Aluminum

[earl*t]

Thoughts?

 

CURRIE CURRECTLYNC®
TJ/LJ/XJ/MJ HEAVY DUTY TIE ROD SYSTEM

WITH IRONMAN  EXTREME DUTY  
7075 ALUMINUM TIE ROD
 

Click pic for a high-resolution photograph

Select Jeep Model:
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1986-1992 MJ Commanche $499.00 USD1997-2006 TJ Wrangler $499.00 USD1997-3006 LJ Wrangler $499.00 USD1984-2001 XJ Cherokee $499.00 USD

This kit features all the great aspects of the CE-9701 but utilizes the upgraded 1.5” 7075 aluminum tie rod made in house at Ironman4x4fab.com.

This material has proven itself time and time again to be able to take more abuse and bounce back than any other material used in the industry. DOM steel, Cromoly and 6061 Aluminum can’t even come close.
The tie rod shown with wrench flats is how it will appear when purchased with this kit.
This is pictured on the Redlyner Racing TJ That has competed in multiple off road racing events and after continually bending the Currie tie rods in extreme situations they started using our replacement with 0 failures.
Keep in mind the standard tie rod offered with the Currie kit is a great rod but being made from solid cromoly it will stay where it is bent to. The 7075 will bounce back to it original state.
This comes as a complete kit..
Part Number: CE-9701-ALU.

 

 

[neohic]

...bounce back than any other material used in the industry...

 

^This. 7075 is very commonly known as "memory aluminum". It'll bend and flex (to a point) and return back to where it started (to a point). Guys run 7075 control arms because they bounce and bend on rocks and come back to straight as steel and 'moly will just bend.

 

Looks great too!

[Alexia]

Do you have money to burn and want aluminum bling on your front end? Then yes! $500 for just the tie rod alone in aluminum is ridiculous.

[onlyinajeep726]

Too expensive, that's my thoughts.

[earl*t]

 

Do you have money to burn and want aluminum bling on your front end? Then yes! $500 for just the tie rod alone in aluminum is ridiculous.

"Ridiculous" you say? That seems a little harsh from a guy who just pop over 6Xs that for an upgrade. I did however ask for opinions. Our MJs in and of themselves are a sort of bling. We just have different levels of expendable resources. It's not just the tie-rod, it's the entire assembly. Specifically to the investment, my research indicates the average cost of the Currie Currectlynk assembly is only about $19.00 less than the Currie/Ironman 4X4 Fab's assembly with the memory metal upgrade. From that perspective and by also adding a sweet "Government Shut Down" discount, I think it's a good investment.

[HOrnbrod]

Depends on your priorities mate. If you're into off-roading, agree it's a damn good kit. If you're into street performance, the Sprintex supercharger is a super buy; take a look at Hesco's prices. Me, I'm waiting for Alex to be the supercharger test pig and if it all pans out, I hope they have one left over for moi.  

[earl*t]

What if you're into both Don? :doh: And Overlanding. :yes:

[HOrnbrod]

Then you need one specialized for each and a good income. Looks like you're working pretty hard on it. Overlanding's fun on 2-wheels also.  :yes:

[Alexia]

"Ridiculous" you say? That seems a little harsh from a guy who just pop over 6Xs that for an upgrade. I did ask for opinions. Our MJs in and of themselves are a sort of bling. We just have different levels of expendable resources. It's not just the tie-rod, it's the entire assembly. Specifically to the investment, my research indicates the average cost of the Currie Currectlynk assembly is only about $19.00 less than the Currie/Ironman 4X4 Fab's assembly with the memory metal upgrade. From that perspective and by also adding a sweet "Government Shut Down" discount, I think it's a good investment.

I read that product description as it being ONLY the aluminum tie rod. Sorry, this seems more reasonable now.

 

I also put Savvy's aluminum control arms in all eight spots on my LJ. The cost comparison makes more sense now.

[earl*t]

Then you need one specialized for each and a good income. Looks like you're working pretty hard on it. Overlanding's fun on 2-wheels also.  :yes:

Check, check, and check. I'm strictly a four wheel guy but I must concur. My twin brother is a bike guy. I wish he could have attended the Overland Expo with my wife and I. I was surprised to see as many or more bikes in attendance as conventional rigs, if there is anything conventional about them.

