Knuckle Fix Found!

[datz510]

I was having issues with my steering knuckles deforming around the pins on my 1:6 crawler. I think I've found a solution.

Basically, take 3/8" brass compression sleeves (found in the piping section of any hardware store or Home Depot), and Plastic Weld/epoxy them in place around the existing plastic knuckle ends. There is some very slight trimming required on the knuckles themselves to allow the rings to sit flush with the surface of the knuckle pin joints.

The brass rings prevent the plastic from deforming or allowing the pin to be pulled through. You need 4 of these in total:



The only downside is that you must carefully cut away the plastic that sits around the knuckle pin ends on the axle housing to allow for the larger diameter of the compression rings. This wasnt too big of a deal though, as there is still plenty of reinforcement there. I found that a sharp utility/carpet knife did a good job of cleanly removing the material.

So far, so good though.. My lower passenger side knuckle had given up the ghost and let the pin go through it, allowing the knuckle to move away from the axle end and let it pop out of place when turning. With the mod in place, the truck drives like new again and the metal rings keep the knuckle pins in place.

I'll be posting up some photos of the mod this afternoon.

The cool thing is though is that this fix will allow you to fix and reuse otherwise unusable knuckles.

[badger]

Great mod, looking forward to seeing the pics.

[run2jeepn]

Sweet Mod

[datz510]

Ok.. here are the photos:

Axle front view:


Closeups of each side so you can see where the brass fittings go.



Closeup of the modifications required on the axle housing, plus you can see how the fitting is epoxied onto the knuckle joint.


Hope this helps you guys out. This looks to be a pretty solid mod so far and a must for anyone with knuckle pin issues.

[Dazz]

Thanks for the pics! That help out alot.

[datz510]

Well, after going through a whole battery charge, I figured I'd post up and let everyone know how its holding up.

The front axles havent popped out once, and I've had the front axle so bound up at full lock that the belt started slipping again.

I'd say this mod works quite well. I've inspected the knuckles and havent found any deformation since the rings were installed. I'll be doing this to any new chassis I get before they even get driven.

[datz510]

Another update...

Seriously stress tested the mod tonight after doing some suspension mods and testing articulation. I inboarded all the springs, shaved the axle pivots, clearanced the steering box housing, and a few other things.. The tires get into the body really badly now, so gonna require some more trimming..

Had the front tires completely bound up at full lock to the point where the front belt started slipping. In the course of all this, the rear axle then got bound up and I ended up shearing the planetary output pin! Ouch!

Anyway, all is good. The planetary output looks ok, so just gotta go to my local hobby shop and pick up some new pins.

[DRM]

My first breakage on the Jeep was a knuckle failure on (from reading here) a first gen nytlint.

Thanks to the tips here, I just finished setting the epoxy on the knuckle.


But, I have a question. What did you guys use to fill the gap in the ferrule (what that brass thing is called) and the plastic knuckle? It was a rather sloppy fit. What I did was wrap the knuckle tightly with thread, then soak the thread in 2 part epoxy before sliding the ferrule in place. It seems to have made for a nice tight fit - but do any of you see any problems with this slight alteration?

BTW, I still have mine apart, so I'll gladly snap some pics of the trimming required as well as close up detail shots of the final product. I figure I might as well contribute to the thread that helped me with my first breakage

EDIT: couldn't find the camera and wanted to reassemble it tonight, sorry :(

[98TJSport]

how do you guys get them apart? with my first gen there are pins in the knuckles and i dont wanna break anything trying to get them apart.

[289YJ]

replace the axle pins with cut allen keys. Very strong.

[merlin]

Originally Posted by datz510

I was having issues with my steering knuckles deforming around the pins on my 1:6 crawler. I think I've found a solution.

Basically, take 3/8" brass compression sleeves (found in the piping section of any hardware store or Home Depot), and Plastic Weld/epoxy them in place around the existing plastic knuckle ends. There is some very slight trimming required on the knuckles themselves to allow the rings to sit flush with the surface of the knuckle pin joints.

The brass rings prevent the plastic from deforming or allowing the pin to be pulled through. You need 4 of these in total:



The only downside is that you must carefully cut away the plastic that sits around the knuckle pin ends on the axle housing to allow for the larger diameter of the compression rings. This wasnt too big of a deal though, as there is still plenty of reinforcement there. I found that a sharp utility/carpet knife did a good job of cleanly removing the material.

So far, so good though.. My lower passenger side knuckle had given up the ghost and let the pin go through it, allowing the knuckle to move away from the axle end and let it pop out of place when turning. With the mod in place, the truck drives like new again and the metal rings keep the knuckle pins in place.

I'll be posting up some photos of the mod this afternoon.

The cool thing is though is that this fix will allow you to fix and reuse otherwise unusable knuckles.

hey that's a pretty goog idea thanks