One of the most frequently exposed limits of the Cherokee is the section of the frame where the steering box bolts to. The repeated cycling of the steering system in off-road conditions imposes tremendous forces on this section of the frame that eventually lead to a work hardening and material fatigue of the frame. The relatively thin metal in the Cherokee frame lends itself to poor stress distribution that results in high point loading forces around the bolt heads. The thin metal that is adjacent to these high point load forces will actually deflect, or move, as the steering box pushes and pulls against the frame. This movement causes not only the metal fatigue that occurs on the frame but can also tend to loosen and ultimately break the steering box bolts. Once the material fatigue has set in, small cracks will begin to appear around the bolt heads and in the vicinity of the frame section that surrounds the steering box. By the time cracks have appeared, complete frame failure is imminent. Usually when this system fails it is a combination of both bolt and frame failure. This failure cannot only leave you stranded but if it occurs at the wrong time, it could result in a serious accident.

The C-ROK Steering Box Frame Reinforcing Plate was designed to both prevent the frame cracks and frame failures that occur near the bolt head locations where the steering box mounts and as a repair plate for Cherokees that have already experienced this failure. The function of the plate is twofold; One, it vastly improves the distribution of the point loading forces that the steering box bolts apply by spreading those forces over a much larger area and into two separate planes and; Two, it prevents a complete structural failure from occurring where the bolts heads would pull through the uni-body frame section.

Constructed out of laser cut 3/16" thick solid plate steel, the C-ROK plate incorporates the three bumper bolts, the steering box bolts, the sway bar mount bolts and the large oval frame hole. Included with the plate are three new Grade 8 7/16" steering box bolts and heavy washers and a new Grade 8 9/16" bolt, washers and nylok nut.

For more information, contact Greg Gavel at http://www.c-rok.com/ and watch for a complete review here on Jeepin.com.

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