 

Alex, it's all good! :thumbsup:

[zagscrawler]

I'm not sure if this applies but ive seen on many occasions when running high end mountain bike parts (frames,bars,ext.) that the manufacturer gives the aluminum parts a life span.  meaning that depending on the abuse and general riding (driving) style they will wear out on a level naked to the eye, kinda like when you fracture carbon fiber.  You can't see the damage but its in there and the next time it takes a hit it will fail instead of return to its normal self and without warning normally.  I see the allum stuff as being a drag motor.. it performs to the 9's when its working but you have to rebuild or replace them before they break to make sure your not stranded.  I'm in no way saying this is not the case somewhat with steel but I would rather know when I should replace something cause its bent then have to wait for it to break before I suspected anything wrong at all..  Besides I can't help but think of how many cromo steering set ups I can build with that kind of money.  Again I know it has its place but ill be sticking with cromo till 7075 starts showing up in convenient drop lengths at my local metal supply house lol

[gogmorgo]

We used 7075 aluminum for one of the parts on our FSAE car... might have been the rear chain sprocket, but it may have been for the diff hangers. As far as we could tell, it's not available from any Canadian producer, so we had some shipped up from a company in WA for our machinists. But the reason we went for it is because it's nearly comparable in strength to some steels, and it's significantly lighter. At any rate, the parts that failed on our car were all chrome-moly, so I'd say it's pretty solid... we managed to get much more torque out of our engine than we expected, and tore the diff hangers out of the frame after about 20-30 launches. Definitely the frame that failed.

[Oyaji]

I'm not sure if this applies but ive seen on many occasions when running high end mountain bike parts (frames,bars,ext.) that the manufacturer gives the aluminum parts a life span.  meaning that depending on the abuse and general riding (driving) style they will wear out on a level naked to the eye, kinda like when you fracture carbon fiber.  You can't see the damage but its in there and the next time it takes a hit it will fail instead of return to its normal self and without warning normally.  I see the allum stuff as being a drag motor.. it performs to the 9's when its working but you have to rebuild or replace them before they break to make sure your not stranded.  I'm in no way saying this is not the case somewhat with steel but I would rather know when I should replace something cause its bent then have to wait for it to break before I suspected anything wrong at all..  Besides I can't help but think of how many cromo steering set ups I can build with that kind of money.  Again I know it has its place but ill be sticking with cromo till 7075 starts showing up in convenient drop lengths at my local metal supply house lol

.

You're talking about metal fatigue here. Failure is on a logarithmic scale, which  means that the difference between hundreds of thousands and millions of cycles  (and more) between failures is a very small increase of material. For steel at least, proper design can offer infinite fatigue life at very small cost in weight/fabrication/money... I don't know if that holds true for  the many alloys  and heat-treatment states of aluminum.

[earl*t]

You're talking about metal fatigue here. Failure is on a logarithmic scale, which means that the difference between hundreds of thousands and millions of cycles (and more) between failures is a very small increase of material. For steel at least, proper design can offer infinite fatigue life at very small cost in weight/fabrication/money... I don't know if that holds true for the many alloys and heat-treatment states of aluminum.

:hmm: Oyaji... what in blue blazes are you saying? Sounds like engineering mumbo jumbo, but awful glad you joined in. :thumbsup: You've laid out some interesting facts, threw in some variables, and summarized with a conundrum. :rotf:

Since I started this craziness, please allow me to mix it up a little more in the quest to build a better mouse trap. I'm running 17" wheels and tires on my 2WD Eliminator. I rolled the spare next to my 32" BFG KM2s and there about the same size.








Ok, since this topic has migrated into the stress/fatigue realm, it seems to me that either tire would exert the same stresses on the steering system regardless of whether the vehicle is 2WD or 4WD. Obviously off-roading would introduce additional stress, but for the sake of comparing apples to apples, it stand to reason that the 2WD would benefit equally as well from a steering upgrade. I know the initial response will be overkill and expense, so if possible please dismiss at least the expense element since the assembly is already staged on my work bench. Make sense?

[Oyaji]

Well, I kinda thought the conclusion would be self-evident, but I'll try to spell it out a bit more clearly: for someone considering a change in material for a steering item, there  may be more to consider than just how well a "memory aluminum"  offers a return to original shape when bent under off-road conditions...  for instance, if it will be driven on public roads  and  if having the steering linkage remain  connected at highway speeds is  at all important to the driver.  In such a case, knowing about metal fatigue just might be an important consideration!  ;)

.

I repeat that I don't know about the characteristics of aluminum, but I have heard that its fatigue  life is a quite important consideration in airplane design. You might want to  make sure that the manufacturer  certifies  their product for highway use.

