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I've lost track of how many times I've bent my tie rod during the last few
years. Typically, I would just heat it up and bend it back into shape as
best I could, only to screw it up again on the next trail. To figure out how to raise it up and
out of harm's way would have been great, but I just never seemed to get around to it. And then
I read about a new high steering "kit" from Down East Off-Road of Wilson, NC.
It was a bit pricey, but it was also very complete. And by
raising the tie rod nearly 7 inches, I
would never have to worry about bending any of my steering components again!
The kit comes with new steering knuckles, new brake
calipers & pads (from a Chevy S-10), a beefy 1-1/4" x .125 wall DOM tie rod
with 1-ton ends, heavy-duty drag link and ends, weld-on track bar/steering stabilizer
relocation brackets, weld-on sway bar attachment relocation brackets, all the required
hardware, and a really nice set of installation instructions with lots of
color photos. BTW, I designated this project as "Not Too Bad",
regarding "Ease of Installation". However, as with any major
modification, you have to expect some "challenges" (as I like to call them).
And sure enough, after carefully reading the instructions and
staring at the underside of my Jeep for several minutes, I realized that this was
not
going to be a quick bolt-on job. Proper installation requires that you cut
off the factory steering stabilizer bracket and the factory sway bar
attachment brackets
from the front axle. The new relocation brackets that are provided with
the kit must be modified (in some cases) to fit your application, and then
welded in place. I also had to do a few other modifications in order to
make everything work properly together. Read on.
The first step towards installation of the new kit was to strip all of the
old steering components from the front axle, including the tires, calipers,
hubs, rotors, axle shafts, tie rod, drag link, and steering knuckles.
After that, I inspected the ball joints and found the lower ones to be pretty
"loose". The Jeep has nearly 100,000 miles on it, and I had everything
taken apart anyway, so I decided to replace all four of the joints.
If you've never replaced ball joints before, it really isn't that hard, but
you absolutely must have the correct tool to do the job.
The tool is required to both remove the old joints and to
reinstall the new ones. Luckily, I was able to borrow one from a friend.
At this time, I pulled out my cutting tool and grinder, and proceeded to
remove the steering stabilizer bracket and the sway bar attachment brackets from the
axle.
Installation of the new components was relatively straight forward.
The new steering knuckles went on first, followed by the axle shafts, rotors,
hubs, and the new brake calipers. The first glitch during the
installation came when trying to connect the factory brake lines to the new
calipers; the hole in the brake line fitting was just a tiny bit too small.
So I removed the brake lines and drilled them out on my drill press, connected
everything back up, and bled the brakes. Next, I temporarily installed
the new tie rod and drag link to see how everything was going to fit so far.
Next "challenge"; at full turn (both left and right), the tie rod contacted my
Currie track bar. So I removed the track bar, heated it up with my torch,
and "straightened" it out a just little (it has a large compound bend, up and
forward, near the front diff). It clears the steering linkage now, but I
won't know about it clearing the diff until I get it all "twisted" up out on the
trail. The instructions state that you cannot reuse the
factory track bar with this kit; I presume for this same reason as I
encountered. Straightening the
track bar lengthened it, so I had to shorten mine a few turns before
reinstalling it (the factory part, of course, isn't adjustable).
One
of the sets of weld-on brackets provided in the kit allows you relocate the
track bar (for Jeeps with 8 inches of lift) and the steering stabilizer.
I was able to use the factory track bar mount on my 4-inch-lifted Jeep.
But I would still need the relocation brackets in order to remount my steering
stabilizer, which I haven't done yet, cuz the new drag link doesn't have a
mounting hole for it. So I will have to purchase a couple of U-bolts and
fabricate my own mounting plate for the steering linkage end of the
stabilizer. Anyway, the front (triangular-shaped) relocation bracket
(it's 2 pieces) fits very tightly between the coil spring and the tie rod.
