Need advice on broken metal.

[fourwheelford]

Ok first off this is a two parter so hang on for a ride, the truck was lifted before I bought it and im discovering more and more things they took shortcuts on. First off was the bump stops for the suspension, they put different ones on to make up for the lift but they only allowed for an inch of travel before they slammed into the lower arm. I figured that cant be good for the frame or alignment so im gonna take them off but I was wondering if its gonna allow the torsion bar to hit the cv joint when the suspension flexes. It looks like its designed to travel pretty far but I can't tell by myself. I never drive the truck in any extreme off road situations so will it matter if those bump stops aren't there?

Ok now for the second part, while I was jacking up the tire to see how far the travel was I noticed the mounting frame for the steering rack is cracked from top to bottom in the front on both sides the back on both sides are fine. Imagine where the inner tie rod is, it bolts to the end of a bracket thats shaped like a "J" on its side and runs the full length across to the other side. The inner tie rod runs through and bolts to the whole assembly, thats where the crack is. Its a serious flaw in the design with a tear point on top that caused it to rip. I had my wife get in the truck and rack the steering back and forth so I could watch what happened and I could see why it cracked. The passanger side has been that way for awhile because its all the way through and rusty, the drivers side isn't torn all the way but its flexing pretty bad and wont last long. Im a welder by trade so I can groove it out all the way and weld it up solid including the tear point. The tear point on the back is at the bottom so its not flexing the same way and I believe thats why its not cracked.

Does anyone think this a good idea? The rack is leaking and will need to be replaced soon so I can take the whole damn thing out then and repair it so it will never break again this would be a temporary fix so my steering doesn't fail while im driving. I don't know where to find the whole thing maybe a junk yard but this caught me off guard. Thanks everyone I welcome any input.

 

[srteach]

Weld it and then plate it may be the best. If you're a welder, you know about frame flex and hardening, right?

 

[fourwheelford]

Yeah I grooved it out welded that and ground it flush and welded a piece of 3/16 flat bar across it, no more wiggle thats for sure, now I have air in my powersteering lines from moving the tires back and forth without the pump running. Also sprayed power steering fluid all over the under side of my hood and the garage wall Whoops now I know what that hissing was when I moved the wheels manually I think the proper term is steering stabilizer and I know its after market so im sure thats why it failed like I said it was designed to fail. Hopefully I can get the air out so I can go test it out around town right now the steering feels really funny and really jerky.