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Did some front end work on the LJ
http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=69&t=80060		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  Draco [ Mon Sep 01, 2014 12:16 am ]
Post subject:  Did some front end work on the LJ
I did some front end work on the LJ over the last week and a half. Parts installed were

  • Black Magic Brakes / VANCO Big Brakes for 15" rims
  • Synergy ball joints
  • Goodridge extended length front brake lines
  • Crown Automotive Heavy Duty Steering linkage
  • Rancho RS5000 steering stabilizer

I did not really plan to replace the ball joints. But once the old knuckles were out I noticed a lot of vertical play in the lower ball joints. Vertical play may be normal, but it freaked me out and I ordered the Synergy joints.

Here is the driver side assembly.

Image

Here is the entire front axle showing the new knuckles, rotors, and steering linkage. The linkage was still unadjusted at that point.

Image

And here is the front axle with the wheels back on!

Image

I adjusted the toe-in roughly and it drove pretty well for the break-in procedure of the new pads and rotors. Now I need to take it in for an alignment. Plus I think the Pitman arm is clocked wrong. I adjusted the drag link so that the Pitman arm was where I thought it ought to be (pointing straight backwards when the wheels point forward). But in that position the steering wheel is rotated ninety degrees from center. I'll take it to my regular 4wd / auto shop http://simmonsautorepair.com/ as they'll know what to do with it.
Author:  Grannysgoat [ Mon Sep 01, 2014 12:12 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Did some front end work on the LJ
Like it!
Author:  Draco [ Wed Sep 03, 2014 11:03 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Did some front end work on the LJ
I took the LJ into today for steering adjustment and alignment.

More significantly, they balanced the wheels using a Road Force diagnostic balancer. The report was that two of the wheels are "bent". There's absolutely no damage to the wheels, so maybe that means that they are oval-shaped or something. They said all the tires are not round, and one tire is heavy in a spot. This is more or less what I expected.

Even after the fancy balancing there is some vibration.

So I'll probably ditch the 33x12.5R15s on 8x10" steelies and switch to 285/75R16s on 8x8 or 8x8.5" alloy wheels. Once I can afford to, that is, as new wheels and tires are not in the budget now.
Author:  Grannysgoat [ Thu Sep 04, 2014 4:28 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Did some front end work on the LJ
The bigger tires can be a beast to balance and no tire is perfectly round. Bent wheel is a different issue, maybe jack it up, get a dial indicator and see if you can find out the "bent" issue. That will cause premature tire wear.

I've chased the vibration gremlins for a long time and according to my son," they are big off road tires, just live with it", so I do.

I currently have 315/70/17 MTR's on Trail Gear Beadlocks. Two are almost perfect, two are slightly out and the third is a little more than slightly out and is the spare. They balanced (Road Force) with only a couple of .25 ounce weights each so nasty is what they are. I upgraded from Bilstein 5100's to Fox 2.0 and that helped a bunch. Still some vibration, but liveable.
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