• Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

Short arm and steering questions

A

Aric.Snellstrom

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Gunnison Colorado
Hi everyone, obviously I am new here and all, but i have a few questions. I own an 88 Jeep Comanche and currently I am running about 6.5" of lift on 31's. I have upgraded to adjustable upper and lower control arms, because the old stock arms wouldn't accept both the 4.5" coils and a 2" spacer... Yes i may have short arms (don't judge) i know long arms are "all the rage" but i wanted short arms still.

Question 1: Is there a way to get more flex out of the front end without loosing its abilities as a daily driver? For example would the johnny joint bushings be beneficial to me in the control arms?

Question 2: I have also upgraded my steering components from stock to the larger tougher tie rod end configuration. Is there any application that could help eliminate slop in the steering? I have no steering stabilizer, because i feel like purchasing one more shock that could limit my steering offroad is stupid... Would heim joints help me at all? And no I don't have that big of a problem with bump steer...

Any help or ideas would be nice! Thanks
 
<shrug> I've got around 6" of lift on RE adjustable short arms. I've got enough down travel in the front that I've lost front coils.
 
Disco/remove front swaybar?
Cut out part of the shock mount for more droop?
If you have arms with jam nuts, loosen them before you wheel. It will allow the arm to "flex/move
 
Yeah i thought about trying to loosening the jam nut before, but i didnt know if it was safe haha... I have tested how far i can flex with my swaybar connected and it doesnt look like its going to limit me. But thanks for the ideas
 
You don't say anything about sway bar disconnects. Not sure if you disconnect your sway bar (it doesn't sound like it according to your posts) but this will help immensely with off road flex. With sway bar disconnects, you can easily re-connect and DD it as normal. I had an MJ on 6.5"" of lift with short arms and drop brackets on 35" tires. I built it to DD, (never really DD it much though) so it had to handle well in all cases. I used poly bushings in the rear leafs and front sway bar, and it handled quite well on road and (after I disconnected the sway bar) quite well off road. I ran fixed aftermarket Tomken lower and upper CA's that had a johnny joint on one end. The rear was just spring-over factory leafs, and I left the load spring in just in case I still needed to use it as a truck and haul wood, mulch or whatever.

FYI... I wouldn't loosen the jam nuts on control arms to go offroad. Its just another thing that you need to remember to tighten before you drive home. And, they will probably clunk around like crazy offroad.
 
Aric.Snellstrom said:
Yeah i thought about trying to loosening the jam nut before, but i didnt know if it was safe haha... I have tested how far i can flex with my swaybar connected and it doesnt look like its going to limit me. But thanks for the ideas
Click to expand...

If the swaybar isnt limiting flex something is very wrong with your suspension.
I get more then a foot of additional flex when I disconnect the swaybar.
 
Aric.Snellstrom said:
Hi everyone, obviously I am new here and all, but i have a few questions. I own an 88 Jeep Comanche and currently I am running about 6.5" of lift on 31's. I have upgraded to adjustable upper and lower control arms, because the old stock arms wouldn't accept both the 4.5" coils and a 2" spacer... Yes i may have short arms (don't judge) i know long arms are "all the rage" but i wanted short arms still.

Question 1: Is there a way to get more flex out of the front end without loosing its abilities as a daily driver? For example would the johnny joint bushings be beneficial to me in the control arms?

Question 2: I have also upgraded my steering components from stock to the larger tougher tie rod end configuration. Is there any application that could help eliminate slop in the steering? I have no steering stabilizer, because i feel like purchasing one more shock that could limit my steering offroad is stupid... Would heim joints help me at all? And no I don't have that big of a problem with bump steer...

Any help or ideas would be nice! Thanks
Click to expand...
first ditch the 2" spacer, 2nd invest into drop brackets, 3rd ditch the sway bar
 
Rear flex is not a problem, i did a spring over in the rear and everything there is totaly fine (more flex than expected with stock leaves). I have disconnected my sway bar in the garage and jacked up the bumper on one side to see how much flex is occurring. The current bushings in my control arms are limiting the flex of the front axle... I think different bushings, like ones that pivot, would help. But will that increase more slop in my steering? Haha sorry to be a pain
 
What arms do you have now? You cant check flex by jacking up a bumper, you have to lift a tire.

I do my suspension tuning with a forklift.
IMAG3133.jpg
 
Johnnie Walker said:
Cut out part of the shock mount for more droop?
Click to expand...

this is a good idea.

you can get a bit more droop by trimming the shock mounts back so the arms don't hit.

If you have arms with jam nuts, loosen them before you wheel. It will allow the arm to "flex/move
Click to expand...

no. this is a terrible idea. its a good way to crossthread/strip your joints.


Johnny Joints won't really make the arms flex more, but what they will do is eliminate any bind you get in the bushings, and they will not be damaged by over-travel.
 
ditch the sway bar already, and short arms with poly bushings at both ends are a very bad idea
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

X
Drop Brackets to fix bent frame mounts?
2
Replies
31
Views
285
Bent
Bent
E
Steering Redo.... Questions before I dive in.
2
Replies
28
Views
1K
RCP Phx
R
T
1 Ton steering clearance issues
Replies
9
Views
858
XJChang
X
T
Wheelbase adjustment issue
2
Replies
24
Views
429
RCP Phx
R
M
Stock Control Arm Shims
Replies
3
Views
2K
MadKraken
M
Back
Top