...sorry...another build thread...

[blondejoncherokee]

Not sure how many miles, not a lot. the j10 box is ok for now. Still waiting on the AGR box built for assist and the pump so we will see.

I might have bump steer, going to swap the stabilizer, the track bar and drag link hiems , and drop the axle side and frame side track bar mounts down a bit.

one good note:
tallest tires I've ran yet. heaviest tires I've ran yet. removed the condenser recently. No overheating going up why or down through the valley. For years it would get to 220* going up hwy, and sometimes hit 230* and pull over(always with the heater on..) . Only hit 210* once on the way up otherwise stayed around 195*. Pretty stoked since I was pushing it much harder with the 37s on the highway. Also, just went to 20w-50 valvoline VR1 racing oil, and just used a can of the BGK44 in the thing, the BG fuel system stuff, flushed it, refilled it, and threw in the BG MOA stuff too.

 

[blondejoncherokee]

so the front steering stubblier was totally done for. replaced track bar and drag link hems too. but that wasn't all of it...



The 4 rear leaf spring U bolts were totally loose, pass side was hand tight and that was it. like scary, u bolts just dangling down loosely. cranked them all super crazy tight. going to test drive it tomorrow to see how much better it is with no stubblier and the rear tightened up. I wouldn't be surprised if a rear center pin was shot, going to drop the rear axle tomorrow to check center pins, one side at a time.

 

[GordoSmasho]

Hav you checke to see if the rear axle is square yet? I remember in Reno that thing was crabbing down the freeway pretty bad.

 

[blondejoncherokee]

Well I am thinking the 4 super loose dangling u bolts where allowing the rear to shift all over the place causing bad rear steer. Probably broke a center pin too. I bet that's it right there. Along with a fubar stabilizer and bad trackbar heims.i remember slapping those leaves in a hurry one night. Probably didn't torque em down enough if at all

 

[831_xj]

Lol and you got the diver side leaves pretty good on the steps!

But dude thats probably it I would bet on it!

 

[blondejoncherokee]

Ya I was too tired last night, ended up talking jeeps with the dude who bought my 36s until midnight (he noticed the u bolts looked loose...) and so ill test it tonight with all of the changes. if that doesn't do it I plan to throw a "known to be good " stabilizer on and see what that does. And of course check center pins.

On another note ordered a case of Royal Purple PS fluid for the eventual to arrive AGR hydro assist box and pump, and to replace my current fluid. And ordered a 24" LED light bar off amazon for 54$ shipped, and its shipping from CA not China which is nice since most ship from China and take forever.

broken and bent end link and heims.

 

[GordoSmasho]

Holy crap. How did that happen?

 

[XJensen]

Oh Man That Sucks.

 

[blondejoncherokee]

I could care less about the sway bar end link but the rear leaf bolts being so loose is sketchy. . its just a swap bar end link, broke after the welds on the outer sleeve but before the welds on the bung. It actually bent to hell and sheared the metal in half, weld are fine, metal ripped like paper. and the big ol 1/2" thick arm just fell off. I think 1/2" heims might not be strong enough. It was on SR when it happened , but we ran DV that morning . Not sure how. I don't feel like I was beating on it that hard...Might order all 5/8th stuff for that side from RS and go to some thicker chromolly, or just say screw it and just build another one, but have the sleeve go all the way to the bung this time.





LEARN FROM MY STUPIDITY! EVEYRONE GO OUT AND CHECK TORQUE ON YOUR U BOLTS (AND CONTROL ARMS , STEERING, AND TRACKBAR FOR THAT MATTER!)

 

[GordoSmasho]

You should add that to the pre run checklist man. Every run I try to go through every nut and bolt and check torque on everything suspension related.

 

[blondejoncherokee]

You should add that to the pre run checklist man. Every run I try to go through every nut and bolt and check torque on everything suspension related.

I usually do or at least used to . Now I will have to start doing it again. The thing is i was focusing so much on the front end that I didnt even think of checking the rear...

 

[blondejoncherokee]

So....


Huge updates! junked the crappy old stabilizer as said before, Sway bar is currently off the thing in pieces, all new track bar and drag link heims, and tightened up rear U bolts. So I finally drove it and the jeep seems to be handling better like a night and day difference. Not only that, but no DW whatsoever. Smooth as glass. My new theory is that the Iroks where causing the DW that forced me to go to a stabilizer in the first place. Ill still carry the 2 known to be good stabilizers in the rig for now just in case DW shows up anytime soon before I get the new power steering pump and box in the mail for hydro . I also think I could have had a bad heim or 4 on the thing. which is odd because they were all pretty new. Worst case is ill start replacing the RS heims at the beginning of every season with 20% off on a holiday its pretty cheap to get a few sets of 7/8 heims.

 

[Johnnie Walker]

Jon, you do know that those heims have a warranty correct?

 

[GordoSmasho]

That's great news Jon. I mean aside from the fact that your heims keep failing.

 

[blondejoncherokee]

Jon, you do know that those heims have a warranty correct?

No I did not. Maybe ill take a few spare sets in ( I have like 3 used replaced sets lying around...)

Oh, and I was sick of my sh!t pile rear bumper so I bought one of those 100$ off and free shipping. Ill be making a new tire carrier mount for the new bumper. It will give the jeep more self esteem to look better from behind. My credit card hates me these days since I have been using her hard for years with not a single compliment.

http://www.dirtboundoffroad.com/diy-mojave-rear-bumper-cut-and-fold-jeep-cherokee-xj.html

thing is dirt cheap for what it is. I would probably spend at least 100$ if not more building a new rear bumper and have it still not look 1/10 as good. of course the tire carrier part wont look (since ill be building it) as good but what-evs

 

[831_xj]

Damn I wasted my time with my jcr! That would've saved a minor headache..nice buy!

 

[GordoSmasho]

Didn't know they were that cheep. Haha. Looks like I found the bumper that's going on Stephs rig. Nice find Jon.

 

[blondejoncherokee]

they are only priced like this for another week or so though. I saw it in the vendor advertisements.

 

[blondejoncherokee]

Super Bright and Cheap, 54$ shipped from amazon



I did that at like midnight last night and I think I freaked out all my neighbors in the alley. The picture doesn't do it justice, but it lit up everything, it was awesomeness. David hasslehoff would have been proud. amazon is full of cheap LED light bars.

ordered a second dirt bound rear bumper, going to make it fit on my pops 3rd gen 4runner. the XJ and the 3rd gen 4runners have the same width bumpers and almost the exact same frame rial width.

 

[Forceful Llama]

Dang. Might pick one of those light bars up.