A test fit proved that, at full left turn, the nut that secures the drag link
to the tie rod would hit the bracket. So I reshaped the bracket
into an "L", and welded it in place. Using the steering stabilizer as a
guide, I welded in the rear piece of the bracket set.
Other than final installation of the tie rod and drag link, positioning and
welding on the new sway bar attachment brackets was the last step in the installation
process. These also proved to be challenging, in that I wanted
them to be as tight in as possible and to not interfere with the new steering
linkage or the tires. After trying all possible combinations of my sway
bar linkage (I ended up flipping them over), I decided on the best location
for the new brackets and welded them into place. I shot all of the new
steel with a coat of spray paint and then marveled at the incredible amount
clearance afforded by my new steering kit! It was not time to make an
appointment for a professional
front-end alignment.
Oh No, Another "Challenge": After
completing the alignment, the mechanic reported that, during his test drive, every time he
accelerated hard, the Jeep would go to the right; and to the left every time
he quickly slowed down. He said he didn't know what could be causing
that, but he was confident that the front end was properly aligned.
Whoa, I've always know the principle behind "bump steer", but I've
evidently never experienced it . . . until now! For reference, take a look at the
relationship between the drag link and the track bar on a stock, unlifted Jeep.
You will notice that they are nearly parallel. Now note the large angle
between my drag link and track bar in the picture above. The larger this
angle, the greater the bump steer effect. And with the set up In the
picture above, the bump steer effect is severe! I guess it
didn't register when I was putting everything back together. And I totally
misunderstood the installation instructions when it said that you could no longer use the
factory track bar. I thought it was because of clearance problems.
No, it's cuz there's no way you can reinstall it onto the new track bar
relocation bracket without performing major "surgery"! In
fact, there was
no way that my Currie track bar was going to fit either in its present state.
So I removed it from the vehicle, heated it back up with the torch, and
completely straightened it out this time. Next, I cut a 5-inch chunk out
of the center and re-welded the remaining halves back together (I also welded on a 4-inch sleeve
over the butt-weld for added strength). After adjusting the track bar to
the correct length, I reinstalled it into the upper hole of the new relocation
bracket on the axle (passenger) side, and back in the factory mount on the frame
(driver) side.
While I was under there, I made up a mounting plate for the steering
stabilizer, which consists of a piece of 3/16" steel plate and a couple of
U-bolts. I installed the steering stabilizer in the lower hole in the
relocation relocation bracket, and then clamped it to the tie rod with the two
U-bolts. Below is the updated picture. You can't see the track bar
at all (except for the grease fitting at the bottom of the Johnny Joint at the
frame side); but its there, tucked high up behind the steering linkage, very
nicely "in-line" with the drag link! :o)
The steering stabilizer and mounting plate are clearly shown. Finally,
the new photo also shows the addition of a front diff guard. Now that my
tie rod isn't there anymore to take the pain, I figured I better protect the
diff otherwise!
Aw $hit!, another "challenge"!, hopefully the last one!:
Took my rig out on the trail the other day to test out the new set up.
My fellow Jeepers were all highly impressed . . . and rightly so!
;o) Everything seemed to
be working great, until the front end compressed. The upper bolts on my
new steering stabilizer bracket were hitting the drag link. During our
lunch break, I removed the steering stabilizer in order to confirm that this
was, in fact, the problem. Sure enough, no problems for the rest of the
day. In fact, I don't think I could even tell the difference with or
without the stabilizer. Notwithstanding, a friend recommended an easy
solution; simply weld the stabilizer bracket to the tie rod! And that
exactly what I did. The new steering stabilizer bracket is now only a
third the size of my original one. And with no hardware to get hung up
on anything, I think I'm finally finished with this modification!
For more information about the Down East Off-Road High Steer Kit and other
related suspension products, visit their web site at
www.downeastoffroad.com.
Copyright 1998 - 2008 Ó by Glenn Bontly