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loss of steering lock with Wizard 5 link front

Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2005 7:20 am
by striped tomato
I've just fitted a Wizard 5 link front end in to my GQ and have lost a lot of steering lock. It seems that the drag link (the rod behind the diff) is fouling on the 5 link brackets which mount to the diff.

Has anyone else had these problems and if so what was the best cure?

I have a GU front diff fitted with GQ ute drag link (with the big rod ends). It is the big rod ends that foul on the brackets, will a standard drag link with the weaker rod ends solve the problem? Will the problem still be solved with a stronger drag link (ie bigger diameter)

Any experiences appreciated.

Steve

Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2005 7:56 pm
by GRINCH
mate has the same prob, aparently you can get mq swivel hubs that have the rod in front of the diff, if you run the standard rod it probly wont be so bad, mate has a rock rod also, at the moment hes just putting up with it. from what ive heard the new kits arent as bad as there earlier ones

Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2005 8:06 pm
by fatassgq
Hey mate,
Fella came into work the other week with the same prob. He had only small lift and the five link was a very early one. The plates were a mess from where the tie rod ends have been belting into it.

I have a newer one on mine and the problem is minimal but still there. Bit of a flaw in design I guess

Only real easy fix would be to get new plates made up with a slightly longer lower arm to compensate. This would not affect the castor adjustment etc. A little hard to describe but easy to work out when you are looking at it. Most expensive bit would be the lower arms but still minimal.

Ring me or Mick at Superior Engineering 3889 6778 or come out and see us if you like and he could get some laser cut and then sort out some arms if that is the way you want to go.

Cheers
Brian

Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2005 9:15 pm
by GRINCH
do you guys at superior make full kits if so how much?

Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2005 9:20 pm
by Bartso
if the sort of articulation is from your avatar then im keen i will prob see you on thursday

Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2005 6:00 am
by Wendle
just run the MQ knuckles. much neater set up. no tie rod hanging below the housing then either.
.

Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2005 6:31 am
by striped tomato
Do the MQ knuckles go on to GU diffs?

Does anybody have pics?

Steve

Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2005 7:28 am
by Wendle
didn't realise you were running GU stuff. you can swap your GU knuckles left to right to put your tie-rod out the front, then you just need the MQ tie rod end to hook the drag link onto. i had a meassive step by step thread here with heaps of pics on how to do it, but the forum fuct up and all the pics are gone. :cry:

here is some pics of how your linkages will run if you swap the knuckles left-right.. (this is an MQ setup on a GQ axle though)

Knuck

Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2005 12:08 pm
by Patroldude
Igot knuckles too if you wannem?

cost you a case a beer for steer set up or $100 for whole front axle assembly etc with steer.

Located southern sydney suburbs

Mk

Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2005 4:31 pm
by stool
I have the same problem with my 97 GQ apparently I have GU tie rod
end`s which are the thick ones

I replaced the thick GU tie rod with a thin GQ one which fixed the prob
untill i bent it

I now have my old thick one back on and stuff all steering lock
as I bent the thin one :cry:


I spoke to Liem from BBMS a while ago and he said someone tried
to make a off set tie rod but it was to wobbly so no luck yet :x

Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2005 5:44 pm
by fatassgq
Offset tie rod is a joke! Total waste of effort.

There are too options and they are both stated above.

Mk knuckles could be cheap depending if you can get some for cheap. Then there is all the other seals etc that may need replacing. but it comes down to what you want to fuck with.

Are the tapers for the tierod ends the same in an mk as gq??? I wouldnt be overly keen to swap to mk knuckles only cause I have spent $ getting all my tie rod and drag links to suit what I have now.

Does this mk mod fuck with any steering geomeotry like ackerman angle etc?

Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2005 6:18 am
by Wendle
fatassgq wrote:Are the tapers for the tierod ends the same in an mk as gq??? I wouldnt be overly keen to swap to mk knuckles only cause I have spent $ getting all my tie rod and drag links to suit what I have now.

Does this mk mod ***** with any steering geomeotry like ackerman angle etc?


i reamed the tapers out backwards and shimmed them anyway to put the tie-rod on top of the arms, but if i did it again i wouldn't bother. it is still quite high when it mounts, as per standard, to the bottom of the arms. the taper seems the same, i know people running them in the standard position and they never come loose.

if the ackerman was ok for an mq, it should be fine for a gq..

Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2005 12:00 pm
by Area54
yep ackermann should be fine, same knuckles (as in GQ) were used on LWB and shorty, so any difference between MG/GQ wheelbase won't make a difference to handling in relation to ackermann angle.