaft was the issue. If I ran it over the frame, I needed a 20" long vertical shaft. That would have stuck through the hood. Not gonna happen. So I looked at getting it under the frame as closeto the firewall as possible. The engine cross member would limite the up travel. Outside the frame rail is full of shocks and bump stops.

I ended up going with dual cross over. Link from steering box to a lever on the passenger side. Then a link to the tie rod. The panhard bar comes off of the passenger side at the same location. They run on the same plane to the axle.

I have more roll steer due to the rear link geometry, than bump steer.
 
Yeah after seeing your rig I'd guess you'd have the same setup theyre looking for:waytogo: I've seen some big air pics of that beast:D Nice rig again by the way
 
I probably could have made it work. But I did not want to end up as the poster child for "Scary Steering".
 
Why not go with a 3 link, panhard bar and crossover? Should prevent bump steer problems.

We run that kind of a setup on our KOH rig and have zero handling issues
 
No hes dead set on triangulated 4 link. You guys gotta remember the 91 afs frames are way wider up front and the steering box is on the inside of the frame which may allow for running the steering column easier.
 
This is an odd point you bring up. At first I said to myself why would a dual tri 4 link w/ crossover bump steer. Then I started to think about how Ive never once seen a build with a front dual tri w/o full hydro.

Honestly I dont think the rack idea will work. I think he'll either have to live with the bump steer or live the the associated risk of running full hydro on the street.
 
Thats just it. Why wouldnt it work? If its heavy duty enough for todays 1 ton trucks... Its got a pressure assisted gear box.... I think it could be something kinda different, and with some time ibto designing it right i dont see why we couldnt make it safe and work right:dunno:
 
i can tell you from driving a 1/2 ton 2wd with rack steering stock to 22" bling bling rims = more crappy steering and lot more bump steering.

old shop truck were i use to work.

and i have seen so many tie rod ends bad on ifs with racks or steering box using rack ends ( gm ifs ) that i would not want a heavy duty play toy for off road running rack system .
 
In my mind, as I picture it, I see articulation steer as the axle runs through its travel. If the steering shaft runs horizontal to the frame, you could have 15 degrees or so of steer. The only way to get rid of that would be a vetricles shaft to the rack. But height would limit that. I could be full of it. Probably am. Have him try it and let us know.
 
I realize that this is old technology, but do any of you guys remember the show "The Fall Guy" with Lee Majors?

After about the first year, the truck he drove in that show was his personal truck. They got tired of buying new trucks about every other show, so they modified his for jumping.

They would have a pretty big jump in just about every show, and never had to do repairs to the truck.

I don't remember all the mods, but the engine was moved back to the point that it was mostly between the bucket seats, similar to the old Chevy vans.

Both for frame strength and balance.
It would be interesting to see what they did about the steering, because they would jump the truck at speed, and keep driving off straight.
 
OK for you young whippersnappers who think you know a good truck show when you see one...........:D

Obviously it was not the same truck each time, and a lot of the trucks were just one-offs for just that one shot.
Plus, editing and multiple shots helped.

But, there was one truck for the non-destructive jumps. Setup just for jumping. Not sure which one it was though........

BTW, if you really like GM trucks and get weepy when one gets dinged........Well, better not watch this video......:dunno:


 
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How did I get to be 49 years old and never see this show?

In a couple of those you could see though the front end. No engine up front.
 
The one where the truck just appears over the edge on a curve with a car going by was in the opening credits if I remember right.
So we saw that every week.

There were a lot of cutaways in the show, where you would see the truck landing, then another shot of it seemingly to continue on.
But that collection did not do it justice. Many of those shots kept going with no edits.
Its hard to remember now, due to time and the fact I was not looking for it, but some of those where you see it bounce without bottoming out and staying fairly level were probably the special truck.
And most of those were one take with no edits.

There was a magazine piece on that truck when the show was on. Popular Mechanics, or something like that.
It showed the engine between the seats and some of the other mods.

Majors was big enough for lots of guest stars to show up. But he also featured lots of real stuntpeople in the show.
I want to say Dar Robinson was in it sometimes, but not sure.

I found this on Wikipedia, so not sure how accurate.

The truck was powered by a stock 350 V8 and Turbo 350 automatic transmission. After destroying several trucks due to the huge jumps, a custom built jump truck was built as a solution. It had a reinforced frame and heavy duty axle trusses, dual shocks all around, suspension limiting straps, lift blocks, and a steel weight box in the bed (which was loaded with up to 800lbs of lead for a jump) and a mid-mounted engine that actually sat in the middle of the cab. This greatly reduced the number of trucks scrapped during the show's production.

I also understand that some episodes may be available on Hulu.
Show was OK, but the truck was the star......
 
With the right amount of ingenuity, anything can be accomplished. Iv seen LS1s in Civics, Hemis in Gremlins, Duramax in 68 Impala, seen a 1000cc Yamaha R1 in a go cart, it just takes time, money probably, and the want to be different from the rest. At one time 4link and EFI was different and was thought it would never work in the real world either, and look where it is now....
 
ktmoutfront said:
How did I get to be 49 years old and never see this show?

In a couple of those you could see though the front end. No engine up front.
Click to expand...

I don't know, I'm 23 and have it on DVD. :D




As far as the question at hand a few years ago I'd be inclined to jump on the high dollar linked and coiled bandwagon for a sand toy but lately my thoughts have changed.
If it was my truck I'd do a shackle flip out back with an anti-wrap bar.
Put on a knuckle based 4" lift up front with upgraded tie-rods (congnito, etc) and spend the real money on a set of good shocks all around and hydro bumps up front. I bet you'd come out leaps and bounds ahead cost wise and it would handle great in the dunes.

Some of the best all around trucks I've been in at the dunes were just upgraded ifs trucks. Heck I took my old CCLB K3500 out there plenty of times and it handled the whoops and rode smoother than my actual wheeler does.
 
If I was to build another one, it would be custom leaves with tripple bypasses, air bumps and balance front to rear.
 
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