Thread: Steering arms won't work !!! Now what ?

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Heres my problem,

I'm building a 36 Chevy low cab pickup with a stock frame and a 49 Chevy 1/2 ton front axle and i can't find steering arms that work . I installed the spring over the axle and now running hairpins with stock 49 spindles.
I put on a set of 2" dropped arms from a 49 Chevy car and they worked perfect for the tie rod , but the ackerman is out big time . I checked it out and figure that the steering arms would have to be bent (towards the wheel) about an 1 1/2" but that seems like alot and I just don't trust it . So I guess my question is can I buy a set ??? or should I get someone with a mill to make me a set ??? I've checked everywhere and emailed countless places and no one has anything that will work . Any info will help.
Thanks
Rocky

on the 49 and up cars the tie rods went to a pivot under the front of the oil pan and top of the cross member--they are not going to work as is on a straight axle---
having said that--you can heat them up and bend them out toward the wheel to correct the problem, but I would suggest figuring out how much because you only want to heat them up one time-----------

Jerry , I saw on another forum somewhere that if you stretch a line from top center of kingpin to center of the rearend that it give you the point where the steering arm should be bent to and if thats true then I would have to go towards the wheel about an 1 1/2 " . Do you think that it's possible to bend the arm that far without it breaking ???

Rocky

That is true. If the lines intersect close to the rear axle your good to go. If you need to have some "fudge factor"

Lots of heat and patience will pay dividends. Also watch for twisting while bending too.

kinda depends on whether the arms/spindles are cast or forged--I don't remember , except that that piece of crap middle arm was a pain to get off so I could get oil pan off-----------

The steering arms I have now are forged . I guess that since it looks like I'm going to bend them it would be a good idea to get them magnafluxed after there bent . I know that guys have been bending them for a long time but it would be my luck that mine would be the ones that break.

Lots of heat and go slow

Originally Posted by Rocky72

The steering arms I have now are forged . I guess that since it looks like I'm going to bend them it would be a good idea to get them magnafluxed after there bent . I know that guys have been bending them for a long time but it would be my luck that mine would be the ones that break.

Good idea.............even forged pieces will sometimes crack where bent. Given the importance of the piece it's good insurance.

you could cut and weld them

Just had a buddy of mine stop up and he said that he thought that heating and bending would be no problem , but liked the idea of getting them magnafuxed just to make sure . I think he's been building hot rods for about 100 years now so I'll take his word on that.
What do you guys think on the cooling down after the heat is put to them , let them cool slowly ??? Or I saw a guy said he heats his oven in his kitchen up to high and then he puts the steering arms in shuts off the oven and lets them cool ??? any of you ever here of anything like that ??? I guess it works the same as putting them in a bucket of hot sand.

Originally Posted by jerry clayton

you could cut and weld them

Someone posted up some details on welding forged steering arms or a pitman arm not too long ago, showing how to brace it, weld it and grind it to look decent. Maybe on BillyZZ's build thread?? Done lots on Jeeps to shorten or lengthen arms.

I'll check that out because the pitman arm is the next thing that need bent or cut or ???

Here ya' go - it was Jim Robinson who posted on Billy's thread, around #200 to 203 if it doesn't go to the right spot. 27 chevy p/u