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gotta shorten my draglink

GsxrMike

GsxrMike

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Ok so I gotta shorten my ORD crossover draglink 3". I can cut off 1.5" off each side but then the threads won't be deep enough for the tie rod ends to go all the way in like I will need. So I'm think if I cut 1.5" off of both ends of the draglink and 1" off the treads of the tie rod everything will be short enough to install. My questions are is this "ok" to do and how the hell can I cut it without f'ing up the threads? I have a chop saw, hack saw, miter box, and sawzall. I was thinking I could cut the draglink and used the pieces I cut off to protect the tie rod ends when I cut those and then clean up the first few threads with a file and pick. Any help would be great. Thanks.

One other idea I had was to cut 3" out of the middle and then weld it back together and then sleve it and weld it again.
 
Find someone locally with the tap is the first idea that comes to mind . Cut the tube and re-thread it so you can keep the same thread engagement the factory rod ends had .

If someone had the correct thread weld in inserts , you could go that way too .
 
Exchange it for someone who needs yours or has what you need.
 
Only cut from one end and make damn sure it is from the end with the right hand threads. Left handed taps are EXPENSIVE.
 
Yeah if I cut off the right hand threads I can't retap it because its right where they put the bend in it. If I could find a machine shop that has the correct left hand tap then I would have them cut it off and tap it for me (I could order a new draglink for around $100). Shephen told me I could cut some off each end but I can't cut off enough with out shortening the tie rod ends. The threads on the ends are pretty long so I don't think .75" is going to make a huge differance in strenghth.
 
You could always tap the left right , and run the same end on each side . You would need to remove it for adjusting it , which isn't that big a deal . I have taken my draglink off and on a lot lately and its just a minor inconvenience .

( I have heims though , all 4 same thread same size , were on it when I got the high steer )
 
I swear my dropped crossover draglink from ORD has the left hand threads on the left side with the bend in it.
 
yeah i talked to him last week and he said they do it both ways so he wouldn't be able to tell me which end had the lh and which the rh. Anybody know the size and thread count so I can call around to some local shops to see if they can tap it for me. Thanks.
 
I don't see the problem with trimming a little. I took an inch of each end of my draglink and shortened my TRE's to bottom out. They still have 1.5" of threads. The TRE's are nearly bottomed out in the draglink so there is more thread engagement than there was before I shortened it. I wouldn't cut off much more than 1/2 or 3/4 of an inch, but i doubt you're going to pull that TRE out of the draglink. The TRE will probably break before that.
 
So I did a google search for a machine shop near my work with no luck. So I did another google search for a machine shop near my house and there was one 2.4 miles away which is crazy because I live in BFE. The closest town is over 6 miles away and they only have 2 stop lights so its not much of a town. I called the guy and he said he didn't know if he could do it and he would have to look at it but he did say that he thinks he has a 7/8x18 left hand tap. WHOO HOO! I am going over to his shop tonight. I will keep you guys posted and THANKS FOR THE HELP!
 
Are you doing something custom to require 3" cut off? I know mine probably needed a little cut off, but no where near 3".
 
The one ORD sent me was to long for some reason. They based the measurement off of how much lift I thought I had but it was 3 inches to long.
 
:mad: F Well the machinist didn't have the 7/8x18 tap LH or RH so I got hosed. I will try again tomorrow. Any other ideas guys?
 
You could either buy the $100.00 + tap or just buy another $95.00 draglink that is the correct length.

Do you have a D44 or D60, reason i ask is because the lengths are different.
 
D44. That is actually a hard decesion because I love tools but when the heck would I ever use it again?
 
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