[zagscrawler]

Now that I reread what I wrote I guess I favor the steel because I have more experience with it, not knowing what the 7075 is capable of handling in a real time situation.  I just can't help but think of the old saying "give and take", meaning for the lack of weight (again assuming density) and it still holds the memory, it must lack something...maybe the only thing it is lacking is the amount of pressure it takes to start the deflection in the first place and the majority of the other factors are similar to the steel..?  Also to the OP I did not realize you were looking to add "upgrades" to a 2wd, I was thinking about the steering landing on rocks and such and that's what I was talking about. The allum will probably give you no noticeable difference when in regards to steering quickness or handling on the street better because of the composition of the bar. I know this an extreme observation but the alums natural rubberband like qualities might let vibrations carry further through it.  I mean no harm with my mentions at all and to be honest I like to hear other long winded ideas on things. :idea:

[earl*t]

If I may borrow a quote from Shoutbox,

@  Texas77 : (22 October 2013 - 09:01 PM) I like this place. It has some funny people.   :rotfl2:

I mean absolutely no disrespect gentlemen, I'm quite enjoying this exchange. Please indulge me. Oyaji, self evident conclusions can be rather subjective and perceived clarity can also be...well, unclear. I'm a simple man, guess you've figured that out by now. I don't dispute anything you've stated. Having said that, self preservation is a high priority for me and that's why I'm attempting to build the safest MJs I can. Since you're comfortable with stating the obvious, I'll share that the marvel at your finger tips can, if utilized, expand your knowledge of 7075 aluminum. I perceive that your intentions are no less than honorable.  Lastly, I promise that I won't try to fly my Comanche. Man, I sure hope you have a sense of humor because if you don't, I'm willing to bet that with your computer skills you could instantly obliterate me. :rotf: This light hearted jabbing is only intended as a mechanism to become better acquainted.

 

Zag, I'm not sayin anything provocative to a guy named "Zag". I fear that anyone named Zag could inflict serious bodily damage. :thwak:  My intention was to install this assembly on my current project, a lifted 4X4 MJ. I'm now giving consideration to cross over steering, making the Currie/Ironman unit available for something else. I figured I may as well beef up the 2WD. This (7075) aluminum is at the top of the aluminum scale in strength and is surprisingly heavy, as far as aluminum is concerned. Even though I'm not an engineer and don't claim to know much about metallurgy, I believe the structural integrity of this piece to be of little consequence. My Overland MJ has the Currie tie-rod assembly installed and has stood up to many (in the neighborhood of 30,000) demanding off-road miles. Adding the 7075 aluminum tie-rod only makes a claimed 200% stronger than stock assembly even more reliable. 

 

I had hoped the direction of this thread to be more along the aesthetic observation Ben made. Oh well, who knew there'd be greater emphasis on the question of strength and application.  :dunno:

[Oyaji]

No worries at all, Earl. I was just voicing a concern that is outside my direct experience, so I was trying to not sound authoritative while still getting the idea across about something that is pretty darn important.

.

Any time you are offering automotive parts  for sale - especially modified/non-stock - you have opened yourself up to huge liability. It thus is in your very best interest to do serious engineering review, and to specify limitations/applications/warrantees. I would expect that the company offering this part has done so, and a review of  its  stated applications  should give you an idea of  its roadworthiness.

.

If they don't explicitly state that it is for highway use, then I wouldn't use it because there too much at stake to risk failure. It isn't purely a matter of strength, you see - with  regard to metal fatigue it is a matter of how many cycles of vibration it can stand.

[earl*t]

I'll leave failure risk analysis and vibration cycles to the professionals. Currie is a widely recognized, reputable, and well established California company directly tied to the automotive aftermarket.  I could spend a lot more time reviewing and researching but I feel quite confident they have those bases covered. Their product description is very specific regarding application and this item is a direct replacement requiring zero modifications. Woooeeee! This is exhausting. :nuts: I will concede that Ironman Fabrication is a newer and smaller operation. However, I doubt they're randomly building and offering substandard parts. If anything, this exercise has only intensified my determination to prove the worthiness of this upgrade.

[Oyaji]

Dandy then. If they confidently offer their product for use on public roads (and do not include a disclaimer "FOR OFF-ROAD USE ONLY"), then presumably they either have engineering expertise in-house or have at least outsourced it, and that should be good enough.

.

This thread has piqued my curiosity about 7075 aluminum - I should make some time to read about it. 

[earl*t]

:agree: http://www.currieenterprises.com/cestore/product.aspx?id=1219 http://www.ironman4x4fab.com/Products/TR.html http://www.ehow.com/info_8454718_7075-aluminum-specifications.html

There are probably sites with more and better information.

[kazam]

I agree that it does depend on your priorities, and your resources are factors.

 

The Aluminum parts, for example, are not so easily repairable at home,

 

as stock or steel-based-alloy parts are, (for me).

 

I was changing a bad slave cylinder for the clutch when I bent the stock

tie rod by lifting or lowering the truck non-optimally; then I didn't pay the hundred+$

for a new one after I straightened the stock part with a Little bit of time

and some basic tools, with the Oxy-Acetylene torch.

 

Welding could be a factor or not...

 

I'd say that If you're on the road or off regularly and have the $ for the parts then

you could try them out and then please share your findings. 

