- Location
- NE Texas
When your setup consists of 10 currie Johnny joints.. No way!
We'll see where they rank in 3-5 years when we get a real comparison on reliability.
99 XJ DD & Weekend Warrior
- Thread starter NW99XJ
- Start date
We'll see where they rank in 3-5 years when we get a real comparison on reliability.
NW99XJ
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Gresham, Or.
If everything holds true, and the long term reliability of these proves to be good,
then I would think the cost/benefit of these would justify the added expense...
Which would obviously pay for itself over the years after having not only better performance of the suspension system, but also a cost savings of not having to replace/repair/rebuild Johnny Joints, or whatever. This of course is all hypothetical, and I'm just throwing this out here on my build thread to document my thought process more than anything else...
But it does raise an interesting point of discussion none-the-less.
Thanks for chiming in guys.
then I would think the cost/benefit of these would justify the added expense...
Which would obviously pay for itself over the years after having not only better performance of the suspension system, but also a cost savings of not having to replace/repair/rebuild Johnny Joints, or whatever. This of course is all hypothetical, and I'm just throwing this out here on my build thread to document my thought process more than anything else...
But it does raise an interesting point of discussion none-the-less.
Thanks for chiming in guys.
NW99XJ
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Gresham, Or.
Well it appears as if I have some updating to do....
In the last couple weeks I have been gathering some new parts...
First up is a new set of ball joints.
I went with the Alloy USA's.... good rep, decent price, and seems to be made better than a lot of the other stuff out there. Also comes with a 5+year warranty. Good enough for me!
Also grabbed a new-to-me Hi-Lift Jack.
And I just got a package delivered today.....
Thanks to the generosity of John (Bronzewyrm) I snagged a $25 gift certificate to HD Offroad Engineering. THANKS JON! :wave1: ...much appreciated.
So I ordered up a set of there Shackle Relocation Brackets. Money well spent.
Future work will include gusseting the C's at the time of the ball joint install,
maybe some other Dana 30 reinforcement at the same time as well,
....we'll see what time and material availability lead to with that.
In the last couple weeks I have been gathering some new parts...
First up is a new set of ball joints.
I went with the Alloy USA's.... good rep, decent price, and seems to be made better than a lot of the other stuff out there. Also comes with a 5+year warranty. Good enough for me!
Also grabbed a new-to-me Hi-Lift Jack.
And I just got a package delivered today.....
Thanks to the generosity of John (Bronzewyrm) I snagged a $25 gift certificate to HD Offroad Engineering. THANKS JON! :wave1: ...much appreciated.
So I ordered up a set of there Shackle Relocation Brackets. Money well spent.
Future work will include gusseting the C's at the time of the ball joint install,
maybe some other Dana 30 reinforcement at the same time as well,
....we'll see what time and material availability lead to with that.
kenny811
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Damascus, OR
Well it appears as if I have some updating to do....
In the last couple weeks I have been gathering some new parts...
First up is a new set of ball joints.
I went with the Alloy USA's.... good rep, decent price, and seems to be made better than a lot of the other stuff out there. Also comes with a 5+year warranty. Good enough for me!
How much was the ball joint kit?
Also grabbed a new-to-me Hi-Lift Jack.
And I just got a package delivered today.....
Thanks to the generosity of John (Bronzewyrm) I snagged a $25 gift certificate to HD Offroad Engineering. THANKS JON! :wave1: ...much appreciated.
So I ordered up a set of there Shackle Relocation Brackets. Money well spent.
Future work will include gusseting the C's at the time of the ball joint install,
maybe some other Dana 30 reinforcement at the same time as well,
....we'll see what time and material availability lead to with that.
NW99XJ
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Gresham, Or.
I picked these up thru Amazon for $116....
I know 3 people in the last month that have ordered these... Me being the last one.
Looks like because of "Supply & Demand" the price has jumped....
They're now $150
http://www.amazon.com/Alloy-USA-11801-Cherokee-Wrangler/dp/B00EDWEZ7A
kenny811
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Damascus, OR
O that's taste. Alicia loves Amazon. .... guess what I'm ordering! !!
dukie564
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Aberdeen, MD
You'll love those brackets
NW99XJ
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Gresham, Or.
Thanks, I hope so... seems just about everyone has nothing but good things to say about them.
NW99XJ
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Gresham, Or.
Ball Joint Swap and "C" Gussets_April 2014
So Sat was supposed to start out with me doing some work on the Jeep,
However, the girl had a different agenda, and decided to take the jeep for a "quick" run of an errand or two. EIGHT FRICKIN HOURS LATER.....
And I finally started in on the front end work.
On the schedule was replacing the OEM (emphasis on ORIGINAL) ball joints, and doing some strengthening while I was at it.
So 8 pm Sat night, I got to work.
got the Jeep in the garage and pulled the axle.
The plan was to gusset the C's before I did the ball joint install, and the ball joints would go in afterwards.
Could the C's have been welded with the axle on the Jeep?...
probably, but not with the welder I have.
