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shorter pitman arm?

supersize75k5

supersize75k5

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On the buggy I have about 600 bucks worth of sterring for my dana 60..and so far I cant steer it:crazy:


I went with high steer, and the wfo drag link set up, well from where the axle is my pitman arm is contacting the tie rod:doah:


sooooo I really dont want to have to move the spring hangers since they are part of the chasis, and moving the stering box would be a major pain as well.

what about a shorter pitman arm? someone had even mention the shorter arm would give it a closer/quicker steering ratio as well.


I guess I would have a flat one made, splined to fit and then the other side tapered for a tre.

im just wanting some feed back if this is even worth trying, pro's con's reasons for current pitman arm size?
 
ford trucks came stock w/ a flat one, slightly shorter than a stock chevy but not much. they are a bolt on deal for a chevy 2wd box. i run one on my k5. i had to "C" notch the frame to do it though. got pics if u want
 
what year fords?

I run tre's will I need to change anything, I assume the taper will work just like my tre's?
 
We've got a flat arm on our S10 project, I think it came off an Astro. We had to have it reamed for TRE's though.

The arm on my stepside is my favorite, it came out of a 76 Ford Econoline. Once again, reamed for TRE's. It's not flat, cause you can't use a flat one on a full size frame with a 2wd box in it's stock location. You NEED just a little bit of drop, or the TRE nut won't pass underneath the framerail as you steer. It'll hit the frame, and bind. I found this econoline arm to have the least drop possible while still clearing the frame, and it is a little shorter. As it is now, my stepside turns sharper than my buddies K5's, and it's a longer wheelbase.

I explained some of the benefits of a shorter pitman in this thread
http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=172159

Here's what to look for as far as the arm goes.
http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=167230

Here's a thread with some pics of the arm installed in the truck.
http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=189268&highlight=econoline
 
supersize75k5 said:
what year fords?

I run tre's will I need to change anything, I assume the taper will work just like my tre's?
Click to expand...


73-79 4wd 1/2 tons. w/ power steering, not the power assist ram steering some of them had. they work w/ the large style gm tre's that is what i run. i'll find a pic for u.
 
boz42 said:
73-79 4wd 1/2 tons. w/ power steering, not the power assist ram steering some of them had. they work w/ the large style gm tre's that is what i run. i'll find a pic for u.
Click to expand...

C_notch.jpg
 
yes there is, funny thing is that pic is from a thread i posted over 2 years ago, before any one i knew off sold high steer arms that located the tie-rod behind the pumkin. my frt axle was 1.5" foward then w/ only 4" of lift. i needed to solve a clearance problem & that is what i came up with.

http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=115175
 
well I am not using a gm frame.... so I less clearance issues so to speak...

my main issue is that I am worried about when the axle compresses i really have concernes about the tie rod hitting the pitman arm or shaft...:eek1:

so the pitman arm needs to be shorter along with coming up higher.

I just dont want to move my springs back, right now with 42's I have about 2 inches of the tube frame in front..thats a nice approach angle.

damn..
 
supersize75k5 said:
so the pitman arm needs to be shorter along with coming up higher.
Click to expand...

you were just shown an application that may work... maybe get some measurements and try it?
 
already fidleing around in the dark looking for a flashlight:D

ill report back with my findings
 
boz42 said:
yes there is, funny thing is that pic is from a thread i posted over 2 years ago, before any one i knew off sold high steer arms that located the tie-rod behind the pumkin. my frt axle was 1.5" foward then w/ only 4" of lift. i needed to solve a clearance problem & that is what i came up with.

http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=115175
Click to expand...

how did I miss all those threads lol
 
it is old i guess, if u need some more pics i can take some tommorrow, but i am forgetful.
 
Are you running high steer or behind the axle high steer? What about going to lowsteer crossover? Are you doing hydro assist steering? If you use a shorter pitman arm you will gain turning radius but you will loose steering power. So if you are not running hydro assist then you probably won't want to run a shorter arm.

Harley
 
How would you gain turning radius?? Shorter arm would mean less throw which would mean less turning radius right??

But yes the shorter arm will give you less steering power since you will have less leverage. Your lock to lock number will stay the same though.
 
Your right, it is the other way. If the steering arm is shorter then the pitman arm you gain throw & get better turning radius. My bad. I was no thinking straight late at night. :D

When I first did my crossover I used the rear hole on the steering arm on my truck. My turning radius was sweet until I found out having less steering power made me more prone to Death Wobble. :crazy: I since moved it out to the correct hole. No death wobble, more steering power, less turning radius.

Harley
 
harley,


I am highsteer and my cross over drag link mounts with the tie rod.

plan is for hydro assist allready
 
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