 

I'd still then think more so as to clear rocks and try and have a decent skid plate than if I had

parts installed that I could repair myself, (if the parts were on my Comanche).

 

I reallty am curious as to what the parts can do.

Personally, I Iike to upgrade and save weight when I may with parts,

and too I wonder if these Aluminum parts would Work better or just look better and save a few lbs.?.

 

 

For now they are not within my budget.

 

Cheers!

[zagscrawler]

Ha ha, I am not even capable of harming such cool people earl.  If I had to be completely honest every time I get on-line and get caught up on some of these threads its late as hell and I have just finished working on the jeep and a bunch of beers, I have noticed that I don't always put things in the kindest of ways. Also on the subject of crossover steering, I myself am about ready to pull the trigger on building a set for my mj.  I have a bit more waiting to do considering that the local steel shop hasn't had any drops long enough for the tierod bar yet.  Back to the subject though, I'm sure you would be fine running such things on the street really, and I understand that to some people it is super important to do things by the book. I used to be the type that would just rattle on the lug nuts with an impact and I did for sooo many years on my own vehicles as well as customers until one day while in a rush I did not tighten them at all (finger tight was all).  I took the car (a replica cobra spec racer) for a test drive with a buddy and sure as $#!& the damned thing fell off on the way back to the shop. It was the pass rear thank god and the body held the tire in until I could get it stopped. It did very little damage and we sponsored the car so I just had to fix a few things on my own time. Got super lucky....  What I'm getting at is a super round about way is now I torque every set of wheels no matter what..not because my normal technique failed (ya cause I didn't do that either lol) but because its by the book and you don't forget by the book.  sorry bout the freakin story but I find my self now torn with a lot of what I do because my sense tells me that something is ok but the fine print is saying its not.  but fine print is for lawyers right  :rotf: Anyway time tells all and gl earl

 

P.S. My name is Nathan by the way.  see not so dangerous. 

[earl*t]

Nathan sounds far less burley than Zag. :laughin:  So, are you an auto mechanic or an auto tech? :hmm: I know...I have a twisted sense of humor. What is your professional opinion? 2WD, 3" lift, 17" wheel/tire combination. The Currie is the same "y" configuration as stock. And a wise fellow once told me that if you never may a mistake, your not doing enough work.

[zagscrawler]

Well to be honest I'm not sure what to call my title now.  I try to run a resto shop for a private collector, I do everything accept paint and body also run a bunch of manual machines when needed to fab up special parts, really I do anything I am asked cause that man pays me to do what he says even if it means I have to learn how to do what he wants lol.  So anyway the jury is still out on what I want to do considering the y link set up or straight crossover. This is just an opinion I have formed from what ive read and done first hand.  The y style will work best if your track bar is in the stock positions both axle and body bracket as long as the where the y-link mounts is the same distance from the pass side spindle tie rod pickup point as stock. basically they should of copied the lengths and pivot points from the factory steering in order to keep the bump steer down. lol to be honest I didn't even look at the links to see if you were looking into a kit that mounts on the topside of the spindle arm or the bottom (stock).   The only thing bad about the y-style links is that if the steering box side of the chassis flexes away from the ground (axle) lots more than stock it will toe in the more upward it travels..It will basically pull the driverside link upward while the pass side sits on the ground. the other thing ive thought is stock y-link set ups run special tie rod ends that won't allow the shaft to twist fore and aft where the similar y-link with hiem joints will flop any way they can creating a sort of slop in the steering related to the input.. basically when you turn your steering wheel it will push the shaft connected to the pitman arm and that shaft will push where the y-link brackets meet the tie rod shaft and rotate it until it binds the hiems then will begin to push the spindle arm. from what I gather if you had a hiem set up y-link there would be almost a dead spot when going from left to right.. again from what I gather.  The cross over steering set up has no toe change at all, unless you bent the tie rod bar, no matter where the steering is in the travel. The bad thing about that set up is it makes for a long arm that goes from the pitman arm clear over to the spindle arm which messes with the  bumpsteer if your track bar isn't equil to the length and on the same plain as the first steering shaft. on trail only rigs this isn't a problem because they never go fast enouph to be disturbed by sudden direction change that happens when flexing uneven bars. well it might be noticed but its not like they change lanes at 60 mph because of a bump or roling hill.  its hard to keep all this straight in my head so I'm sure I left some stuff out or just plain am wrong about.  Oh and on the lift and 17"s the only thing I can offer is if you plan on keeping all the rest stock up front try and find a way to drop the pitman arm and the body side of the track bar as close to it was at factory hight.  to be honest the factory doesn't even have perfect lines when it comes to the track bar and pitman arm to pass side spindle link but they have it set to be unnoticeable, most will blame that much on road conditions and sidewinds.  damn that's a long post.  I just don't know how to put things simpler  gl and hope that helps a tiny bit lol