So Bmikes had offered to help me out with the burn in of said gussets and I gladly accepted.
The next morning Brandon showed up with his truck, and we loaded up the axle and headed over to his place. We got the axle set up and staged for some welding.
I went to work on finishing the design and cut-out of the gussets, and Brandon worked on finishing up the burn in of his frame stiffeners.
With some cardboard aided design, I got the gusset templates cut, transferred to steel, then cut out and cleaned up/de-burred.
I ground down the C's to get rid of a little ridge and to give a better surface to weld on.
Brandon did the same to the lower side of the C's and the axle tube.
Brandon made (very) quick work of the welding. While he was burning in the gussets, I was cleaning up his welds of his frame stiffeners. (I think I can still taste the metal dust)
Yes I know the gussets aren't perfect, but Brandon's welding skills are really coming along nicely, and I think more than make up for it, besides, something's better than nothing, right?
Thanks again for the help Brandon! I couldn't be any more grateful for your help.
So Sat was supposed to start out with me doing some work on the Jeep,
However, the girl had a different agenda, and decided to take the jeep for a "quick" run of an errand or two. EIGHT FRICKIN HOURS LATER.....
And I finally started in on the front end work.
On the schedule was replacing the OEM (emphasis on ORIGINAL) ball joints, and doing some strengthening while I was at it.
So 8 pm Sat night, I got to work.
got the Jeep in the garage and pulled the axle.
The plan was to gusset the C's before I did the ball joint install, and the ball joints would go in afterwards.
Could the C's have been welded with the axle on the Jeep?...
probably, but not with the welder I have.
So Bmikes had offered to help me out with the burn in of said gussets and I gladly accepted.
The next morning Brandon showed up with his truck, and we loaded up the axle and headed over to his place. We got the axle set up and staged for some welding.
I went to work on finishing the design and cut-out of the gussets, and Brandon worked on finishing up the burn in of his frame stiffeners.
With some cardboard aided design, I got the gusset templates cut, transferred to steel, then cut out and cleaned up/de-burred.
I ground down the C's to get rid of a little ridge and to give a better surface to weld on.
Brandon did the same to the lower side of the C's and the axle tube.
Brandon made (very) quick work of the welding. While he was burning in the gussets, I was cleaning up his welds of his frame stiffeners. (I think I can still taste the metal dust)
Yes I know the gussets aren't perfect, but Brandon's welding skills are really coming along nicely, and I think more than make up for it, besides, something's better than nothing, right?
Thanks again for the help Brandon! I couldn't be any more grateful for your help.
- Location
- NE Texas
Lol now it makes sense
I have been scratching my head on why you would completely pull an axle just to do ball joints:laugh:
I have been scratching my head on why you would completely pull an axle just to do ball joints:laugh:
bmikes
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- portland or
99 XJ DD & Weekend Warrior
No problem man! Always glad to help out. I'll probably do this to mine before I put it back in. Wanna give me a hand on my ball joints?
No problem man! Always glad to help out. I'll probably do this to mine before I put it back in. Wanna give me a hand on my ball joints?
NW99XJ
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Gresham, Or.
The ball joint install did not go without issue.
Getting the old ones out was fun, they didnt come out w/o a fight.
First off the cotter pins on both lowers were rusted and seized in place.
Both of them broke off, and needed to be drilled out so that I could get the nuts off.
I know I know.... why bother if your replacing them anyways right?
Good question, I dont know why I did it. Just did it to do it, maybe did it out of habit, I dunno.
The uppers weren't MUCH better but still were better off than the lowers.
With the axle back in the garage, I bolted it all back up, as I knew that having it under the Jeep would give me the leverage I needed to press these things out. And press them out I did. Luckily I've got the tools, and the adapters and everything I needed to make this job a little easier than without.
Some of you may be haters and have nothing but bad things to say about the Harbor Freight 4wd Ball joint Service Kit. But I've had this for several years, and It's been used for countless U-joint services, and to date, 3 different ball joint installs, and more.... And it;s still working as good as the day I bought it.
It all comes down to using your tool the right way. :eyes:
Using the right tools the right way the old ball joints came out without TOO much difficulty. Yes I had to bust out the breaker bar and the BFH... but again, thats what it takes to do this, and knowing how much and when to do what is the difference between having a tool break, and having a tool last.
Old ball joints on top, new shiny on the bottom. (Alloy USA 11801)
The new ball joints were set in place, and pressed to their new homes.
If YOU end up getting the Alloy USA ball joints, be aware of how the lower ones are clocked as you press them in. Otherwise the access point for the grease zirk may end up pointing in a direction that would make service a little hard. This position is a little OVER clocked for my liking, but I can still get to it easy enough.
Minus dust caps ...here's a pic of the new ones all put in and ready for the knuckle.
Thats basically it, I'll get a couple more pics up later of everything all buttoned up and installed. It was getting late after everything was done, so I didnt snap any pics of the finished product and the gussets painted.
