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Re-centering axle? Help!

N

Nichkojr.7

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Ohio
Ok I installed my Napier fender flares before xmas, they look great except for one thing! my rear tires look way off centered and to close to the rear quarter panel. I'm not sure if I installed them incorrectly or what but I can't handle how dumb it looks. Here's a shot from the front:
b2a87f91449d18caab3aa3dc7b9313bd.jpg

Then walk around the side
3117265ce548862dca94efdb999165ec.jpg

Eww! (Excuse all the nasty salt)
What are some solutions?? I was thinking about just re-drilling a hole through the leaf springs and moving my whole axle about an inch or so for ward. Thought I'd ask you guys before hand.
Thanks
 
josh9mile said:
Are the rear springs in backwards?
Click to expand...

Impossible, but the lift kit leaf springs might have a slightly different location for the centering pin.

Nichkojr.7 said:
I was thinking about just re-drilling a hole through the leaf springs and moving my whole axle about an inch or so for ward.
Click to expand...

Leaf springs are hardened steel, good luck with that. You will have better luck drilling or altering the leaf springs pads on the axle housing. I would just trim more off the plastic bumper corner, and alter the installation of the rear section of the flares.
 
Last edited:
I don't really want a big gap between the two pieces though.. Before the flares went on everything was perfect. So that leads me to think that it's the flares throwing it off. Everyone else's flares look perfect though.
 
Are the wheels in this position on both sides? my stock spring had the main eye unwind and shift one side of the axle back just like this.

The flares could be installed incorrectly. Not familiar with the install, as I kept my stockers, but is there a right/left or front/back designation on them?

If you dont' have time to deal with rusty bolts, you shouldn't be dealing with an XJ lol Really though, they aren't that bad to change out; do it once and it's done as well.
 
Nichkojr.7 said:
As much as I'd like to do that, I don't really have time messing with rusted shackle bolts…
Click to expand...


If that's the case I suggest you take the bolts out and anti seize them before they're in there permanently. Because unless you have a broken center pin adding a shackle will be one of your only fixes for this.
 
Both sides are like this, something could have shifted because I'm running 1.5" blocks ( I know I'm gonna get crap for this lol) I think I'm going to build a bastard pack this weekend and shoot for 4.5" and re-drill the spring perch.
 
If you look at your pictures before you did this in your other thread, you will see that the axle is in the same place before you did these flares. I would hazard a guess that the flares need to be reinstalled. Were you supposed to do a cut and fold on the rear before installing these? Are the bottoms of the flares flush with the wheel well like the oem ones were?
How is redrilling the spring perch going to help? You won't be able to get the u-bolts back on without adding a shearing force to them that they aren't designed to take and those blocks won't help matters any.
I'd look at fixing the cosmetic issue before introducing potential for catastrophic mechanical failure.
 
How far back in the shackle box is the shackle? If your springs are flattening out the only way for the axle to shift is backwards.
 
I couldn't help myself so I decided to take a closer look. I'm on my work computer so I don't have anything but paint but getting the before and after pics together and scaled, there is no change between the locations of the axle but it does look like there are new tires.

 
Ok. I appreciate you doing that! I'll look when I get home. I'm sure it's something I've done… lol. And yes, since the pic on the right I have lifted it another 1.5 inches so now it's 4.5".
 
3 possibilities:

1) Either the centre pin is not installed in the centre hole of the spring perch (if there are more than 1 hole. Don't remember.),
2) the leafs installed backwards, OR
3) the leafs are not for an XJ.
 
Well got one side done and gained about 3/8" of lift, all the leafs were backwards. Also moved them into the right order( longest to shortest) very little change on axle location.
1da960a1d223f4d0de87bcda1e318ff2.jpg
f8955343ea975b9aa2aa46cfcb7a2793.jpg
 
It would be a crazy coincidence to happen at the same time as the flare install, but mine looked like that when I sheared a leaf spring centering pin. Does it look exactly the same on both sides?


Never mind, looks like this was resolved and I somehow didn't see the the full thread.
 
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