$400 Pioneer (Wilbur)

[89eliminator]

I think part of the problem is that my driveway is not quite level and makes it look worse than it does. The guys at work said it didn't look that bad, and if you look at the picture with the brush in the back, parked on the street it doesn't look bad. And that is before the shackles.

 

It's not that I'm unhappy with the lift, just disappointed that it netted me 1" less than I believed I would, both by what MO had told me, and going by the FSM specs.

 

Right now I'm battling a DW problem. I AM going to wheel it the 25th, but if I can't get this solved I will have to trailer it there and back. I don't want to have to, because I can drive it there and back for probably about $110 in gas, trailering it would be at least double that. Plus I'd have to find a trailer I can borrow for the entire weekend.

 

I'm battling DW right now as well, but i HAVE to drive mine down if i wanna wheel (which I'm gonna be doing). i think its a combination of crap steering box and sloppy tracbar.

[mvusse]

Good luck Wade! DW can have 100 different causes and each one has a different fix! I am in the process of eliminating possible causes one at a time, as I did not have it before installing the lift. I hope I will fix it with at least the lift coils still on there :roll:

[chicofuentes0224]

You think maybe you just need an alignment?

[mvusse]

I thought alignment might be a possibility, but I'm fine until I hit a bump with the ps wheel. And it's got to be a substantial bump.

 

Will put the original lcas back on tomorrow, which will align everything back to original (albeit shoved back a bit). If that works, put the adjustables back on, but adjusted to stock length at first, etc.

 

Like I said, eliminate all possibilities one at a time, and then try to go back to all installed the best possible. If it is an alignment problem with the axle angle, I fear I may have to spring for adjustable uppers sooner than I was planning.

 

Except for the angle of the axle (which in turn affects both pinion angle and caster), nothing has been changed as the tie rod ends have not been touched (yet).

 

Either way, I will find out for sure where the problem is before I do anything that costs money, because I currently can't afford to throw money at guesses.

 

I currently still need to get longer front brake hoses, longer front shocks, and an alignment. But I'm not getting an alignment until I'm done messing with the front. No point paying for it, and having to do it (and pay for it) again a week later.

[mvusse]

%^#@&$#

 

I have the stock track bar back on and tight on both ends, as well as the stock control arms. DW is still there. Sooooo,

 

either the spring rate of the 4.5" coils is "just wrong" for my specific truck, starting an oscillation, or it is due to an alignment issue, or combination of both.

 

I am ignoring the coil springs, because that would mean there is no solution other than to get rid of them. That's a last resort.

 

I guess I'll get adjustable upper control arms (and hope I can get them delivered and installed before the trip) so both upper and lower can be adjusted and then let an alignment shop loose at them as well as the tie rod ends.

[mvusse]

I was standing in the bathroom, doing #1 when a light bulb suddenly came on in my head. I grabbed a flashlight and went outside to look at the @^$% inverted Y steering setup our trucks have. Sure enough, as you lift the vehicle, the steering in effect pulls up, pulling both legs of the Y together, creating toe-in. Specs for toe-in are 0" +- 1/32". I'm sure I got quite a bit more of that. I checked the tread on the tires, and they have definitely been scuffed. BAD. And I only drove maybe 30 miles since the lift. And with the caster, toe-in also creates negative camber. Like toe-in, camber is supposed to be 0. Caster is supposed to be 7.5 degrees give or take .5 degrees, but caster can not be adjusted without also adjusting pinion angle. When the two conflict, pinion angle is supposed to take precedence.

 

Oh, and camber is bad enough it is noticeable just by looking at it.

 

So I need an alignment. But I just ordered adjustable ucas, so I will attempt to get toe-in as close to 0 as I can get it myself for now, and take it in for an alignment after the upper arms have arrived and been installed.

 

I'm guessing Chico was right. I probably just need to get an alignment done.

[mvusse]

Way to go Chico!

 

After work I did some careful measuring and came out to a toe-in of almost 2"!!!!

 

Got the sleeves on the tie rod ends loose, got the PB blaster out (do not get it in your eyes, that STINGS), tapped on it a little bit, repeat procedure 3 or 4 times. Managed to get one end loose, but the other end needed a swift kick to the end of the pipe wrench. Once I got it loose I could turn the tie rod with the pipe wrench, and after one full revolution it got a lot easier. I lost count how many turns I gave it, but to the best of my measurements, I now have 0 toe in.

 

Also have the adjustable track bar back in, and one adjustable lca, set at stock length for now, and ran out of day light.

 

I went for a drive, and hit my "guaranteed death wobble bump" at fully 60 mph without any effect. I then drove like a bat-out-of-hell (60mph also) on a very bumpy chip and seal township road, and besides having trouble keeping the truck on the road as I was bouncing all over the place, still no death wobble.

 

Looks like alignment was it.

