utk/otk 1 ton steer vs wj swap

so i've been thinking about what to do with my steering setup lately and i cant really come to a decision. i searched to see if i could find a thread like this but couldnt so here goes. which of the above is the best? i have read and understand the different setups but out of real world experience is there that big of a difference between the wj swap and 1 ton steering? i realize you get better breaks out of the wj setup but is it really worth all the work? i figure to go otk with 1 ton you have to move the track bar about as much as the wj. for those of you who have done the wj with the short track bar (jks mount) do you get bump steer? all help is greatly appreciated. oh and my xj is lifted 4" with 33's if that helps any

jeeptech1 said:

so i've been thinking about what to do with my steering setup lately and i cant really come to a decision. i searched to see if i could find a thread like this but couldnt so here goes. which of the above is the best?

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depends on the operator & terrain... trail rigs, you'd probably want the tie rod/drag link up as high as possible, to avoid damage by obstacles... bigger tires will wear out tie rod ends quicker, so some will swap in 1-ton ends for their strength (these ends are factory tie rod ends on HD/1-ton trucks, in turn, making them more accessible VS aftermarket components, such as heims)... making YOUR decision is also based on your capabilities... can you weld? do you know how to measure/match steering angles? and basically, your understanding of what each of those modifications offer you & how you & your rig can benefit from it

jeeptech1 said:

i have read and understand the different setups but out of real world experience is there that big of a difference between the wj swap and 1 ton steering? i realize you get better breaks out of the wj setup but is it really worth all the work?

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yes... yes... but again, depends on your application & capability... if you cant weld, or dont know how/where to source the parts, it could get more frustrating/expensive than what you're willing to put up with

jeeptech1 said:

i figure to go otk with 1 ton you have to move the track bar about as much as the wj. for those of you who have done the wj with the short track bar (jks mount) do you get bump steer? all help is greatly appreciated. oh and my xj is lifted 4" with 33's if that helps any

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i dont know first hand, but from what i understand, the higher tie rod/drag link intersecting angle, &/or the different angles between the track bar & drag link, the worse the bumpsteer... separating the drag link from the tie rod (like on the WJ set up) & matching the TB angle, wont have bumpsteer... basically, the more parallel, the better

i can weld so the actual doing part isnt a problem and getting the angles right is a non issue doing wise. i understand the parallel track bar and drag link but ive heard that you can still get bumpsteer even if they are parallel due to the track bar being significantly shorter than the drag link which makes sense to me. its my dd/trail rig and will be going to moab and the rubicon for some fun down the road. i guess im really asking, brake upgrade aside, is the wj swap better than one ton steering conversion? it seems to me that dumping 600-800$ (estimated wj) in steering for a dana 30 and not really getting any more axle strength is starting to get into dana 44 swap territory.

If I could afford it and did not already have an HD Tierod, I would do the WJ swap.
JeepCherokeeGuy99 had the WJ setup on his vehicle, I would message him (or you could call/txt him as his number is listed in the so cal FS section.

jeeptech1 said:

i can weld so the actual doing part isnt a problem and getting the angles right is a non issue doing wise. i understand the parallel track bar and drag link but ive heard that you can still get bumpsteer even if they are parallel due to the track bar being significantly shorter than the drag link which makes sense to me. its my dd/trail rig and will be going to moab and the rubicon for some fun down the road. i guess im really asking, brake upgrade aside, is the wj swap better than one ton steering conversion? it seems to me that dumping 600-800$ (estimated wj) in steering for a dana 30 and not really getting any more axle strength is starting to get into dana 44 swap territory.

