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There are a few options when it comes to steering and axle links. You can go with solid aluminum rod, hollow aluminum rod or find some completed rod assemblies to purchase online. Or if you purchased a chassis kit, you probably already have all the rods you need.

As we were building a custom chassis, we knew the link lengths would have to be custom as well. While we heard many times about the durability of hollow 6061 aluminum rod, we decided to go with 1/4" solid aluminum rod. This decision would mean more work for us however we felt the "upgrade" would be worth the time spent.

Before you can determine the axle link lengths, you will need to figure out how and where the links will attach to the axles. There are several options with this. We simply cut some 3/16" solid aluminum rod and used the upper steering mount points on the axles. The rod was filed flat on each side and drilled for rod end mounting and was drilled again for a mounting screw to attach it to the axle. Pretty simple and highly effective.

Alternatives to making your own axle mounts:
1. RC4WD.com
2. The Crawler Store

How to create your own axle mounting links:

1. Purchase several lengths of 1/4" solid aluminum rod (They normally come in approximately 30" sections. We used two (2) 30" lengths for our project.)

2. Determine the proper rod length: You should keep in mind the overall wheelbase length you want to achieve and also consider any possible interference problems between the axles and chassis. Know how long you want the truck to be and make sure you don't put the axles too close to the chassis where they will contact the chassis.

We used a couple of boards and some clamps to create an alignment jig of sorts (see first picture above left). This was actually pretty handy as it kept the axles square and we could place dimensional marks on our bench for quick reference.

Our target wheelbase (center of wheel to center of wheel) was 17.5". We placed our chassis and axles on a flat table and measured the distance between the axle mounting points and the chassis mounting points. Be sure the axles are upright and square to the chassis. A couple of pieces of foam (or whatever) strategically placed under the axles to hold them upright will make measuring easier and more accurate.

NOTE: Be sure to factor in the length of the rod ends when determining the overall length of the rods!

3. Put on your safety glasses!

4. Cut the aluminum rods to length (you can use a hack saw and miter box like we did or a Dremel). Check to be sure that similar rods are the same length. You can do some light filing or sanding to make sure they are all the same length. Scenario to avoid: the lower left hand axle mounting link is longer than the lower right hand mounting link. The axle would be crooked in this type of setup and may cause the truck to be difficult to drive.

5. Using a drill press and drill vise, we used a 3.3mm bit to drill holes in the end of the rods approximately 5/8" deep. (click here for a handy drill and tap chart). Take your time with this step to get the holes as close to the center of the rod as possible. Also be sure the holes drilled are not at an angle. Keep the drilling as straight as possible.

Alternatives to using a drill press:
a. Use a metal lathe (the preferred method for perfectly centered holes).

b. Use a bench vise and a drill. This will most likely give you the least accurate end result but again, if you take your time with it, this method can also work just fine.

6. Once all your holes are drilled, tap the holes using a tap (we used a 4-.70 tap). We tapped our holes about 1/2" deep so we could get half of our 1" bolts cranked into them.

Go slow and use some WD-40 to lubricate the tap during the process (we know WD-40 is not a "lubricant" however it works great for tapping small holes in aluminum). It makes the tap cut easier and you will end up with nicer threads. Be sure to get the extra metal chunks out of the threads (lightly rap the links against the side of your workbench and/or use compressed air to clean them out.

7. Give each threaded hole a blast of brake cleaner to get the WD-40 out of the threads (be sure the safety glasses are on) and then let them dry or blast them out with compressed air.

8. Apply red thread locker and thread 1" long, 4-.70 bolts into the end of each rod and tighten firmly. if you tapped the holes to the correct depth, you should be able to leave about a 1/2" of the threads sticking out of the rods.

9. Cut off the bolt heads using a hack saw or Dremel.

10. Use a metal file or Dremel to smooth out the rough edges on the remaining bolt threads to make installing the rod ends easier.

11. Install the rod ends (no thread locker here!) and you are set!

Note: If you were able to find a local metal working shop, they can also center drill and tap these for you. Again it is a simple procedure and should only cost you a few bucks to have it done.

Also be aware that using hollow aluminum rod will enable you to avoid the drilling process listed above. You can simply tap the inside of the hollow rod and install your bolts. We considered going this route but had trouble finding the exact rod needed. Rather than waste more time trying to find the hollow stuff locally, we decided to go with the procedures listed above.

Creating steering links is the same deal. Simply measure the required length keeping in mind the length of the rod ends. If you picked up a used truck are going to use the stock links as a reference, be sure they are adjusted to the desired length before using them as a template.

Note that it is best to get the servo(s) mounted before fabricating the steering links. We actually made our steering links at the very end of our project, once the chassis, axle links, and all the electronics were mounted.

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