So after looking at the bushings in the steering rack and seeing them on NAPA's website it looks like one can just use a plumbers torch to carefully burn them out enough to remove them after removing the bolts while the rack is still in the truck. I know people burn out old suspension bushings before replacing them. I looks like them are pressed in from the top so putting the new ones in would not be all that hard (getting them in with a length of 2x4, mallet and silicone paste for lube). For those that have replaced the bushings or have seen them while replacing the rack, does this sound do-able?

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'74 CJ5
304/T15

Well first off the rack bushing are pressed in from the bottom of the rack and the second thing is the rack is made of aluminum,which will melt if your torch the bushing out.On mine one of the rack bushings is in the aluminum housing then the other one is in a steel bracket,then if you have the P/S cooler(or at least mine is this way) there is the P/S rubber line that runs right there also and P/S fluid will burn real good.And the last thing is how do you plan on getting a torch in that tight spot anyway?

It appears the flange is on the top of the hole when I took the bolt out which lead me to believe they go in from the top.


I do not have the power steering cooler nor do I have HD cooling so I could easily get a small plumbers torch down from the top of the engine compartment. The suspension bushings I have seen torched out where in aluminum arms and such. The diameter of the rack bushings is big enough the get the tip of the flame in there. It's not like I would burn the whole bushing out, just enough to get it out. Maybe drill them loose enough to spin them out? BUT, if they are pressed in from the bottom this is all a moot point. I don't know...the whole idea of pulling so much crap out just to replace $22 worth of rubber and plastic makes my stomach turn, especially since the KJ only has 47K on it.

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'74 CJ5
304/T15

I'm at 45K. 2nd set of LCA's (due to bushings: need a 3rd set); 3rd set of UCAs (ball joints on both sets. Those better stay good for a while: JBA Gen 4.5s [on less than a month and I've greased them 3 times, already... probably overdoing it but... eh, not that hard or time-consuming]); and I'm pretty sure that my rack bushings need replaced also. It clunks while turning but not too much on bumps and it doesn't sound like a CV. At this point, I'm just gonna drive it til it breaks or gets hard to handle (steering doesn't seem excessively loose, yet). I really should just make my own bushings. The poly supervisor at work would gladly help me out with that, I'm sure.

Don't really know where I was going with all this... just saying that I'm tired of lowest bidders getting contracts, I guess. There's definitely materials out there that should last longer than these bushings seem to. I know I'm hard on my Jeep but, not all that hard, really.

Oh, if I do wind up making bushings, I'll be sure to get a price for them for you guys. That's something that my boss would want to help with, once I talk to him about it, I'm sure. The tools to press them though... that's the part that irritates. With the price of steel these days, they'd be hard to make for any cheaper than dealership prices.

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Ron


"There are few problems in life the liberal application of duct tape can't solve."

Also, I had a thought a long time ago about pressing new bearings: Anyone that does decide to get the tools and do it themselves should drill and tap some holes for grease zerks into as many of them as you can, so they could be squirted with some lithium. Especially if you manage to find "harder" polyurethane bushings. They squeak more than rubber or the softer polys.

Although, that might be a bad idea for the rack bushings. I haven't really looked to see how they're mounted.

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Ron


"There are few problems in life the liberal application of duct tape can't solve."

The pic of the rack bushing pictured above is the size they really are,as you can see the rubber part is only about 3/32" thick,if that,with a metal sleave inside.You do not want hardly any play in the steering,for handling reasons,so greasing them is pointless and making them in poly would be a bear since they are so thin.They are not hard to get in,only takes a slight hand pressure,it's getting them out that is a royal pain since they will bond to the rack.

The best way would to make those bushings out of aluminum and no rubber or poly.You don't see any bushings on a recirculating/ball steering box used on older vehicles and 90% of pickups being made today.

Hmmm, might still be do-able. I'll have to check the price. Would soft and "bendable" or hard and "strong" be better?

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Ron


"There are few problems in life the liberal application of duct tape can't solve."

ive thought bout poly or aluminum but will the aluminum rack crack if there is no rubber to absorb lateral shock?

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09 Detonator Yellow JK
-wrangler X
-HM rock rails
-diff armour
-ironman fabrication lower control arms
-jks adjustable track bar
-rockhard cage
-currie 4 inch lift
-genright aluminum rear bumper
-superchips tuner

03 Atlantic Blue KJ

Aluminum would send too much shock to the rack and tie rods. I am having a machine shop quote me on making the the rubber part of the mounts out of both Delrin and urethane since the rubber was able to be removed from the new mounts I got. I think Delrin may be too hard...I am hoping they can do it out of urethane since there are other vehicles that Suspension Techniques makes urethane replacement rack mounts for.