BIG thanks to Brandon (Bmikes) for the welding. And a special thank you to Wes (92WarWagon) for the assist as well. Glad to have you there for the occasional third hand buddy - it really made a difference.
All the help guys was really appreciated.
atriot:
Getting the old ones out was fun, they didnt come out w/o a fight.
First off the cotter pins on both lowers were rusted and seized in place.
Both of them broke off, and needed to be drilled out so that I could get the nuts off.
I know I know.... why bother if your replacing them anyways right?
Good question, I dont know why I did it. Just did it to do it, maybe did it out of habit, I dunno.
The uppers weren't MUCH better but still were better off than the lowers.
With the axle back in the garage, I bolted it all back up, as I knew that having it under the Jeep would give me the leverage I needed to press these things out. And press them out I did. Luckily I've got the tools, and the adapters and everything I needed to make this job a little easier than without.
Some of you may be haters and have nothing but bad things to say about the Harbor Freight 4wd Ball joint Service Kit. But I've had this for several years, and It's been used for countless U-joint services, and to date, 3 different ball joint installs, and more.... And it;s still working as good as the day I bought it.
It all comes down to using your tool the right way. :eyes:
Using the right tools the right way the old ball joints came out without TOO much difficulty. Yes I had to bust out the breaker bar and the BFH... but again, thats what it takes to do this, and knowing how much and when to do what is the difference between having a tool break, and having a tool last.
Old ball joints on top, new shiny on the bottom. (Alloy USA 11801)
The new ball joints were set in place, and pressed to their new homes.
If YOU end up getting the Alloy USA ball joints, be aware of how the lower ones are clocked as you press them in. Otherwise the access point for the grease zirk may end up pointing in a direction that would make service a little hard. This position is a little OVER clocked for my liking, but I can still get to it easy enough.
Minus dust caps ...here's a pic of the new ones all put in and ready for the knuckle.
Thats basically it, I'll get a couple more pics up later of everything all buttoned up and installed. It was getting late after everything was done, so I didnt snap any pics of the finished product and the gussets painted.
BIG thanks to Brandon (Bmikes) for the welding. And a special thank you to Wes (92WarWagon) for the assist as well. Glad to have you there for the occasional third hand buddy - it really made a difference.
All the help guys was really appreciated.
atriot:
NW99XJ
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Gresham, Or.
Re: 99 XJ DD & Weekend Warrior
Of course man. I'd be glad to help out.
No problem man! Always glad to help out. I'll probably do this to mine before I put it back in. Wanna give me a hand on my ball joints?
Of course man. I'd be glad to help out.
Demonoid369
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Salem, OR
99 XJ DD & Weekend Warrior
Any particular reason for adding the brace on the outside on the lower half of the axle C? The pictures I've seen around have both upper and lower portion of the axle C plated just like what you did with the upper portion of the C.
Any particular reason for adding the brace on the outside on the lower half of the axle C? The pictures I've seen around have both upper and lower portion of the axle C plated just like what you did with the upper portion of the C.
bmikes
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- portland or
99 XJ DD & Weekend Warrior
One reason is because the steering stop is on the bottom, and you'd have to grind that flush, weld on on the gussets, and then figure out a way to make a new steering stop (if you wanted. I am going to do the same thing, and got the idea design from Torx's build. One on the bottom connecting to the 1/4" lca mount, axle tube, and C should be plenty to hold it I'd think.
One reason is because the steering stop is on the bottom, and you'd have to grind that flush, weld on on the gussets, and then figure out a way to make a new steering stop (if you wanted. I am going to do the same thing, and got the idea design from Torx's build. One on the bottom connecting to the 1/4" lca mount, axle tube, and C should be plenty to hold it I'd think.
NW99XJ
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Gresham, Or.
Re: 99 XJ DD & Weekend Warrior
Yea I gotta admit, TORX FAB is to blame for the "conceptualization" of these.
^what he said.
Yea I gotta admit, TORX FAB is to blame for the "conceptualization" of these.
Re: 99 XJ DD & Weekend Warrior
It's amazing how popular the truss/gusset/sleeve modifications have become for the D30's. Just a few years ago it was pretty rare to hear of doing such things. I'm still torn on whether it's really needed for most builds, but it's cheap and easy assurance.
Some companies like Poly Performance are now even offering "Front Axle Assurance Kits".
I'm such a trend setter.
It's amazing how popular the truss/gusset/sleeve modifications have become for the D30's. Just a few years ago it was pretty rare to hear of doing such things. I'm still torn on whether it's really needed for most builds, but it's cheap and easy assurance.
Some companies like Poly Performance are now even offering "Front Axle Assurance Kits".
Bronzewyrm
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Independence,or
im still running my 30 with cromo's, full case locker, and 456's. no truss, no sleeves, no C gussets... I thought about a sleeve kit once, but I haven't had much issues with it as is.
Bronze.
Bronze.
- Location
- NE Texas
Sleeved, Trussed, Heavily Gusseted, Alloys, Full case, 4.56s.... I Break all the time..
