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View Full Version : WHat the best way to straiten a steering colum?



Tri-ZNate
01-06-2005, 12:12 PM
Hey my friend today flipped his Timberwolf and bend the handel bars and steering colum. They are now touching the gas tank. We were thinking of heating it up and slowly bending it back to the correct position. Any thoughts?

MTS
01-06-2005, 01:29 PM
it is junk-go get one used from the junk yard, your never gona get it stright and if you do usein a torch it will be weak after and it will bend really easy again

OldSchoolin86
01-06-2005, 02:06 PM
With the right tools you could do it but it won't be as strong as stock ever again.

Mr. Sandman
01-07-2005, 12:38 AM
You really don't want to use heat as it will be very weak. Find someone with a hydraulic press that knows what they're doing and they might be able to straighten it, but as Oldschoolin said, it will never be as strong as before it was bent.

Wickedfinger
01-07-2005, 01:04 AM
... buy a new one.

Tri-ZNate
01-08-2005, 05:14 PM
As long as we temper it right it will be ok I think.

Merriman
01-08-2005, 05:17 PM
Why don't you cut the old bent section out, and weld a new straight peice of tubing in there?

MTS
01-08-2005, 08:24 PM
As long as we temper it right it will be ok I think.
thats just it, you cant re-temper it and when you use the torch to heat it up its gona wreck the temper and the shaft will be flimsy, same idea with the cutting, putting a new section in, cuze you gota weld it :confused:

Pistonhead
01-09-2005, 01:40 AM
Just buy a set of old bars (can be had un-bent for $10) and a good shape column used.

J.D.
01-10-2005, 01:58 AM
thats just it, you cant re-temper it and when you use the torch to heat it up its gona wreck the temper and the shaft will be flimsy, same idea with the cutting, putting a new section in, cuze you gota weld it :confused:

Actually, FYI, if he welds a piece of tubing in, and it's good quality strong tubing, and a good quality weld, that piece will actually be stronger than the rest of the columm.

Dirtcrasher
01-30-2005, 01:11 PM
Whats with this tempered stuff- Does anyone truly know if it's even "tempered"??

Lots of steering components are just plain old cold rolled steel so that they can bend and not snap.