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ORD weld-on steering box frame brace.

TJ1978

TJ1978

I have MANY questions
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Does anyone have pictures of theirs, if you have ORD's or another company? I getting it installed on my truck and would appreciate some pics. I watched a couple YouTube vids but they weren't that great.

In relation to this thread :

Steering box frame crack.

While browsing another members steering problems. I went to take a picture of the ORD bolt on steering brace for him to buy. Upon doing this, which I never noticed before, and having the truck almost 5 years now. The brace has been on it almost since I bought and it stays on the street. I have a...
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My welds are pretty ugly but here's my part of my ORD plate kit installed. I don't have any pictures of the plate that's on the bottom of the from though.


IMG_0740.jpg
 
Make sure it’s dead flat against the frame. Cracked a steering box because mine wasn’t perfectly flat. Even after heating and hammering. I’m just going to run the brace going forward.
 
I have mine on the lift. Wire brushed the likely spots and so far so good no cracks. Just got the bolt brace 2 years ago. Never had bigger than 33s
 
I don’t have it. (Yet)
Have the Ord brace and been running crossover with hydro-assist. I’m sure that helps take the load off the box. But I keep checking to see if cracks show up.
 
This is the only picture I got that comes close to showing my frame reinforcement plate (both upper and lower frame reinforcement plates). Since the welds are painted over it is hard to see. I just took a couple of different hammer types, and hammered mine down flush to the frame. I only used a 110/140 AMP mig with flux core wire to weld it on. I cranked up the amps, got the wire speed correct, and made two passes at it.

full


I also have this steering shaft on my rig instead of the rag joint type. I think these steering shafts are from a 2000 Chevy Express Van.

full
 
I'd like to how close you guys are getting the bottom plate. I just mocked mine up and the angle isnt really close at all. It will take some heat/ beating to get it flush, which means more $$$ in labor.

But I want to done right and not 3 week mod with i countable questions and a few ups. I want it done right and quick. So I'll pay once and cry after.

By the end of the year hopefully I'll have my own welding set up. But an affordable one I can't drop the coin you guys are suggesting any time soon.
 
Check to make sure plate sits flush and level against the frame. If necessary, clamp plate to frame rail to hold flush and tight against rail and/or apply heat/hammer plate to flatten as needed.
Click to expand...

I haven't done this plate, but I imagine the priority is to pound it flat at each bolt hole and clamping there before welding near that bolt hole. It's very hard to form a metal plate by hammering alone, but once part of it is welded in place, reworking the surrounding area works much better.
 
I did not know the braces existed when I built the Jimmy. I hand hammered a 1/4" plate with heat and perimeter welds starting at one end. It has seemed to work. Broke ears off of one box. Broke a piman arm. Sheared internal gears.

But I am real easy on the truck.
 
centexk5 said:
Make sure it’s dead flat against the frame. Cracked a steering box because mine wasn’t perfectly flat. Even after heating and hammering. I’m just going to run the brace going forward.
Click to expand...
I wasn't happy AT ALL with the way mine was stamped. wasn't any way to make it fit both the frame, and the box correctly. after many hours of hammering and heating, I gave up and scrapped it, welded the cracks, added the diagonal brace on the inside and walked away.

the stamping was made in a way that the body of the gear housing (the part vertical cylindrical part around the sector shaft) was coming into contact with the plate long before the ears with the bolt holes would seat. any attempt to properly torque the bolts may have snapped my box, and I SURE AS HECK would not have expected the box to survive an off-road outing like that. unfortunately for me, the correct answer will be to fully box the frame in that area if it happens again, and then sleeve the bolt holes, running bolts all the way through both pieces.
there are a couple other threads that have been through here in the last year or two? I put a bunch of drawings in one of them and, complained a lot...
 
scouthead said:
I wasn't happy AT ALL with the way mine was stamped. wasn't any way to make it fit both the frame, and the box correctly. after many hours of hammering and heating, I gave up and scrapped it, welded the cracks, added the diagonal brace on the inside and walked away.

the stamping was made in a way that the body of the gear housing (the part vertical cylindrical part around the sector shaft) was coming into contact with the plate long before the ears with the bolt holes would seat. any attempt to properly torque the bolts may have snapped my box, and I SURE AS HECK would not have expected the box to survive an off-road outing like that. unfortunately for me, the correct answer will be to fully box the frame in that area if it happens again, and then sleeve the bolt holes, running bolts all the way through both pieces.
there are a couple other threads that have been through here in the last year or two? I put a bunch of drawings in one of them and, complained a lot...
Click to expand...
This is what I was seeing when mocking mine up as well. It's not even close to the frame. And the triangle area runs into the steering box or cross member area area I forget, It's odd.

From what I saw, I may just have the shop weld up the cracks as they will have to anyway and just put the side plate. Then fab up a piece up for the bottom.

When I get off work I'll snap a couple pictures maybe you guys have a workaround or advice on the fitment. Across the net the few threads I've seen, some have stated they needed longer bolts when the frame plate was added. Not a huge deal. But the idea of running the bolts all the way through with lock nut is probably the way to go.

I can't find your threads on this...

3E893D9E-8B37-4E4C-9A45-46553912A525.jpeg
 
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TJ1978 said:
This is what I was seeing when mocking mine up as well. It's not even close to the frame. And the triangle area runs into the steering box or cross member area area I forget, It's odd.

From what I saw, I may just have the shop weld up the cracks as they will have to anyway and just put the side plate. Then fab up a piece up for the bottom.

When I get off work I'll snap a couple pictures maybe you guys have a workaround or advice on the fitment. Across the net the few threads I've seen, some have stated they needed longer bolts when the frame plate was added. Not a huge deal. But the idea of running the bolts all the way through with lock nut is probably the way to go.

I can't find your threads on this...

View attachment 441243
Click to expand...
this is the area that was worst. I could torch/ pound and weld things to the frame as needed, but this area... the steering box hit this before the box could get anywhere near to touching at the mounting pads where the bolts go through. tightening would have been futile. the box would have broken, or the bolts would not stay torqued, or the box would have broken in the future.
steerinng box.jpg
 

Steering box broke

I currently have that set up the pressure drop Makes steering a little bit more challenging at low RPM like driving around on city streets I had to modify the pump to take care of that problem I would rather di it the right way Good to know. I wonder if running a smaller diameter ram would help.
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I wonder if cutting the bigger plate in half right though the center of that plug weld hole, would have allowed better shaping for fitment
 
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