Steering Conundrum

[snowblur17]

So matt found himself at school with some free shop time on his hands and decided he'd make me some steering for mean green. Only problem is he can't locate the right size tap he needs to finish it. I'd really like to avoid using Heims at all costs and we're trying to keep this low budget. The plan was to tap the tubing and run chebby 1 ton ends batta bing batta boom. Any ideas here? I guess the tap is like 80 some odd dollars... Thanks

[Even]

pretty much everyone who makes their own steering buys 2 pieces of DOM, and gets inserts to weld into the ends

if you were planning on tapping the tubing itself then the ID is going to be too small to buy inserts for, so it sounds like you either tap the tubing or it's useless and you need to buy new toob (unless it's thick enough you can drill the ID out to accept an insert)

[Ktmracer419]

you can get the tap for 80 bucks

it's 7/8 by 18 tpi for chevy 1 ton

or you could get 4 tubing inserts for about 50 bucks

pretty sure ballisticfabrication.com and polyperformance.com carry them

[grundlepunch]

tube inserts are $9.99

http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/...41_p_1404.html

i personally would be more comfortable with them then threading the tube

[customcreationsllc]

if you really have enough machining time on your hands and no money just grind a threading tool bit and thread your own inserts on the lathe.

Takes some time but wouldn't cost you anything

[snowblur17]

Matt has access to a lathe at school so I think I'm gonna mail him some 1 ton inserts if I can find some ones in decent shape at the junkyard, or maybe I'll buy some new ones.

[DrThunder]

if you have a lathe, cut the threads yourself. Won't take much time.

[blakdot]

I originally wanted to cut the threads with the lathe, but my instructors said our lathe didnt have the right feed rate to cut those threads.

Kevin if you want to spend the money for tube inserts thats fine too. I'll machine the I.D. of that 2.250 wall slide them in and lay down some nice TIG welds on them.

i personally would be more comfortable with them then threading the tube

JCR taps their tubes for all the steering they make, and that option was going to be less expensive and less time consuming, that was until i found that our tap selection was limited.

Anyway you go Kev its still going to be less expensive than buying them.

[customcreationsllc]

I originally wanted to cut the threads with the lathe, but my instructors said our lathe didnt have the right feed rate to cut those threads.

18 threads per inch is a very common thread pitch unless you have a metric lathe which is very uncommon you should be able to do it.

Not knowing how is another story. It is not very practical to hand turn your own threads these days. On a CNC it is a lot easier and quick.

But if you have the time and no money it is good experience.

Inside threads are tough your cannot see what you are doing.
Bore out the hole to the correct size per Tap drill chart.

Grind a 60º point on the tool bit. Correct threads are rounded for stress relief but straight sharp 60º will work fine.

Set the compound up at 29 1/2º or 30 1/2º depending on which way you look at it.
Basically you want to take small passes making the thread deeper and deeper the 1/2º shaves a little off the opposite side.

Use the TRE as a gauge to let you know when your done.

Set the thread pitch on the feed by and speed on the lathe it should say 18tpi right on it.
once you start you cannot take it out of gear.

There should be a dial on the tool rest with numbers 1-4 just always engage the handle on the same number or never take it out of gear reverse turn in the cutter and put it back in forwards.

For reverse thread just reverse the feed rate.

Another trick is to put the tool bit in upside down and cut in reverse so you feed away from the part.

Good little lathe exercise. Ask the teacher for extra credit.

[blakdot]

oh i know how to do it. I cut a bunch of little threaded frame inserts that were used for body mounts on my instructors triumph. The 18tpi isnt on the gear selection on our lathe.

I dunno, its frustrating everyone i ask says that 18tpi isnt a common thread and that Chevy was really the only manufacturer that used it. Which is the explanation i was given as to why we didnt have the correct tap.

[customcreationsllc]

Yes 7/8-18 is not common
but 5/16-18, 9/16-18, and 5/8-18 are common sizes.
The lathe only cares about threads per inch not diameter.
Not saying that the lathe does have it but if it has tapping abilities I would be surprised it doesn't have that size.

If your going to do more than one set of Tie rods I would just buy the taps.

[blakdot]

agreed which is why were trying get around buying the taps.