Outer Limits 4x4 Board

how many turn of the steering wheel should a 91sierra have?

ive got 32s, SPOA and i get 1-1/2 turns of the steering wheel and then the tires rub on the springs

Thats about right if you have real 32" tyres.
You need to do one of these four things.. listed in no particular order.
1, Fit smaller tyres.
2, Fit longer bolts in the felt hub seals to limit steering lock.
3, Move your front springs to NT spacing. (What I did).
4, Fit wheelspacers or increased offset rims.

got any pics or anything on how to do the NT thing?

thanks

This is not a job for the feint hearted. It involves moving the spring mounts on both the diff and the chassis. They have to be moved approx 40mm inboard each.
Unless you are VERY confident in your welding skilll don't try it.
To do this legally an engineer should be consulted.
Here is a pic of an NT & a WT diff with the WT mounts moved to NT spacing.
I was lucky and was able to get another chassis to cut the mounts off carefully so I could cut the originals off mine without fear of damaging the chassis.


If you look closely at the WT (black)diff in the pic you will see a line on the right side...(next to RH perch)... that is where the outside edge of the spring perch used to be.

when u do this do u have to strengthen the diff housing. this is similar to the coilys weak diff as in the mounts are further in giving more leverage to bend the housing? just a thought since the diffs are already out.

lol, if it was me id take the easy way out and have a bit more offset in the wheels ; or run 31's although i think with that setup u said u would get a bit more wheel travel.

gumtree wrote:when u do this do u have to strengthen the diff housing. this is similar to the coilys weak diff as in the mounts are further in giving more leverage to bend the housing? just a thought since the diffs are already out.

lol, if it was me id take the easy way out and have a bit more offset in the wheels ; or run 31's although i think with that setup u said u would get a bit more wheel travel.

I didn't strengthen the housing.. I don't jump it so I'll see how I go...
Agreed.. there is more leverage.
More offset will achieve the desired result BUT..will put excessive strain on the wheel and kingpin bearings.
NT spacing should give better articulation because of the leverage.

i would love to do NT spacing but bit too much work for now. ill probably just leave it for now till i find a st of wheels with a bigger offset ot see if i can limit the steering lock.

thanks

ill let u in on a secret. see my sierra does the same thing cause i have terribly offset rims. now dont tell anyone about this, cause it is such a genius thought and is free!! dont turn full lock..... its amazing i know. but it works!! i am still able to do a full turn in a dead end street without having to stop or hitting the gutter. just a thought... easier than moving springs hahaha

thats the thing i cant do a full turn in a street. i probably could if i start at full lock but yer

lock the diff and dump the clutch, it will make the turn

ahahah mine spins wheels in 2nd gear doing u turns without a locked diff and i have decent sized 31's!!! ahhaah

It all depends on the tyre diameter you want to run. Big offset and steering stops will sort of work when you're on 32's, maybe 33's, but above that it becomes unmanageable with WT spring spacing. The reason is that as offset increases, so does scrub radius, and that means lots more guard cutting to run a big tyre at a sensible height.

as an example, to get full lock with 35's -

a car with WT spring spacing will require 2.5" backspaced rims, but a car with NT spring spacing can run 4.5" of backspacing (which is an off the shelf rim)

It IS a lot of work and is best done with the chassis upside down to make measurements and welding easy. It's also worth doing as part of a RUF conversion as it makes the extension much easier and neater.

As an aside - adjusting steering stops is useful for small adjustments but no good otherwise - the seal cover bolts will bend, and the stops really need to be welded onto the axle. I have massive stops on my 1.0 as a temporary fix and they are a PITA.

another catch with stops is that the amount of lock required until you hit changes as the suspension flexes. I you need stops to prevent catching the spring at static ride height, the stops will need to be much bigger to allow for when you're flexed up.

Steve.

the biggest tire i would run is probably a 33. i dont want to brake stuff.

off topic but my hubs are hard to lock in and at the front the ball join in the steering was leaking a bit of oil. does anyone know what the prob could be and how long it will take and what ill need. also on the rear where the diff bolts onto the brakes,wheel ect its leaking a little bit. thanks

diff oil in the ball joint is due to a damaged inner axle seal. It can be damaged when removing or replacing the axle without supporting it off the seal.

major job? how long should it take and how much will new seals cost?