fj80 high steer anyone?
- Thread starter billy138
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Nice work!! I have a set on my wish list of goodies to purchase when I get back from the sandbox.
Just out of curiosity what size & type of hardware did you design into the knuckles and arms? (metric ARP/Toyota bits or ???)
Just out of curiosity what size & type of hardware did you design into the knuckles and arms? (metric ARP/Toyota bits or ???)
The other side of the coin is the fact that the OP did ask for feedback. He just needs to realize that the criticism is coming from a very few people, not a majority. You cannot please everyone. You will not be selling your product to every 80 owner.
- Thread starter
- #164
the arm is attached with 1/2" fine thread studs (bigger than toyota) and lug nuts. the lower cap is toyota studs.
reason being is price. if you have an fj80 axle you already have the arms which will need to be cut down for caps.
there will be an option that includes larger pins for the arms and new lower caps with bigger pins (25 mm), and new 25 mm bearings. the new lower caps will be machined for flush mounted cap bolts, no more cone washers at all with this set-up.
i wanted this to be universal with options so that the customer can choose what he or she needs, and not have to pay more for an option they dont want.
Land Speeder
InstaH8R
Correct. I see it as the free help in the design process and helps the development. This happens in board rooms, cutting boards, shops, everywhere. Everytime we wrench we bicker, because no single mind thinks like another. You say very few people, but look who it is among those few: Rick, who has added to the 80 section so much knowledge and products for that matter, and me, who goes through 80's like pez and beats them like they stole my bike. I've gone through 5 stock birfs in the last couple of rides, still too cheap for chromos. I've bent and destroyed more steering parts than I care to count. My 80 is my buggy, and I treat it as such.
I like stuff being proved to me if you're going tell me it's better than stock. The argument that, adjusting the trunion bearings, is better now being shown that it is, I understand it more, and if it does work as advertised then maybe it will be. Can't wait to see these things on a certain zuki.
Throwing the original shim in there and calling it "good" is a head-in-the-sand approach at best. Sure, this isn't rocket science and "close enough" works fine most of the time, but unless you pull the preload cap assembly on and off a several times and try a variety of shim thicknesses to zero in on the correct preload for your particular bearing combination and knuckle ball, you're cutting corners, even if you don't know it. Being able to adjust the preload is an handy feature IMHO, so long as you don't mess with it after high-mileage has worn little grooves in the races. (Since trunion bearing races don't wear evenly, they can't be adjusted for wear.)
The only issue I wonder about is the tiny bit of sideplay created by having an adjustable trunion pin. The factory cap/pin is locked in place by the two bolts through its flange and can't move axially or radially, but a floating pin only loaded axially (the bearing preload) will be able to wobble by the tolerance between the pin and its bore in the steering arm.
On a trail rig this play will be insignificant compared to all the slop in the suspension system, just wondering how it will hold up over time. Could the minor radial movement slowly wallow out the hole and wear the pin, or will a thick grease film provide an adequate cushion? Or are there a pair of perpendicular lock screws that come from the side of the arm to lock the pin in place after the preload is set?
For the record I'm not worried about the pin play, just pointing it out to keep those of you with unbridled OCD awake at night. =^)
The only issue I wonder about is the tiny bit of sideplay created by having an adjustable trunion pin. The factory cap/pin is locked in place by the two bolts through its flange and can't move axially or radially, but a floating pin only loaded axially (the bearing preload) will be able to wobble by the tolerance between the pin and its bore in the steering arm.
On a trail rig this play will be insignificant compared to all the slop in the suspension system, just wondering how it will hold up over time. Could the minor radial movement slowly wallow out the hole and wear the pin, or will a thick grease film provide an adequate cushion? Or are there a pair of perpendicular lock screws that come from the side of the arm to lock the pin in place after the preload is set?
For the record I'm not worried about the pin play, just pointing it out to keep those of you with unbridled OCD awake at night. =^)
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- Thread starter
- #167
i'm glad you brought this up. you have a very good point, and i have put a lot of thought into this. first off, the pin goes up into the arm 1/4" and is a press fit. the bore in the knuckle is 1/8" longer than a stock knuckle since there is 1/8" of added material up top, so there is more holding it from wobbling, and it is a snug slip fit. there wont be enough movement for it to hurt anything or wear anything prematurely.
if you look at the stock knuckle and the stock upper cap, you'll see how the cap is thin on top with only 2 bolts. this can allow for some flex in the cap plate as well as flex in the bore since it isn't that long. i am confident that this will hold the pin more securely than the factory design.
let me know what you think, feedback is good.
If it's real snug in the knuckle bore that ought to be okay. Only other thought I have is what if the pin does move a bit and wears a shallow groove where contacts the knuckle? (Which is harder metal, the knuckle or the pin?) If a groove develops on the pin, it could prevent preload adjustment unless lined up just right, or make it tough to pull off the arm for maintenance.
