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School me on Jeeps

Singleton

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Jeep is at the shop getting a transmission service and alignment. Guy said it has some “weird” parts and is having problems setting the caster.

it has a basic 2.5” rubicon express kit.

From what I can figure out is I will need new lower front arms at a minimum.

Thoughts?

That RE kit should have adjustable upper and lower arms. I have the 3.5 super flex RE kit. Only RE part left is the arms. Coils are getting replaced as well at tie rod etc. lift lasted 7 years and 10k off-road miles but is showing signs of wear
 

CLdrinker

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That RE kit should have adjustable upper and lower arms. I have the 3.5 super flex RE kit. Only RE part left is the arms. Coils are getting replaced as well at tie rod etc. lift lasted 7 years and 10k off-road miles but is showing signs of wear
It has stock arms.
 

Singleton

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It has stock arms.

I had the relocation brackets for stock arms in my garage. Finally gave them away last week.

Options are relocation brackets (require welding and reduce clearance) or purchase adjustable upper and lower arms
 

CLdrinker

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I had the relocation brackets for stock arms in my garage. Finally gave them away last week.

Options are relocation brackets (require welding and reduce clearance) or purchase adjustable upper and lower arms
I’m going to see how it drives and go from there.
Maybe sometime in the future I will buy a whole different kit.
 

CLdrinker

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Wholly shit. Jeep is done. Alignment and transmission service.
Drum roll....


$380🤔
 

CLdrinker

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WTF? You are short $620. You better take that back to the shop ASAP.

the owner is good guy and has always been fair. Maybe I’m getting old. But I figured $75-100 for alignment and $150-200 for trans service.

must be that dam inflation!
 

Singleton

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the owner is good guy and has always been fair. Maybe I’m getting old. But I figured $75-100 for alignment and $150-200 for trans service.

must be that dam inflation!

most mechanics / shops are averaging $135 an hour in labor. under $400 IMO is a deal
 

DaBank

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Sounds like we are going to calico on Sunday. Meeting on Dale evans on ramp at 9:30am.

This is not my rodeo and we haven’t ever been before. So patients and good attitudes only.

If you guys want to join.
How many Jeeps are going? You say it is not your rodeo....... is it a Jeep club you are going with?
 

Gelcoater

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It’s the wood that makes it good!
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Huge difference. SXS plastics are cheap. and go back to looking new with a $10 can of silicone spray.

I'd argue you don't need anything close to a $50K SXS either. You can find something great that is lightly used for mid $20Ks.

5 years ago an $18K RZR 1000 was the pinnacle of SXS performance. It is still pretty darn good today.
You go old school, and when you fold stuff you hammer it back and cover it it with diamond plate😎
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CLdrinker

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How many Jeeps are going? You say it is not your rodeo....... is it a Jeep club you are going with?
My wife’s cousin jk with coil overs and 37’s and I think there friend is coming with a old YJ. So it’s just us 3
 

CLdrinker

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Well Calico went well. We didn’t do any of the hard trails unfortunately.
Kids had fun. Picked up our share of trash in one of the mines.
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CLdrinker

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So I need to address some suspension issues.

Biggest problem is this thing is all over the road. If the road is well paved the issue is minor.
But if it is rough this dam thing darts off and will make a lane change on you.

Also hitting the bump stops on any large dip in the road is easy. And while driving in the wind will lean and transfer weight this making it hook any uneven road surface and dart one way or the other


I believe the kit to be a mopar 2”.
with the added weight of front and rear bumpers, winch and heavier fenders I’m thinking the springs are to soft possibly.

I just took it in for alignment and the castor is off. I think this is probably causing my handling issue.

Im thinking of upgrading to fixed lower arms and new 2.5” springs. But I don’t want to pay for springs and end up still slamming the bump stops.

Obviously I don’t want to spend money on arms and still have handling issues either.

How can I tell for sure what kit I have?

Note shocks are good. I couldn’t compress them by hand.
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t&y

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Caster & Camber angle needs to be set right for it to handle right on the road. Are you still running the anti-sway bar? That could be a huge difference too. In my research on these I don't recall seeing every lift kit with adjustable links. If your kit does not have adjustable links that is probably a big part of the problem.
 

LargeOrangeFont

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If the caster is off you need to buy whatever components needed to correct the caster. That will address most of the wandering issue unless something else is off.
 

CLdrinker

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Caster & Camber angle needs to be set right for it to handle right on the road. Are you still running the anti-sway bar? That could be a huge difference too. In my research on these I don't recall seeing every lift kit with adjustable links. If your kit does not have adjustable links that is probably a big part of the problem.
Still has both stock sway bars. Not sure if the links are stock or not. Don’t look aftermarket.
 

