Any way to salvage these steering knuckles?

Mike_H

Mike_H

autos are better - WRWD508
Supporting Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2017
Messages
11,737
Location
Grand Rapids, MI, United States
Examining the front end of my jeep while its all torn apart, and I see this...It appears to me that both of my knuckles have worn where the pads seat and are supposed to move. Unfortunately, an upgrade to a BMB kit isn't in the cards right now. I have been looking at the U-pull-its around me, and I can find them, but I'm afraid of only finding them in the same shape as what I have. Don't really want to drop coin on new ones (120 bucks a pop) cuz at that point, well, I'll figure out how to get BMB brakes.

@mrblaine, @Chris, @JamesAndTheSahara, @JMT, @bobthetj03...any way to salvage these, or know of a place to get decent used ones? All you guys live in the great areas of this country that are unsalted...maybe a local pick and pull or yard you know of would ship to me?

20180204_115437.jpg
20180204_115451.jpg
 
As far as welding them... aren't they cast? I'm no welder...I can stick two parts together with reasonable confidence that they won't come apart, but welding on to cast doesn't appear easy to do.
 
Ranger_b0b said:
As far as welding them... aren't they cast? I'm no welder...I can stick two parts together with reasonable confidence that they won't come apart, but welding on to cast doesn't appear easy to do.
Click to expand...
The internet is rife with cast ferrous materials mythology. First is not all cast ferrous are the same. Some of it is very much able to be welded and some of it will not take a weld no matter what you do so to lump all cast ferrous alloys under the "cast iron" title is not very accurate. The factory knuckles are on the lower end of a decent nodular iron composition and as such will take a mig weld with no issue and very little prep. Just get a knotted wire brush on a grinder after the areas you want to weld and get all of the rust removed down to clean shiny metal. After that, you can weld it up but be aware that the higher carbon content will migrate into the mig welds making them just slightly harder than you can possibly imagine.

When you go to take the weld down to the final shape, you need to use a good hard grinding disk that is flat and have a new brake pad on hand to use as a guide for fitment. The pad has a u-shaped groove on one end and that needs to be able to slide across both sliders with no resistance but not be loose enough to rattle. The good news is after welding, the new areas will be much harder than the original iron alloy and will never wear. Then use the pad as a guide to check distance between the two sliders. It again, needs to slide from side to side between both of them without too much slop.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: ElectricWizard, matkal, Dawghouse and 4 others
Ranger_b0b said:
hehehehe...I actually Laughed out loud at that one...my co-workers must think I'm nuts.
Click to expand...
I'm actually not kidding in the least. I used to do a lot of WJ conversions and had to re-taper the steering arm holes from the top. I thought it would be a great idea instead of using a half insert for the stock tapers, just weld it up, drill it, and then taper it. I tried every internet suggestion for a drill that would just make marks on the weld much less actually drill a hole and all failed miserably. I tried a solid carbide drill, titanium nitride, masonry bit with sharpened carbide edges and anything else anyone thought might work. At the end of it, I tossed a brand new set of OEM knuckles in the trash with still unmarked welds in the holes.
 
  • Like
  • Wow
Reactions: Zorba and Shane Mckinley
mrblaine said:
I'm actually not kidding in the least. I used to do a lot of WJ conversions and had to re-taper the steering arm holes from the top. I thought it would be a great idea instead of using a half insert for the stock tapers, just weld it up, drill it, and then taper it. I tried every internet suggestion for a drill that would just make marks on the weld much less actually drill a hole and all failed miserably. I tried a solid carbide drill, titanium nitride, masonry bit with sharpened carbide edges and anything else anyone thought might work. At the end of it, I tossed a brand new set of OEM knuckles in the trash with still unmarked welds in the holes.
Click to expand...


No, I knew you weren't kidding...I just appreciated your description. I've done a fair amount of machining, been around it my whole life. I understand the frustration. We work hardened materials here (48-52 Rc) with EDM's
 
Top Bottom
Back