Question about pitman arm for 8" of lift

[atvkid4eva]

hey guys, on my 88 ranger it has about 8" of lift and the previous owner used the wrong drop pitman arm so therefore it wont tighten up to the steering box...my question is is there any alternative to buying the skyjacker Extreme drop arm that costs $200:icon_surprised? maybe another company makes a similar pitman arm for this amount of lift? just cant really afford $200 right now so let me know what you guys think. thanks.

 

[BlackBII]

The skyjacker arm is the only one...

But even with it, your steering angle will still be rather steep.

 

[atvkid4eva]

yeah...so what is there that i can do to correct this?

 

[BlackBII]

This is a good read
http://www.therangerstation.com/Magazine/winter2008/steering_tech.htm

Your going to have go with a custom built or modified Superlift center link setup, or something like this:
http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7301

 

[atvkid4eva]

well the steering angle isnt really that bad since ive tightened everything back up its just that that pitman arm for some reason wont snug up to the splines...im confused as to what it could be off of.. if you look at the pitman arm splines and the splines on the steering box they look identical they just dont fit together snug. any idea what it could be from?

 

[4x4junkie]

Sounds like the spline is probably damaged, either on the pitman arm or the box itself.

I wouldn't cheap out here, you'll pay far more in ruined tires than you will for that pitman arm (together with dropping it down to a more-reasonable 6" lift).

 

[atvkid4eva]

junkie: if you remember when i PM'd you i am still running those straight axle coils..got some coil buckets and modified them to work pretty good on the
d35...so it may not be actually 8" or lift..and i hear what your saying about not cheaping out on the steering...i will make sure its corrected before it is driven on the road or wheeled..maybe i will run across a used pitman arm by the time the truck is ready to go...heres a pic so u can get an idea of the amount of lift: (took these today when i got the d35 all together)

 

[4x4junkie]

That does look pretty tall... If those axle brackets are 8"ers, you'll certainly want to shorten them up some (and either get shorter coils, or raise up the coil buckets on the frame).

 

[atvkid4eva]

well the angle of that pic makes it look a bot taller than it actually is...im gonna leave it that height for now and may tweek some things down the road some when i see how it performs like it sits now..thanks for all the help tho!