Just brainstorming here...no worries. (I'd probably give the bores in my knuckles a bit of a chamfer on both sides with with a Dremel stone 'cuz I have OCD, just in case the pin wears a bit.)
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i'm glad you brought this up. you have a very good point, and i have put a lot of thought into this. first off, the pin goes up into the arm 1/4" and is a press fit. the bore in the knuckle is 1/8" longer than a stock knuckle since there is 1/8" of added material up top, so there is more holding it from wobbling, and it is a snug slip fit. there wont be enough movement for it to hurt anything or wear anything prematurely.
let me know what you think, feedback is good.
Any chance you could take a pic or two showing the adjuster and how it interfaces with the trunnion bearing? Pics might answer many of the questions as to how your design is better/different.
- Thread starter
- #171
heat treated chromoly pin inside a ductile iron knuckle bore. i don't forsee any problems with this. only time will tell, and i'll be testing these out thoroughly before product is released. they will be tested, removed, inspected and replaced before i give the final go-ahead.
removal of the arm should be no problem at all. if i find that they need some bolts to remove them i will add that later on. i don't see that happening though.
no pics of the machined interface yet, the ones on my rig have a machined interface that is inferior to the ones that will be sold. we'll see how mine holds up.
canadian bum
SILVER Star
Interested in seeing these when they are finished. Will probably get a set for my 40 so I don't have to worry about the tie rod being in the way of the lower links and getting bashed on something.
When you think these will actually come into production???
Currently running SLEE Hi-steer have a few questions I didn't see asked/mentioned while reading through (forgive me if i missed them):
1. Running 1.5" tubing, will you have the appropriate clearance between everything:
a. btwn drag link and tierod?
b. btwn drag link and panhard bar?
c. btwn tie rod and front diff if you're running a diff cover/plate?
d. btwn any of the links and the frame support arm?
2. How is the panhard and draglink alignment addressed? they need to be parallel as you know, is there a drop or raise for the panhard bar?
The purpose for these questions are based on the fact that the slee hi-steer does have clearance issues and to have it 100% function and working well at FULL tuck and droop, the panhard and other items need to be modified.
The price is quite fair when you consider the fact that the product is stronger, works better (TBD, the guy running them on his KOH truck needs to have a full report and pics on the product), pretty much plug and play. the Slee required some welding.
1. Running 1.5" tubing, will you have the appropriate clearance between everything:
a. btwn drag link and tierod?
b. btwn drag link and panhard bar?
c. btwn tie rod and front diff if you're running a diff cover/plate?
d. btwn any of the links and the frame support arm?
2. How is the panhard and draglink alignment addressed? they need to be parallel as you know, is there a drop or raise for the panhard bar?
The purpose for these questions are based on the fact that the slee hi-steer does have clearance issues and to have it 100% function and working well at FULL tuck and droop, the panhard and other items need to be modified.
The price is quite fair when you consider the fact that the product is stronger, works better (TBD, the guy running them on his KOH truck needs to have a full report and pics on the product), pretty much plug and play. the Slee required some welding.
sleeoffroad
Supporting Vendor
- Thread starter
- #176
i dont have all the answers you're loking for just yet, i still need to get an fj80 to fit this stuff on. i will eventually have a panhard relocation kit, which will absolutely be needed. all i can focus on right now is the conversion for mini trucks. i will have some more products for you 80's guys as well, as soon as i can get to it. in the mean time you will have to do some fab work if you want these on your 80 before i have the other parts available.
and as far as lead time goes, i have another delay in production but they should be available by some time in may. it's good though, it gives me plenty of time for testing which is necessary before release.
there were 3 cars that were going to run them, but i couldn't get them their parts in time. oh well, they'll have them on soon enough for comps this year, then next year they will have them on for KOH. i had my 83 pickup out there and they got a lot of attention. didn't get to wheel much with all that was going on, but i ran chocolate thunder twice and made all the linked rigs on tons and 42's look like noobs.
i didn't even have any body protection at all on my straight first gen.
anyway, i don't want to be part of a slee vs hellfire debate, i'm just doing my own thing and some people will buy slee, and some people will buy hellfire. not everyone will like what i'm selling, i've already seen that. and i'm not saying that slee arms don't work. there's enough hate out there in this industry and i'd rather make friends than enemies.
i appologize if i came across as a slee basher when i started this design.
- Thread starter
- #177
chocolate thunder
So these will be available for purchase in may or that's a ball park?
This sounds great! I am very interested. Will really clean up the front and solve my steering issue!
- Thread starter
- #180
sorry for the delay, but yes, it looks like may.
and thanks for all the interest, those who miss out on the first batch shouldn't have to wait too long for the second batch.
and thanks for all the interest, those who miss out on the first batch shouldn't have to wait too long for the second batch.