DaBank

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Check your alignment and I would rotate your tires also and see if it handles different.
Does the Jeep dip/lower to one side when putting it in gear? I had a Rubicon that started doing that one day and was a handful driving it for a couple of days and I started looking it over and the factory electronic sway bar unit broke and one side of the sway bar (2 piece) was connected and one side was disconnected. Was easy to notice because one sway bar link was under tension and the other side was not.
 

CLdrinker

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If the caster is off you need to buy whatever components needed to correct the caster. That will address most of the wandering issue unless something else is off.
I agree. I’m thinking fixed Lowe front arms should rotate the bottom of the axle forward which would help castor.

But what springs....

Don’t mind spending a bit of money getting this thing sorted out. Just don’t want to spend without results lol.
 

CLdrinker

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Check your alignment and I would rotate your tires also and see if it handles different.
Does the Jeep dip/lower to one side when putting it in gear? I had a Rubicon that started doing that one day and was a handful driving it for a couple of days and I started looking it over and the factory electronic sway bar unit broke and one side of the sway bar (2 piece) was connected and one side was disconnected. Was easy to notice because one sway bar link was under tension and the other side was not.

No shit? Hmm I think I need to look into this. I think it does dip to one side.

just had alignment done. Everything is good except castor.

I’m trying to order new wheels and tires if people would get back to me.
 

LargeOrangeFont

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I agree. I’m thinking fixed Lowe front arms should rotate the bottom of the axle forward which would help castor.

But what springs....

Don’t mind spending a bit of money getting this thing sorted out. Just don’t want to spend without results lol.

That that should help caster and fix your problem. Agreed on checking everything swaybar related too.

If you are hitting the bump stops, you only have 2 options. Get taller springs to raise it, or get shorter bump stops.
 

DaBank

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No shit? Hmm I think I need to look into this. I think it does dip to one side.

just had alignment done. Everything is good except castor.

I’m trying to order new wheels and tires if people would get back to me.
You should feel and see it over the hood when sitting in the drivers seat. Even if it does not feel that bad I would have some else put it in gear while you watch it from outside. Dont do it with the emergency brake on.
Also measure your and see if your axle is center, check if one wheel is sticking out further than the other. If one wheel sticks out further it handles a little different, people say it does not because the axle moves while driving but I could always tell the diffence once the axle was centered.
 

JD D05

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No shit? Hmm I think I need to look into this. I think it does dip to one side.

just had alignment done. Everything is good except castor.

I’m trying to order new wheels and tires if people would get back to me.

Adjustable trac bar, Really good stabilizer shock & lower adjustable arms. This made mine pretty good and I run my tires at 30 psi. Synergy has good springs from what I have been told.
 

Singleton

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Look at springs for part number (should be stamped) once you have we can see what lift you might have.

I had wandering issues - new tires (balanced correctly) and issue went away. I also have noticed my springs are sagging due to added weight - moving from springs for a 3.5 lift to 4 hoping to resolve that issue
 

CLdrinker

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Welcome to modding a jeep!
Lol tell me about it.
I need to order the 180 tstat and get that put in.
I then found the locker bypass kit so I can run the engage the lockers when I want. So I want that.
need to build a co2 setup.
blah blah blah
 

mesquito_creek

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Is there really anything to a front end alignment on an SFA dana 44?... Besides toe and castor?..... isn't camber fixed and castor is also fixed in terms of each side has no adjustment beyond what comes with setting the pinon angle? I often wonder what you are paying for when you take it to a shop. Its somewhat correct after one time assuming all the bushings and what not are good.
 

TeamGreene

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Take it to Bob’s Tire, quality shop and the owner is into Jeep’s.
 

t&y

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Is there really anything to a front end alignment on an SFA dana 44?... Besides toe and castor?..... isn't camber fixed and castor is also fixed in terms of each side has no adjustment beyond what comes with setting the pinon angle? I often wonder what you are paying for when you take it to a shop. Its somewhat correct after one time assuming all the bushings and what not are good.
I don't have the new fancy jeeps.... but there can be adjustments to a 44 in regards to camber. It can be shims behind the hubs (that is what is on my bronco) or shims on the ball joints. My Jeep is zero camber (positive or negative) but the caster had to be played with a bit after a lift. I'm guessing Bldrinkers case, the prior owner did a budget lift and now he is having to chase down the issues.

I'm guessing adjustable lower or upper links on his set up would solve that issue rather quick, assuming something else isn't flat our broken. Could also be a draglink issue if that was set up correct. There is a reason some lift kits are a bit more than other... lol.
 

