CJ SOA Steering

[mark]

Whille this isn't a hydro thread, this is how you get an SOA job to steer well at highway speeds...

So after suffering with steering that was degenerating to non-functional, I took a good look at re-working the whole thing. This all started when my tie rod failed from fatigue. The ball joint simply pulled out the end of the tie rod. So I replaced all the junk, one piece at a time until all the slop was gone. Here is my recipe:

1. AGR Super Box
2. Rusty’s Steering for a YJ (modified for a CJ)
3. JKS Telescoping Track Bar (modified for a CJ)
4. Kustom mounting brackets for said Track Bar
5. Flaming River CJ Steering Shaft
6. Steering Box Brace

After replacing the steering linkage and tires, the Jeep only handled marginally better. The symptoms included wandering, bump steering and throttle induced directional changes.

Investigation revealed a loose steering box, loose wheel bearings and an extreme amount of toe-in. So I tightened things up and fixed the toe-in with one of my driveway alignments. But there was still a ton of bump steer and wandering.

So I did some more looking and found that there was so much slop in the spring bushings that a steering input shifted the axle a couple of inches before the wheels would begin to turn. It also meant that any bump would shift the axle laterally causing a self steering condition. Not fun at 70MPH. A track bar was the obvious solution, but no one makes one for a CJ. So I kludged one together from a YJ version. I chose a telescoping one from JKS and modified it to fit the narrower frame of a CJ. I fabed up and welded brackets to the frame and spring plate. The JKS bar uses heim ends. It includes steel inserts for the heims that I welded to my home-brewed brackets. This takes all the slop out of the heims and ensures they never get loose even if a bolt does. The telescoping feature allows me to loosen the clamp on the track bar to prevent binding off road by letting the track bar telescope inside itself. With this done, the axle no longer moved relative to the frame. But there was still slop in the steering. With a newish AGR Super Box and a steering brace, I tracked the problem down to slop in the steering shaft. I could have replaced the two joints in the shaft, but decided to just replace the whole shaft. It required removal of the steering box to get the old shaft out, but the new one went right in. The critical part is drilling indents for the set screws in the existing splines on both ends. That and locktight shouldn’t be skipped.

With that, the steering now has zero slop. Not bad for an SOA CJ on 2.5” springs.

-Mark and his '85 CJ-7 "Norm"

[mark]

Here are the pics...

[bburris]

So I did some more looking and found that there was so much slop in the spring bushings that a steering input shifted the axle a couple of inches before the wheels would begin to turn.

Did you replace the leaf spring bushings?

[mark]

Did you replace the leaf spring bushings?

I had before but it never removed all the lateral movement. I didn't want to remove flex from the suspension with new bushings either.

-Mark

[bburris]

OK, I figured you would have tried that first but you didn't mention it.

That track bar looks sweet. Have you been able to test out the telescoping featuer yet?

[Violentv8toy]

what is the purpose of a track bar on a leaf sprung axle?

[mark]

OK, I figured you would have tried that first but you didn't mention it.

That track bar looks sweet. Have you been able to test out the telescoping featuer yet?

New bushings still allow for lateral movement and with the quick ratio box I never got the steering where it needed to be. It has been a white knuckle experience for years. Now steering it involves only slight movements of the wheel. There is still a little throttle induced wandering due to the rear detroit, but for once I can relax a bit when I drive the thing at high speeds.

I tested it in some light off roading last week but didn't unlock it. As a bonus, it helps with steering the front detroit. I have it set up parallel and the same length as the draglink, so binding is minimal. Next time I have the opprotunity to flex the suspension out, I'll see how much it telescopes.

By the way, here is the current version of Norm...

[mark]

what is the purpose of a track bar on a leaf sprung axle?

It’s the same as on any solid axle. That is the track bar resists the steering box's tendency to shift the axle laterally under steering. While the leaf springs ultimately locate the axle, the shifting tendency is still there on a leaf sprung axle. With the combination of any of the following: forward located shackles, extended shackles, worn bushings and lift springs, there is lots of leverage against the bushings at the frame. So steering precision is hard to achieve without a track bar. It may not make much difference off road but it makes all the difference on the highway. That’s why YJ’s come with one stock up front.

[texasxj]

are sway bars needed for offroad driving?-do they limit travel? i took mine off my xj-wont be on the street so dont care about manners

[agjohn02]

sway bars a.k.a. arb's definately limilt flex. thats what they're for.

[texasxj]

figured that-yeah more scrap metal money

[mark]

are sway bars needed for offroad driving?-do they limit travel? i took mine off my xj-wont be on the street so dont care about manners

That all depends. On an OEM suspension sway bars are not required off-road and severely limit travel. On road, they make a huge difference, particularly in vehicles like my tallish CJ. So I disconnect mine when froadin. But with the crazy flexy coil-overs people are making today, they are so soft that some buggies have too much sway off road and can flop too easily. So we are seeing a tendency to tune the rolling tendency with products like Currie's Anti-Rock sway bars which are intended for off road use. As a side bar, the new Power Wagon from Dodge has an electronic disconnect for its front sway bar.

[texasxj]

so would i need them for 6.5-9" coils? will be a while before i can do any "testing"

[mark]

so would i need them for 6.5-9" coils? will be a while before i can do any "testing"

No. We are talking about having low spring rates possible only with long coil overs or super long air springs before roll control is required off road. Some folks do mix coils and leaf springs to help control roll though. Your XJ will have that combo with its rear leaf springs. It all comes down to experimenting with spring rates and seeing how much roll you wish to live with for articulation.

[texasxj]

cool thx mark