larry0071

I'm going to receive my West Texas Offroad Ram Assist kit this Wednesday (4-13-16) and will be trying to fit it up to a Ruff Stuff DIY 1-ton DOM Tie Rod with the off-set 1-ton tie rod ends.

I am not doing a flip for this year, so the drag link and tie rod are staying at the factory locations and mounted on factory knuckles that will be attached to a ProRock 44.

I'm reading posts that talk about bending the DIY DOM Tie Rod. I do not have this ability in house, is it required?

I am also reading about mounting clearance issues with the ram assist on a stock located tie rod. I'm not sure what problems this causes, there are not good photos of what is wrong or right.

Have any of you been down this road? Any advice, and more importantly... any photos?

My plan was to get the new Ruff Stuff DOM tube welded up this evening and ready for fitting up to the axle that is still on the garage floor. And do my mock-ups, bracket creation and welding while out on the floor.

I'm looking for any help in learning from others before I make mistakes that someone else may have made. Please chime in and help me get it right the first time.

3" bump stops front and rear
28" Fox 2.0 Smoth Body IFP Shocks
3.5" Rock Krawler triple rates
Ruff Stuff offset 1-to tie rod
West Texas Ram Assist
ProRock 44 Unlimited
Synergy track bar
Factory drag link
18" Wheels with 3.5" backspace
200 amp MIG

Lots of fear and animosity.

sa29560

Subscribed, heading down this road.

Bump for some knowledge!

Monte417

Honestly its going to be tight. Without the ram tabs mounted on a tracbar bracket with a lot of real estate like a raised tracbar bracket you risk kissing the ram on your draglink at full lock and it may also not be parallel with the tierod which can cause deflection. Did you get the prorock with the raised tracbar bracket? If you did just drill out your knuckle and flip the draglink this way you wont be limited to locations where your ram can be mounted. I got the artec bracket welded on and flipped my synergy draglink not for handling but just to install the hydro assist. With the amount of lift you have it will benefit you with handling as well. Why go through the trouble of dicking around with your steering twice by flipping your draglink next year it leterally takes less than a minute to drill the hole. If you arent getting a raised bracket with your axle cut it off and weld a raised one on. Do it once do it right. For extra uptravel notch your frame this way you can run 2" bumps up front

larry0071

Monte417,

I did not opt for the raised track bar bracket. But I could get one.

So I can flip my factory drag link by drilling out the knuckle? Is that a 7/8" drill size, or do you happen to recall what it would be?

Northridge has the Rock Krawler raised track bar bracket for $63, is there any reason not to go with that? I like the price of it, seeing how some are $120+ for a chunk of plate steel.
Rock Krawler JK Front Track Bar Bracket - RK04481K

Would you happen to have a picture of the notch that you had to cut?

Monte417

Yes the drill bit is 7/8. I used a Milwaukee bit with a shit load of gear oil just go slow as to not dislocate your shoulder. Synergy sent me an adapter that slid right in the hole. When you torque the tie rod end into the knuckle the adapter will open to the exact taper of the tie rod end just make sure you torque it through all the way as shown in pic. It will feel tight at first when tightening but that's just the adapter opening in the knuckle. I prefer artec stuff but I'm sure that bracket will work fine. Anything is better than the stock pos bracket which I cut off with a pair of my nieces safety scissors.

larry0071

It's a Dynatrack axle, so it has the heavier stock height bracket.

I don't know if the Artec would mate well with the larger diameter tube of the ProRock, I think call Northridge and see what bracket they weld on for a raised trackbar.

Did you do a clamp on or a weld on bracket on the tie rod? I see some folks like the clamp on Poly Performance bracket that has a bung sticking out the side.

Monte417

You want the poly clamshell bracket to weld tabs to for full adjustability. Don't weld tabs onto a chromoly tie rod

larry0071

Another caveat, the Ruff Stuff DIY is not chromoly, its standard 1/4" wall DOM. Welding to it shouldn't be an issue being that its basic, weak construction grade steel.

FlexyJK

If you are going to do a flip you will not be able to use your factory drag link. You can purchase a right hand drive drag link, or an aftermarket like Synergy, Teraflex, Currie, etc. I run the Prorock also with the 3 inch tubes and the Syngery bolt on trac bar bracket fits, and It is welded on also. PSC also sells a bolt on clamp to your trac bar for a ram. Im sure it will fit just fine with the Redneck ram. You can run a poly clamp with a high misalignment spacer on the tie rod side if you dont have access to a welder. Carolina Metal Master makes a really clean bolt on clamp and so does currie now. Or weld the tabs on like the pic above. Im pretty sure Ruff stuff sells low misalignment boots for there tie rods that will fix tie rod deflection.

larry0071

Talk about a learning curve! I'm trying to keep up....

Misalignment bolts?
I'm not familiar with the term or what is misaligned that needs the misaligned bolts

The Ruff Stuff DOM kit is: 2 offset GM 1 ton TRE's (1LH & 1 RH), the jam nuts, Hex Head weld bungs, and 54" of 1 1/2" X .25" wall Dom tube. So I would need a clamp for the 1-1/2" DOM tube. Looking at Monte417's pics, I think he has the much larger yet Rock Krawler Bomb Proof Tie Rod? So his style of clamp would be to large of an ID to tighten to my comparatively smaller DOM tube.

Also, if I understand you correctly, you bought the bolt on Synergy track bar bracket, and then both bolted and welded it in over the factory Dynatrac bracket?

So the drag link I have is not going to make the cut, it has to go away and be replaced with a special design drag link that is intended to be flipped. Great, more money that I don't have yet have to spend.

This Jeep upgrade project just keeps getting better and better.