CLdrinker

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Is there really anything to a front end alignment on an SFA dana 44?... Besides toe and castor?..... isn't camber fixed and castor is also fixed in terms of each side has no adjustment beyond what comes with setting the pinon angle? I often wonder what you are paying for when you take it to a shop. Its somewhat correct after one time assuming all the bushings and what not are good.
Castor is changed once you lift it. Which then effects driveline angle.
 

t&y

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I do not have an adjustable track bar. Doh$$
Ok. The track bar is what will keep your axle aligned properly under the jeep. It will also cause bump steer and a bit of wondering if it is not adjust properly. Many of those mods really depend on how much of a lift it has. Simple test, find a flat body line on either side of the tire and run a straight edge out to the tire. Measure the difference between both sides and that will tell you if there really is a problem there or not. A good indicator can be as easy as looking at your steering wheel. If they didn't take the time to re-center the steering wheel after the lift install, I would venture to say they probably didn't take the time to make sure the angles were correct to begin with..... hahahahahah..... oh the fun of owning a jeep.
 

CLdrinker

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This is the lift I believe it has but I have the reservoir shocks. Due to the prior owner saying it was done at the dealer. Plus those POS brake line brackets look exactly like the ones I just tossed in the trash.
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CLdrinker

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Think I found a track bar. Going to check it after work.
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t&y

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2" lift is usually a bit of a question mark as to how many other mods you have to do. I'd try to get the measurement on your axle in relation to how far off your axle is in relation to center before you go spending a ton of money. That adjustable track bar is not a bad idea, but it will not fix a Caster issue if it exists.


If the lift is causing your axle to be out of center you should see more tire on your drivers side... meaning it will pull the axle to the drivers side more than the passenger side.
 

CLdrinker

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2" lift is usually a bit of a question mark as to how many other mods you have to do. I'd try to get the measurement on your axle in relation to how far off your axle is in relation to center before you go spending a ton of money. That adjustable track bar is not a bad idea, but it will not fix a Caster issue if it exists.


If the lift is causing your axle to be out of center you should see more tire on your drivers side... meaning it will pull the axle to the drivers side more than the passenger side.
$60 for the track bar. I will be getting 2.5” springs of some sort so the track bar will help center the axle I doubt it’s off.

I know the track bar does nothing to help caster. That’s all in the arms.

I reached out to a guy who is friends with a guy at teraflex I emailed him my issues we will see if he replies. Might be able to get a discount.
 
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JD D05

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$60 for the track bar. I will be getting 2.5” springs of some sort so the track bar will help center the axle I doubt it’s off.

I know the track bar does nothing to help caster. That’s all in the arms.

I reached out to a guy who is friends with a guy at teraflex I emailed him my issues we will see if he replies. Might be able to get a discount.

I was going to say just get the Teraflex lol
 

CLdrinker

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Scored the track bar.

ok I can’t seem to get a price for wheels and tires so I’m just going to order them myself.

Guys with Jk’s can you post a picture of your jeep and let me know what BS or offset you have?

I think I need 4.5” BS or -12 offset.
 

81Sprint

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Track bars are a must, mine was off quite a bit after the first 2.5" lift. adjusted them again when i went to 4". Old pic when i did it the first time, gotta get creative lol

JK track bar.jpg
 

zx14

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So I need to address some suspension issues.

Biggest problem is this thing is all over the road. If the road is well paved the issue is minor.
But if it is rough this dam thing darts off and will make a lane change on you.

Also hitting the bump stops on any large dip in the road is easy. And while driving in the wind will lean and transfer weight this making it hook any uneven road surface and dart one way or the other


I believe the kit to be a mopar 2”.
with the added weight of front and rear bumpers, winch and heavier fenders I’m thinking the springs are to soft possibly.

I just took it in for alignment and the castor is off. I think this is probably causing my handling issue.

Im thinking of upgrading to fixed lower arms and new 2.5” springs. But I don’t want to pay for springs and end up still slamming the bump stops.

Obviously I don’t want to spend money on arms and still have handling issues either.

How can I tell for sure what kit I have?

Note shocks are good. I couldn’t compress them by hand. View attachment 996484 View attachment 996485
[/
1619577004177.png
stock jk measurements QUOTE]
 

81Sprint

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Do you know your wheel specs?
17x8.5, 4.75 backspace, 0 offset

 

LakeBeard

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I agree. I’m thinking fixed Lowe front arms should rotate the bottom of the axle forward which would help castor.

But what springs....

Don’t mind spending a bit of money getting this thing sorted out. Just don’t want to spend without results lol.
if your ok w/ spending some coin rip that stuff out and replace it w/ a Currie short arm w/ the anti rock. Pricey but worth every cent.
 

CLdrinker

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Well just empty every pocket
Just ordered
Teraflex adjustable lower front arms
2.5” spring kit
Falcon 2.1 shocks
 
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