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'74 CJ5
304/T15

If you successfully replaced yours, let me know and I'm right behind you for second in line. This would be the second set that is to be replaced. I want to try something more durable.

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DIRTY KJ :: flickr photostream
"Primitive life is very common and intelligent life is fairly rare ... some would say it has yet to occur on Earth" --- Stephen Hawking

I have not replaced them as of yet. Still waiting to get the parts quoted out. I did the urethane washers under the washers that cmohr did on his to curtail the movement and I am not in a huge hurry for the replacements. This has worked but I still have ever so slight play inside the rack it seems. The whole steering systems moves in unison but I still have a clunk that I cannot pin down but I know exactly when it started.

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'74 CJ5
304/T15

did my upper new jeepinby al a arms today and passenger tie rod. waiting for the lower ball joints to come in. feels lots more solid and less noisy but i definitely need those rack bushings replaced.

hey dirtykj, kids must be getting big, they'll be driving your libby soon.

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09 Detonator Yellow JK
-wrangler X
-HM rock rails
-diff armour
-ironman fabrication lower control arms
-jks adjustable track bar
-rockhard cage
-currie 4 inch lift
-genright aluminum rear bumper
-superchips tuner

03 Atlantic Blue KJ

How did you replace just the passenger-side tie rod? I thought they were part of the rack assembly and you have to replace the whole rack.

Would you, or someone who has replaced the inner tie rod bushings, please do a write-up so we can make it permanent?

Yeah, kids are getting big you keep feeding them and they keep growing. Hmm. There's a thought ... maybe ... nah.

Turbo Monkey is six and a half. Atomic Monkey will be four in two months.

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DIRTY KJ :: flickr photostream
"Primitive life is very common and intelligent life is fairly rare ... some would say it has yet to occur on Earth" --- Stephen Hawking

The inner tie rods simply unscrew once you remove the boot. just open up the little clamps. Inner tie rods can be replaced without replacing the whole rack.

I bent the drivers side tie rod this yr. at big bear on john bull. lucky for me nolan had all his tools and we were together. we missed the other group and we started on the opposite end. i didnt even hit anything hard all i can figure is all the weight shifted on lose sand and it bent.

we bent it back and i got over to all j. they had two used racks and i knew they could be removed so they fit me in for the emergency repair and i was able to actually do gold mountain that evening with some other jeeps at the campsite. just as i drove in to my site from doing the repairs they were pulling out and invited me. i even took the high road on the rock garden. it was a blast.


Just jack up the truck, pull the little clamps off, slide them boot, turn the wheel to that side to expose it well, take a large cresent wrench and unscrew. then do the reverse.

sorry for the long thread folks.

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09 Detonator Yellow JK
-wrangler X
-HM rock rails
-diff armour
-ironman fabrication lower control arms
-jks adjustable track bar
-rockhard cage
-currie 4 inch lift
-genright aluminum rear bumper
-superchips tuner

03 Atlantic Blue KJ

I found my front suspension clunk. I have a clevis with two wallowed out holes on the bottom where the bolt passes through.

Is that on the Clevis Fork itself or the pivot bush in the Lower control arm?????

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SOME SAY

I'm Toight... Toight lik a Toiger.

And

When I go to the Toilet, Chuck Norris is there to tear the squares off for me.

"Pass me another one Chuck, and keep em coming!! On sencond thoughts..Go get the hose"

I'm pretty sure I have read about a couple cracked or broken steering racks (around the bushings) so I am thinking that using anything harder (like aluminum or even poly) than rubber might make matters worse and cause a broken rack.

boy all this talk about racks...... giggity.....

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99 TJ
71 C101
04 KJ
03 SFA KJ Sport
LOST JEEPS So-Cal

Well, the good news is I don't have to worry about replacing the bushings in my old rack...all I have to do is put the nice new bushings in the nice new rack have to get and swap in . Seems the rack itself is making the noise. I will be using the instructions posted by tjkj2002 from where they installed new rack in the dirt parking lot in Moab. [sarcasm]Can't wait![/sarcasm]

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'74 CJ5
304/T15

Fork itself.

No matter, I'll just use the KK clevi when I put the OME 927s in (i keed)