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well, searched this, & i read the 2nd link... length is a factor... so i guess, keep it as long as possbile (...thats what she said)

as for going OTK with 1-ton... you'd need a Right Hand Drive drag link to flip the TRE on the passenger knuckle

if $$/d30 strength is a factor for you, going 1-ton would be cheaper... to each their own... in my case, the WJ is a part by part, slowly acquired process... sourced complete brake system out of an 04 WJ ( F & R rotors, calipers, brackets, backing plates, knuckles, booster, & master cylinder), & will get offset TRE's, tubing for TR/drag, OTA TB bracket, JKS spacers, blah blah, when finances allow... all going on another trussed d30 i have on the side

xj^REMY said:

well, searched this, & i read the 2nd link... length is a factor... so i guess, keep it as long as possbile (...thats what she said)

as for going OTK with 1-ton... you'd need a Right Hand Drive drag link to flip the TRE on the passenger knuckle

if $$/d30 strength is a factor for you, going 1-ton would be cheaper... to each their own... in my case, the WJ is a part by part, slowly acquired process... sourced complete brake system out of an 04 WJ ( F & R rotors, calipers, brackets, backing plates, knuckles, booster, & master cylinder), & will get offset TRE's, tubing for TR/drag, OTA TB bracket, JKS spacers, blah blah, when finances allow... all going on another trussed d30 i have on the side

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They ream the drag link TRE to put the taper on the other side... pretty easy to do when you have that much TRE to work with.

I faced this same question early last year when I finally got tired of going through the mini TREs that Rusty's "heavy duty" steering set-up required. I was also running a Rusty's trackbar that wanted to get rid of.

I decided to build a trackbar using all BallisticFab stuff, upper and lower bracket kits, chromolly rod ends and 1.5 (.250 wall) DOM with adapters, relocating the axle bracket as far to the passenger side as possible, upper bracket as far to the driver side as possible, both approximate to the angle I'd be using for an over the knuckle setup built using 1.5 (.250 wall) DOM, and adapters for Chevy 7/8 thread TREs (1-ton) in the same config as JCR's 1-ton steering.

Did it work? Absolutely!!! Is it time consuming and expensive? YES!!

I must say though, that either I was lucky on my first attempt at doing this kind of project, or that my homework on ANGLES and LENGTH really paid off.

Bumpsteer is minimal, it's bulletproof and overkill for my set-up (I'm at 4.5 lift on 31's) and it's both a daily driver AND great on trails!

On the WJ setup flipping the TRE OTK and using 1 ton ends, will their be a problem with 15" alum rims? I have the older 99 brakes and found many quoting that they will work with minimal grinding. Do the ends come close in that area?

I am doing the same as xj^REMY. Part by part.. Have axle, knuckles, brake caliper brackets, Truss, gears, balljoints, locker, cover.

Next steps are, complete bracket and spring perches, RE JJ top links, JKS spacers, outer tube seals, C gussets, calipers, cross d rotors, OTK inserts, steering links, stabilizer, track bar.

Misc stuff like sway link and track mount I can fab.. Parts are build your own style.

xj^REMY said:

well, searched this, & i read the 2nd link... length is a factor... so i guess, keep it as long as possbile (...thats what she said)

as for going OTK with 1-ton... you'd need a Right Hand Drive drag link to flip the TRE on the passenger knuckle

if $$/d30 strength is a factor for you, going 1-ton would be cheaper... to each their own... in my case, the WJ is a part by part, slowly acquired process... sourced complete brake system out of an 04 WJ ( F & R rotors, calipers, brackets, backing plates, knuckles, booster, & master cylinder), & will get offset TRE's, tubing for TR/drag, OTA TB bracket, JKS spacers, blah blah, when finances allow... all going on another trussed d30 i have on the side

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With the 1-ton steering setup, the aftermarket draglink connects to the tierod not the knuckle. SO only if you were using stock steering parts would you NEED a RHD draglink, as the tierod would connect to the draglink

Johnnie Walker said:

With the 1-ton steering setup, the aftermarket draglink connects to the tierod not the knuckle. SO only if you were using stock steering parts would you NEED a RHD draglink, as the tierod would connect to the draglink

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oops, thanks for the correction, thats what i meant... i was thinking stock y-link (right? pitman-->drag link-->knuckle... where t-link is, drag link-->TR) set up with GM "1-ton" TRE's...

...which now that i FULLY think of it, would just get bigger TRE's on the tie rod to drag link, & the drag link would just be a stock sized RHD... pretty useless set up huh? :wierd: