What kind of steering linkage is this?

[Bronc937]

Hi all. I've been doing alot of reading on this forum since before and after I bought a 77' luber this last fall. I'm amazed at the knowledge so many of you have and the ingenuity. Since bringing it home, I've been tearing it down and either replacing, refurbishing or updating the mechanical side of things. For the most part, I think it's a pretty solid example with the only rust I had to fix was the drivers side floor pan and the inner fender aprons. However the PO had a rats nest of wiring under the hood, a paint job that looks like it was done with wagner power painter and overall neglect of wearable parts.

I know the 77's came stock with an inverted "Y" steering and the knuckles and pitman arm were specific to 76 and 77. Mine has some type of "T" style on it that looks homemade or retrofitted from another make/model. Right now it has a 3.5 inch lift and I want to keep it that way, but obviously safety and driveability are upmost important.

Can anyone tell me from the pics (that hopefully uploaded) what linkage this came off of? My biggest concern is the drag link which appears to have been sectioned and has some goofy looking gusset in the middle. Frankly, I don't trust it. Any suggestions or info would be greatly appreciated

 

[Bronco717274]

It's home made nobody sells pieces welded together like that upper link is.

 

[bknbronco]

ya thats definatly homemade! just a bunch of pieces welded together!

 

[thegreatjustino]

Nice riser - guy was too cheap to buy a drop pitman arm

 

[turbotim2]

It looks to me like parts in there are from the original reverse Y set up, and maybe all of it is but has obviously been cut up and re configured. The first thing to figure out is whether or not the knuckles and pitman arm have been reamed or if they are still stock. If they are still stock then there a bunch of options out there; new reverse Y, two or three way adjustable and then the there a few options that require modification like the F150 setup, rock crawler stuff and the list goes on.

Either way, I would definitely scrap what you have and get something new. I am not sure if you can get any part numbers off from what you have (particularly the tie rod ends) but that may be a place to start.

Oh - and with a 3.5" lift, you should probably get a drop pitman arm as well.

 

[Bronc937]

Thanks for the feedback. I figured it was a cobbled up, shade tree attempt at something that was either broken or someone told the PO was better than stock. From all the threads on steering linkages, I think I'll go with a "T" setup. What's your opinion on a something like a three-way adjustable linkage like those sold by Tom's or JBG? Or would a heim-joint style be better. The cost is pretty comparable. I'm not making a rock crawler, just a daily driver that will see some trails now and then.