 

Tomorrow the other lca will go in, after which I will finally finish my front brakes and get new longer shocks up front. I'm currently still running the stock ones with 3" extensions. Then after the adjustable uppers arrive they will go in followed by a professional alignment and I'll be good to go for Badlands

 

[chicofuentes0224]

That's awesome :cheers:

[mvusse]

Spent an hour browsing Autozone's shock catalog. I think Gabriel #81440 will work. They have a stud mount on top close to stock length, are 24.6" long fully extended, and have a 5/8" eye bushing on the bottom. I will have to switch the mounting tab out from the old ones. $14.99 each, lifetime warranty. They are meant for a passenger car, though. I hope they are not too soft.

 

Other options are Skyacker from Summit Racing for $39.95, or buy an adapter to convert the stud mount to an eye bushing mount on top. I believe I have seen them at Dover Brake just down the road from here. That would open a whole bunch of shocks for eligibility.

 

So tomorrow I will drive up to Canton to get my shocks. Local store didn't have them in stock, and if ordered would not arrive until Tuesday. The 2 next closest stores do have them.

[mvusse]

Got my new shocks. They are 24 5/8" fully extended. That should be about one inch shorter than perfect, but it'll work.

 

 

 

On the way back home on the freeway, however, something started rattling under the hood all of a sudden. Turned on the hazard flashers, shifted to neutral and coasted off the road. As soon as I shifted to neutral the rattle slowed down with engine speed, so I shut her down. When I popped the hood I didn;t notice anything. Looked underneath and everything looked good, so I started it up. Rattle is back. Go to investigate the rattle and found most of the serpentine belt had shredded, with the pieces stuck around around the fan flapping around.

 

Cut off the pieces around the fan, and made it home on what was left.

 

 

Just now when I closed the hood I also noticed there's about an inch missing off the top ds corner of the fan shroud.

[mvusse]

Well, the shredded belt was my own stupidity. After I replaced the alternator, put the belt back on and tightened it, I forgot to tighten the bolts on the power steering pump. So the belt was pulling it on an angle.

 

And the shocks are on.

 

In the above picture, the bottom one is a (I assume) stock shock. This is what was on the truck when I bought it. It goes from 13 1/8" to 20 5/8"

 

The one above that is what I used after putting the 1.75" spacers in. It's the same shock with a 2.1/2" extension, making it extend from 15 5/8" to 23 1/8".

 

The second one from the top is what I have in there now. It is one of my new shocks and extends from 14 5/8" to 24 5/8". So where the old shocks had 7 1/2" travel, my new ones have 10". They go from 1" shorter fully compressed to 1 1/2" longer fully extended than the stock shocks with the spacers installed.

 

And the top one is a new one with the spacer installed. Too long for what I need. It travels from 17 1/8" to 27 1/8"

[mvusse]

Got my buddy's XJ on the road today (sorry, no pics). Man do those RE 5.5" springs ride stiff, even a 1 ton truck rides softer than this. Also got his power seats working. One pin on a wiring harness underneath the carpet had completely rotted away. I spliced in a jumper wire across the harness and all is well. We messed with the radio wiring a bit, but I think there's a problem either with the speaker wiring inside the doors, or the speakers themselves. And he still has to put the front skid plate back on, but said he'd wait until after he had an alignment done.

[mvusse]

Well, here's a couple of shot of my buddy's XJ and my MJ. They're not exactly twins.

 

 

Some pics of my truck with the lift kit on.

 

 

And then I went to play with the fork lift to see how well it flexed.

 

 

Not happy with this at all. I could lift the front wheel 16" off the ground before the rear wheel came up. Before the lift kit I got 24 1/2" if I remember correctly. The front tire isn't anywhere near stuffed. So I tried the rear tire, and I can only get 18" that way. Again, can't stuff the front tire.

 

So I went home and start reading ComancheClub.

[mvusse]

DOH!

 

After 45 minutes I realized I didn't disconnect the sway bar. Isn't that one of the reasons I got the quick disconnects?

 

So back to the shop and try again.

 

 

24", about the same as before the lift. Notice the stuffed front tire has the spring almost completely compressed. I think the front could possibly flex a bit more if i had more weight on the back keeping my rear tire down.

 

What is limited the rear flex is the stuffed tire being wedged up against the inside of the fender well. Wheels with a bit less backspacing would work a bit better, but then when flexing the opposite direction (with the track bar about flat) my ps front tire would probably hit the flare.

 

Maybe tub the rear wheel wells a bit? :roll:

 

3/4" or 1" wheel spacers on the back are probably a better solution.

[89eliminator]

much better! can't wait to see it in action.

[mvusse]

Less than 2 weeks. Still no skid under the gas tank, but with the tank 2 1/2" higher off the ground I won't have to worry quite as much.

 

My buddy just told me he ordered rocker guards for his XJ. Oh, and his fiancee has to JUMP to get into it :D

[Oizarod115]

what tire are you running? it looks aggresive yet ATish

[mvusse]

Wintermark snow tires in P235/75R15, extra load rating. It's the largest size they make. Cheaper than MT, about the same tread wear, and, in my opinion, better traction.

