Lets talk steering!

[landshark99]

I have the 76 Y type steering and I have the D44 out and most of the TRE's are pretty much toast after 100K+ miles and 30+ years. I have been looking at replacing them however I just had a bit of sticker shock...

A direct replacement for the Y type of steering linkage from one of the vendors is running $339.99 +

pretty much the same if i convert over to the T style..

This seems a bit excessive as far as price goes.. I dont think my 1 ton crossover steering on the fullsize was anywhere near this price.. matter of fact I think with chevy 1tons TRE's and the DOM it came out to $240 - granted we did the welding and what not.. but still..

Anyway, my question is.. this truck will be getting a 2.5" suspension lift and 1" body lift and see almost no trails.. does it REALLY matter which steering setup is on the front end? I hear people rant about how well the inverted Y is on the street and makes sense to a degree.. but what if I convert to a t-style does it really matter? I guess the price difference is a mute point as they are about the same new.

As long as the trackbar and drag link are parallel and close to being the same length my steering should be good correct? I'm looking for a GREAT daily driver not a flex machine.

I guess I should stick to the Y-steering setup, but again the price seems crazy.. especially for the little TRE's that are stock! Any advice?

 

[01JLH]

I was in the same position as you and I chose to go ahead and switch to the T type steering because it gives the most versatility. The inverted Y is just fine for a stock street driven truck but almost impossible to find parts for except for the bronco vendors. With the T type you can change the individual tie rod ends if needed and not the entire y rod. also with the chevy conversion on the 76-77 you can have wheel interference problems with the tie rod ends. even on the stock y set up my truck had 1/4 inch spacers on it from the factory to keep the tie rod end off the stock wheel. All that said I would recommend go ahead and get the T set up if cost is about the same.

 

[landshark99]

I was in the same position as you and I chose to go ahead and switch to the T type steering because it gives the most versatility. The inverted Y is just fine for a stock street driven truck but almost impossible to find parts for except for the bronco vendors. With the T type you can change the individual tie rod ends if needed and not the entire y rod. also with the chevy conversion on the 76-77 you can have wheel interference problems with the tie rod ends. even on the stock y set up my truck had 1/4 inch spacers on it from the factory to keep the tie rod end off the stock wheel. All that said I would recommend go ahead and get the T set up if cost is about the same.

this is exactly what I was thinking. In the future as parts are harder or more expensive to replace it does more make sense to get something that would be a bit more common to pick up locally if need be and not have to find a specific vendor to order from.

I definitely know the clearances are VERY tight with the stock 15" wheels, i wouldn't even consider doing a 1 ton conversion on the truck while it remains stock, which it is for all intents and purposes.

 

[crankman]

well pretty much anything with these toys are pricy anymore, i replaced my Y and never looked back. Mine is on the street 90/10 offroad it funtions well.

 

[MarsChariot]

I believe we had this discussion a while back. And the conclusions was that the Y-type is just fine. Granted, folks 35s and up, and crawling in serious rocks may see some weaknesses, but overall the Y-type works just fine. Besides, it already has built-in clearance that the T-type does not. I certainly do not intend to replace the Y-type on the wife's '76 and it sees some serious off-road duty.

 

[landshark99]

I believe we had this discussion a while back. And the conclusions was that the Y-type is just fine. Granted, folks 35s and up, and crawling in serious rocks may see some weaknesses, but overall the Y-type works just fine. Besides, it already has built-in clearance that the T-type does not. I certainly do not intend to replace the Y-type on the wife's '76 and it sees some serious off-road duty.

Right now iam leaning toward converting to a T style steering due to the fact nobody seems to have the Y style Tie Rods in stock locally. The only people who seem to have the Y style are the bronco vendors and a few other online outlets... I dont expect to go through allot or even any tie rods in the future - (how often to do your really replace them anyway) if you are mostly on the road. However accidents happen and I would think the T-style TRE's would be slightly easier to source if needed at a local parts shop.

Just trying to make the smart decision before I layout the cash for this, eats up part of my budget for other things as always