Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Yes, I have searched and to my surprise, there is not much info on this matter.

Short story, I have bent my tie rods on my 2000 GU Coil/Cab.

I have straightened it but it's playing on my mind so am after a stronger solution. I'm not really sure what rod ends I have at the moment (I'm guessing stock ) but am worried if I replace just the tie rod with a heavy duty item that I'm then gunna start bending rod ends. Currently they are a male threaded end but am not sure where I'm supposed to be measuring to find out the size (ie 22mm, etc), probably the thread but am not sure.

The info I've found seems to say that GU rod ends are the smallest and therefore weakest of the GU/GQ/MQ range but some people also say that the ute's are bigger than the wagons. Does this include coil/cabs or just the leafers?

So far the only place i've found that do a heavy duty tie rod and ends is 3rds Productions but I feel $440 is probably getting a bit steep.

http://www.3rdsproductions.com.au/products18.html

Any suggestions/comments?

mate the gq ute ones are far bigger as they are female and fit over the shaft. they are $160 each from nissan and as far as i know don't come in aftermarket. they are however a steeper taper and will require your holes to be machined bigger. the 3rds stuff is really good, yes i am sponsored, but i am being honest. i have had custom maching done and it doesn't work out any cheaper

you will pay $100 for a lh and rh thread machined on mild steel solid round inc steel, 160x2 so thats $420 for unpainted mild. it does seem dear but there aren't many cheaper solutions.

gq male threads are 22 and gu 20 (off the top of my head) the gu suck as they don't even have grease nipples and are tiny. the factory stuff is far better and won't pop off under load. remembering all gq is bigger taper

You can buy my tierod inc ends if you like its factory gu which i haven't driven on for $200 if you want a cheap spare.

cheers bru

Cheers, thanks for the offer of a spare but I'm a believer of "once it's broke, build it better", hence why I haven't just replaced it with a stock one already.

I see your point about the price comparison. I'm also concluding by your description that the ends pictured in the 3rds rod are GQ Ute ends and I will need to have the taper on my steering knuckles reamed to fit this rod. Either way, I'll probably give 3rds a ring to confirm this.

FYI, just spoke to Fernando at 3rds and he said the H/D female ends were available on both late model GQs and GUs and that if purchased for a GU they are a straight bolt in, no reaming required. He also said they are factory nissan ends.

sweet i didn't realise they came in gu. learn something new every day

wish i had known that when i made my draglink, i asked nissan and they did't know. used male ends for my gq to gu adaptor

Before I go down the 3rd's route, does anyone have any other suggestions/options as how to strengthen GU steering?

Try Mal Leslie (03) 9459 2859

Have done. $460 with what they call male rod ends with clamp instead of lock nut. I assume that means the same as 3rds have pictured on their website although I thought they were the female ends.

Guess I won't know unless I go have a look. A bit hard if they are only open business hours ...

if you want it stronger, tack a length or 2 of angleline along the bar, tack it for 2cm and then leave a 4cm gap inbetween tacks.

Cheers,
Jes

jessie928 wrote:if you want it stronger, tack a length or 2 of angleline along the bar, tack it for 2cm and then leave a 4cm gap inbetween tacks.

Cheers,
Jes

Yeah, went and bought the angle then looked at the added strength and wasn't happy with the result so never ended up welding it on. The diameter of the GU tie rod is so much smaller the GQ, I couldn't get angle of any decent size to fit.

the angle line alone may seem flymsy, when you stick weld it to the bar it ads alot of ridgidity to it.

Also People fully weld it which is a big mistake also. Should be stiched.

no matter how rigid you make it though, you will always get bigger air on your launch up and find a bigger rock to dump a heavy 4wd on. when you start breaking the swivel hubs then you will wish you gave the tie rod a bit more flexibility

On smaller rigs like zooks, this is not to much of an issue as teh vehicle is so light the bar is alot harder to bend and stretch.


Jes

RoldIT wrote:Have done. $460 with what they call male rod ends with clamp instead of lock nut. I assume that means the same as 3rds have pictured on their website although I thought they were the female ends.

Guess I won't know unless I go have a look. A bit hard if they are only open business hours ...

no that will be a clamp like my draglink in my members. it pinches the rod ends threads

May be a bit far from you but superier engeniring(that dont look right) do all the replacments in chrome molly as well with tie rod.

We've got the female tie rod ends( the ones the screw down over the bar then clamp) in stock. Left or right $48.40 each. Normal male (GQ, GU series 1, 2) are $35.60 each.

just phone around some 4x4 wreckers and get a secondhand GU arm with the external tie rod ends (female thread) then wack a piece of solid bar down the guts weld the ends and screw the tie rod ends back on.
for even more strength you can drill some 3/8ish holes down the length of the arm and weld the soild bar to the arm . this will make it much stronger but some people will critisise the fact that you are not suposed to weld a steering arm.

this will cost you about $150 and an hour of your time.

Go the 3rds option, Fernando makes good stuff just bloody slow. He custom made my trailing arms that we were managing to bend on a regular basis. Bloody solid product and much cheaper than his opposition. No I'm not sponsored but if anyone is offering.......

oh yeah we have fixing tie rods on track down pat. Winch out. Remove the tie rod, place in chasis jack point (defenders have lots of jack points) then jump on it and bend straight. Take hand winch handle and sleeve. put ends back on and you are sorted till you get home.

Kris, go and see Cheezy he uses MQ tie rods as an upgrade to GQ/GU's.
These are on my truck and look beefy as.
He showed me MQ/GQ/GU and they actually got smaller - the only things on a Nissan that got smaller with each new model.
He has done these upgrades heaps of times.

Frank.

Bitsamissin wrote:Kris, go and see Cheezy he uses MQ tie rods as an upgrade to GQ/GU's.
These are on my truck and look beefy as.
He showed me MQ/GQ/GU and they actually got smaller - the only things on a Nissan that got smaller with each new model.
He has done these upgrades heaps of times.

Frank.

Frank,

Cheezy would always be my first choice as he's so close and his gear seems to be bombproof but he's always so busy. I'd say he's probably got bigger fish to fry than my steering woes.

go for the 3rds arm .Ive got one and its awsome, very heavy duty . shane...........

Im not into fishing ATM so drop by.

Cheezy4x4 wrote:Im not into fishing ATM so drop by.

I'll drop by during the week.