Dadinator Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 OK, so here's the deal... I am working on the mule last night and I notice that the front end is way out of alignment. What I mean is I can see it visually. :eek: I just put 30X9.5's on it temporarily and notice that the drivers side tire sticks out from the flare about 1/4 inch. The passenger is inboard probably 1/2 inch at the top. It seems to be leaning inward from bottom to top if that makes sense. Probably from the 1st accident my son had with it a few years ago. I knew it was out of alignment because it ate a set of front tires. Just didn't think it was bad enough to see. :ack: So, my question is is this fixable with alignment or should I just put the front axle from the donor XJ in there and call it done? :dunno: I'm thinking swapping everything might be the answer. How long does it take the average shade tree mechanic to swap axles? :hmm: I just realized that the ratio's are probably not the same... Crap. :headpop: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbrand Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 So what you're saying is that the driver side tire sticks out more than normal, and the passgener side is negative-camber, similar in theory to this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dadinator Posted September 29, 2011 Author Share Posted September 29, 2011 Correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comanche County Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 You can only adjust camber by replacing the ball joints. Napa sells joints with different offset angles at .5-2 degrees. Best if you had a shop give you an alignment with a precise measure of your camber. Then you could have them replace the ball joints with the proper offset, or you could go buy them yourself and install. Its possible to just replace the whole axle for less than you'd spend on new ball joints, however, there's no guarantee the new/old axle won't have the same problem. Also, ensure your front axle isn't bent as a result of the accident. If that's the case, then the ball joints won't help much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasbulliwagen Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 Your camber may not be an issue, sounds to me more like a track bar issue. The camber could be a visual effect and not really be bad, but you won't know for sure without a professional alignment machine. Assuming your camber is ok, and adjustable track bar might get the axle back to being centered up. I'm not sure what if any lift you have, but a combination of some lift, bad caster and toe in may cause it look and act like youre describing.... that or its bent from the accident.... get it checked out, and let us know what you find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dadinator Posted September 30, 2011 Author Share Posted September 30, 2011 No lift yet. Stock. I'll get it checked in the next week or so and let you know. Hopefully, it's fixable without changing the axle. I wouldn't mind that if the ratios were the same, but I'm pretty sure that they are not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dadinator Posted November 22, 2011 Author Share Posted November 22, 2011 OK. Had it aligned a month ago or so. Helped, but the problem with the tire sticking out on the drivers side further than the passenger side was still there. So, I looked into it and decided that the track bar must be the culprit. Today, I pulled the track bar off the donor and then pulled the track bar off the truck and low and behold. They were slightly different. It appears that the bend was sharper on the truck. Most likely due to one of the accidents this truck had in its past. So, I put the donor track bar on and it moved the axle over so now the tires stick out about equally on each side. :clapping: Man, I love having a donor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hick92 Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 So what you're saying is that the driver side tire sticks out more than normal, and the passgener side is negative-camber, similar in theory to this? thats seems dumb to me i mean your tires aint goin to last no time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dadinator Posted November 23, 2011 Author Share Posted November 23, 2011 Agreed. Folks do the dumbest things, though. Especially now days. Geez, I sound old. :dunno: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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