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RE HD TB Bracket movement?

Kejtar

Kejtar

PostMaster General
NAXJA Member
Location
Westminster, SoCal
OK, this is a stumper for me: It appears that all the nuts and bolts are as tight as they can be but it looks like the bracket has some movement when I turn the steering wheel. Has anyone ran into that before?
 
the bracket or the bar? i know i had some weird click clank noise and it was the bolt! even though they were all tight! did you use the bolts that RE supplied? i didn't and it turns out that the bolts were a different diameter where the non thread part was! i felt like a retard!

brandon
 
i heard of it shifing a little for some people, so when i put mine on (back when i had coils up front) i put 3 one inch welds on it. i ended up taking it off and going leafs and it only took a few minutes to grind them off and left the bracket good as new.
 
oops, should have been more specific. When looking at it from the front or bottom up, I can see the lower part of bracket doing this in relation to it's position <-|-> . (| being the starting position). I got in there and tried cranking the damn nuts down but they will not budge (I originally put that in about 6 months ago or so). Btw, I took the torque wrench to 3 out of the 4 (one is impossible to get to with a socket) to test and it came up to be at least 90ft/lbs so it's as tight as it should be. I'm planning to ubolt the bolts one by one over the weekend and retighten them from scratch: anything wrong with that or would that be waste of time?
 
Kejtar said:
Btw, I just looked at the RE site and I'm thinking about either buying this or making something like it: Track Bar Brace, but I think that on pavement it shouldn't do it and really need it.
Click to expand...

Remi, not sure about your problem.....but the RE brace is a good addition, regardless. I built me one before RE made theirs and noticed that the front end seemed tighter and the steering was more responsive......it also helps motor mounts live longer by reducing uni-chassis flex.........and you might even pick up 3 mpg........ :)
 
Just a thought, the bolts might be too long. They could be all the way in and bottoming out but not holding the bracket tight enough.
 
I am going to be installing this same Track Bar soon, so I cannot really help ... but I remember reading about the install. The lower mounting bolts are to be snugged up before inserting the upper bolts. This is to align all the bolts properly. Not sure if this would have anything to do with your problem or not.

Here is the most recallable link I can remember to the install:

http://www.offroadtoystore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=OTS&Category_Code=Tech4

Maybe ....

Les

PS: Hope I don't run into the same problem ...
 
I tightened the bolts almost to the point where I thought they'd break, a couple times, and it still kept moving. I had it welded and it was like driving a new jeep. The RE brace looks like a good idea though, since the extra length of the bracket obviously lets the track bar put a lot more stress on the attachment point.
 
If I run into the same problem, I'll solve it the same way then ... I'll weld it too.

Les
 
I used red lock-tite and really cranked down on the bracket bolts. This solved it for me.

BTW, anyone interested in the set up, I may have a used one for sale in a day or two, depending on if a good friend wants to buy it from me or not (local). I'll keep ya'll updated.
 
Kejtar said:
This has sold me on the idea :D Actually do you have any pics of your brace?? What did you use and how did you mount it?
Click to expand...

I have pix I can email, I used DOM tube with a kink in it to clear the oil pan. It bolts to the pass side lower uni-framerail, where there are holes to mount the track bar bracket for a right hand drive model.............my trackbar mount is custom so it will be different than yours, but your RE TB Bracket will have 2 holes inside to mount the brace to. If you don't have the tools and fab skills, buying the RE brace might be a better option, if not, just get a couple of pieces of 1/4 plate, punch holes to bolt on each end, and weld the DOM tube between them.
 
The easy solution? Put the stock mount back on. What a wonderful improvement it is after suffering through these aftermarket mounts. Run a heim in the normal (horizontal) position with high misalignment spacers. You'll never run out of flex, it is strong, simple, and cheap...and the mount doesn't move all over the place.

Or, you can start welding crap that cost you a lot of money, and that requires you to spend more money to fix it with the people that sold you the crap in the first place. Nice.

:looney: .

Nay
 
I've got the same problem. I've tightened the bolts to the point I think they'll break. I've also got the brace and I can still hear and see it moving. I plan on welding it to the unibody with some short welds.
 
picture.JPG
 
Kejtar said:
After spending all the money on the RE trackbar and bracket, I will make the sucker work :D
Click to expand...

Here are some ideas for you:

Sunk Costs

Throwing Good Money After Bad

Before you go welding a brace to this thing, you should do a search. Goatman has posted about how he thinks a trackbar brace actually caused frame cracking (flex on the frame mount end "pulls" on the trackbar mount via the rigid brace, causing stress on that frame rail). Probably great on the street, but under major flex conditions...don't think we have the answer there yet.

I ran Rusty's trackbar mount a few years ago and had the same movement problems. I tried to make that sucker work, but I was the sucker. The stock mount fixed those problems completely.

The RE mount does provide you with some nice scrap metal for other projects when you are done, though.

Nay
 
Nay said:
Here are some ideas for you:

Goatman has posted about how he thinks a trackbar brace actually caused frame cracking (flex on the frame mount end "pulls" on the trackbar mount via the rigid brace, causing stress on that frame rail). Probably great on the street, but under major flex conditions...don't think we have the answer there yet.
Nay
Click to expand...

......must be the thin air up where you're at Nay.
The use of a steering box brace has been blamed for frame cracks around the box, not the trackbar brace. This is caused by concentrated stress to the box area, due to excessive chassis flex .......wow, that sounded technical. :roflmao:
The track bar brace was actually deployed by the Jeepspeed racers to reduce chassis spread which causes all sorts of funky stuff, mainly torn motor mounts and odd handling characteristics, plus frame cracks?. In theory, steering box area cracking would be reduced or eliminated by using both the steering bix brace and trackbar brace/crossmember.
 
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