 

They are outstanding in snow, mud, sand and wet leaves, quite good on dry pavement and rocks and not too bad on wet pavement.

[mvusse]

New front brake hoses are on, new idler pulley (bad bearing) will go on tonight or tomorrow, and the new adjustable UCAs will be here Tuesday. After I get those on I got to have an alignment done, better call Monday to make the appointment.

 

Cutting it a bit close, but if push comes to shove I can wheel it the way it is now, even thought the pinion angle is a tad low.

 

 

On a side note, we found out that the RE springs on my buddy's XJ didn't ride stiff because of the stiffness of the springs, but because the stock XJ shackles were maxed out against the back of the brackets, not allowing the springs to flex. So he tried my stock MJ shackles and all is good now. With the front sway bar still connected, but the rear disconnected we can pick up a rear tire 18 inches before the other side leaves the ground, and I think the limiting factor is the shocks. The MJ shackles are still not maxed out at that.

[mvusse]

Well, my Rock Krawler adjustable ucas were on the back porch (thanks MO) when I came home from work yesterday, but I spent the rest of the afternoon in a Benadryl induced coma. Don't you just hate allergies?

 

Tonight I'm cleaning and doing laundry, tomorrow night I'm packing, so they will not go on until after the Fall Crawl :cry:

 

The idler pulley from Autozone did not fit, but luckily TSC had a bearing (6203) to replace the old one. Got lucky, though, as officially a 6203 bearing is 17mmx40mmx12mm, but there are hybrids floating around that are 5/8"x40mmx12mm. 5/8" is less than 16mm, not 17mm.

 

Pictures next week.

[mvusse]

Well, the weather was too nice to not do something outside, so I worked on the truck some.

 

Changed the gear oil in front and rear axles. Front axle oil was a bit muddy. Must have got some water in it. Rear axle was just pitch black, about what is to be expected for 21 years and 136000 miles. I had checked the level and topped off a few times before, but should have drained and filled it, as I found out earlier the PO was a bit lax about maintenance.

 

Interestingly, the rear cover has a date from 1985 stamped into it, and black RTV, the front one has a date from 1988 and red RTV. On a 1987 truck. Evidently the front one has been off before, and been replaced.

 

I also had a bit of trouble getting the bottom bolt off the front one, as I'd smashed it on a rock at Badlands last week, Couldn't get a socket on it, but an open end wrench still worked.

 

Then I replaced my black chime module with a blue one. The blue one had one more pin (and the harness had a matching one), but noticed no difference in function. I then plugged my new headlight sentinel module into the harness for it, and now have the delay function when I turn off the ignition before the headlights. Also installed my new tail light lens to replace the one that got busted when I got hit. No more duct tape!

 

And last but not least, At the camp ground at Badlands, JeepcoMJ broke my rear spring quick disconnect :cry: . He kicked it twice, grabbed it and pulled it right off. :eek:

 

:D :cheers:

New ucas will hopefully go on tomorrow.

[JeepcoMJ]

 

:D :cheers:

 

 

hmm. I wonder what happened to your socket-adjustable shackles? :clapping: :yes: :idea:

[Wildman]

And last but not least, At the camp ground at Badlands, JeepcoMJ broke my rear spring quick disconnect :cry: . He kicked it twice, grabbed it and pulled it right off. :eek:

 

 

:D :cheers:

New ucas will hopefully go on tomorrow.

 

 

Great........now your going to have all kinds of problems when you go to change your springs / shackles on a weekly basics :shake:

 

So.......what do you figure, you got about 2k miles and 2 country's on that quick disco????

 

:teehee:

[mvusse]

And last but not least, At the camp ground at Badlands, JeepcoMJ broke my rear spring quick disconnect :cry: . He kicked it twice, grabbed it and pulled it right off. :eek:

 

 

:D :cheers:

New ucas will hopefully go on tomorrow.

 

 

Great........now your going to have all kinds of problems when you go to change your springs / shackles on a weekly basics :shake:

 

So.......what do you figure, you got about 2k miles and 2 country's on that quick disco????

 

:teehee:

 

No, more like 5k miles, 2 countries, 5 states and 1 day off road.

 

I guess all that loosened it up some.

 

And I finally installed the new adjustable ucas today, almost 2 weeks after I got them. Got to adjust them a bit longer yet, and then get an alignment.

 

Also developed a vibration after adding the lift shackles. Starting to become a pet peeve, and might also by why my lug nuts came loose. Going to drop the transfer case some to get the drive shaft angles closer to equal to see if that helps any,

 

Hey Wildman, thought of a price yet on that light bar?

[Wildman]

Yea, the roll / light bar.......yup, I got a price in mind :D

 

But I thought you cut your self off on the CC :eek:

 

Problem is.........I will not have any time until after the first of the year to do any Jeep projects, unless you want to come up here and pull it your self :brows: