Nuts, I'm Confused
Load-Sensing Steering?
Question: I have a '94 Dodge Ram with a 5.9L Cummins and 33-inch mud-terrain tires. The problem I'm having is keeping the front steering components alive. I have replaced the track bar/panhard bar three times, and that gets pretty expensive at right around $300 from the dealer. And now the steering box has play in the sector shaft and the truck wanders so badly down the road that I have to constantly correct it. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Garrett N.
via 4wheeloffroad.com
Answer: The problem is partially due to the massive weight of the Cummins engine (over 1,000 pounds). Add larger tires and the considerable miles your 15-year-old truck has likely seen and you have quite a strain on your steering components. As the track bar end mounted to the frame wears out, it causes a lot of slop in the front end. After time the side-to-side force that the track bar is supposed to control ends up abusing the steering box. Add in the turning of 33-inch tires, and the sector shaft bearing can wear out quickly. This is a common problem among early '90s dodge owners.
Lukeslink (800.962.4090, www.lukeslink.com) makes a track bar end that is fully serviceable and rebuildable. All you use is your existing track bar, and with a little work the Lukeslink components install right into your old track bar. It can be tightened whenever needed and costs less than half the price of a new track bar.
PSC Motorsports (817.270.0102, www.pscmotorsports.com) has a steering box brace that installs using the existing sway bar bolt holes and runs from framerail to framerail. You remove the existing nut off of the pitman arm and install a threaded shaft that will slide through the brace with a bearing in the end. This will transfer all the steering box side-to-side movement into the brace and out to the framerails. The brace will act like a crossmember and reduce frame flex.
Even though your question is Dodge based, it reminds us that adding weight to the front of your vehicle- heavy tires, bumpers, and such-must be considered in all your steering and front suspension components. A steering box brace is a good suggestion for any 4x4. I'd like to reward your questions with this month's Nuts, I'm Confused prize. This month we are giving away a 10,000-pound Midnight Series electric recovery winch from Gorilla (888.657.9997 www.gorillawinches.com). This winch is outfitted with a 12V, 5.8hp series wound motor, three-stage metal planetary gears, and a 265:1 final gear ratio. The 87 feet of cable should be very useful in helping extract your Dodge from any muddy pits or snow trails. Just remember with the additional weight of the winch on your Dodge, I'd definitely recommend you get the steering box brace and track bar reinforcement.
Power Wagon Problem
Question: Somehow my son managed to convince me to buy a '53 Dodge M37 at an auction for $2,200, kind of a father-son bonding deal. The M37 is in really great shape, hardly any rust at all, and only has a slight dent in the front bumper. It has 30,000 miles on it, and the engine turns over but will not start. After brainstorming a bit, I believe we have two options: We either get the original engine running or we swap in a modern drivetrain out of a wrecked '90s truck.
The reason I ask is because the body is in such great shape, I'm not sure I want to swap in an unoriginal drivetrain if the truck is worth something with the original working parts. If that's the case, we will sell it and buy something else for our project. I do not know much about the value of these old military trucks and would appreciate it if you could point me in the right direction.
Dave D.
via 4wheeloffroad.com
Answer: Oh no, Dave, you had to be the guy who turned on the flashlight in the dark room full of restoration fanatics and modification nuts. Let me explain. It seems that if you start messing with any truck older than about 1973, you run into the exact situation you mentioned. Do you restore it the way it was originally or do you change it into something that will be a bit more street-safe and highway-speed-friendly (not to mention possibly more trail-capable)? It will be impossible to keep everyone happy with your buildup, so rule number one: What will make you happy? I think if you and your son restore the M37 to stock form you'll have an easier project, with very basic parts (no fuel injection, no automatic transmission, no power steering), and end up with a truck great for cruising to get ice cream and for wheeling easy-to-moderate trails, and you will definitely have fun learning together with your boy.
M37s are tough as heck and a great safe truck for your son to go explore the world in. If you modify it, you'll need to be innovative to make the new parts work in the old body and to work safely without the help of the original engineers' intentions. My advice is that if this is your first project truck, start with the restoration, then you and your son-or your son and his future son-can always modify it down the road. However, if you have some previous hot rodding experience and believe that you can do a good job swapping the late-model drivetrain in, then don't feel bad about changing it.
I think about it this way: What would those original engineers use if they had the technology we have today? I bet that the M37 would have at least a fuel-injected engine under the hood and disc brakes at each corner if those original Dodge engineers and designers had any input. In fact, I recently dragged home an M37 of my own. I know I'll have a few purists at my throat, but I'm definitely going to change the powertrain to something newer, as mine didn't have any engine or trans in it and is far from perfect. Some parts won't even be of the Mopar variety, but don't tell anyone.
If your son is excited about the project then that is 50 percent of the work. A lot of father-son projects fail when the kid gets bored. And why not weigh the pros and cons of each direction with him? It won't hurt him to drive a slow, nonpower-steering, original '53 truck for a few years, and then eventually if he feels up to it he can swap in newer parts.
One last thing. Llots of people will tell you that you did it wrong, but if it makes you happy then you made the right choice.