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JCR steering, over or under?

xjtrailrider

xjtrailrider

NAXJA Forum User
NAXJA Member
Location
Roanoke VA
I have about 5.5" lift, RE drop brackets, adjustable LCA's/UCA's, Currie HD adj track bar, RE4.5 springs and ACOS set to the minimum.

My stock steering is hitting the JKS quicker disconnect lower mount at ride height, flexing it right now is out of the question. Its also hitting the steering stabilizer frame mount/bolt which I plan on removing

Which one do you all recommend? They are the same price.

I'm sick of this stock steering, it has to go!

Also, where is the best place to get a good quality reamer for a descent price? $75 from JCR seems a bit high.

And yes search nazi's I have already searched and could not find the specific answer I was looking for.
 
if you go with the otk setup you will probally have to have your trac bar shortened. and a new over the axle bracket. This will keep your draglink and trac bar at the same angle.


Parakeet
 
If you are going to do it you should do it right and go OTK, with good sturdy spacers on both the drag link and each end of the tie rod. Otherwise it may roll, and if it does it will be worse than your old steering. I have abot 5" with JCR UTK with spacers made of HDPE and mine rolls like a mofo (thats due mainly to my pitman arm being effed, but the links still roll). It is also less responsive than before. I wish I never put it on.
 
The more I research, it seems there is no real bolt on solution for my problem.

I like the Ballistic Fab heim joint steering but I'm not sure that would pass inspection here in VA.

The Currie correct link may work but thats more than the JCR

My only issue for now with the stock set up is I cant steer it at all due to the interference with the sway bar link and tie rod link on the pass side. If I could get around that problem I could at least drive it while i figure out what I want to do and how I'm going to do it.

Has anyone flipped the tie rod to the front of the drag link? If so, what issues did you run into?
 
xjtrailrider,

We went through the same thing setting up High2by's rig.

RE 5.5" extreme short arm with a 1.75" spacer in front.

We started searching for solutions and all the JCR (I think T&T offers something similar) and Currie will all contact the front passenger sway bar disconnect. You will have to lay those mounts back towards the axle no matter what you do.

The JCR set-up is what High2by went with. I think he is happy with it. The only worry i have about the JCR setup is people constantly talking about the "dead spot". Mark's rig has only been off road so far so no real on road data has been gathered yet.

I will say that I will be looking at the Currie system. Stock geometry, no dead spot and pretty HD. The only complaint I have seen on it is the price of the replacement ends/parts to rebuild it can be expensive. The plus side is if you ever tear it up, you could swap it out with stock parts to get you going again.

How would the TeraFlex WJ knuckle conversion perform?
 
Thanks Ed, I'm still looking at solutions. I may cut and relocate the sway bar mounts at the axle, just not sure what that will change yet. My other option is to shorten the upper and lower arms by 1/4-3/8" and see if that helps but thats going to get me close to the rear of the front fenders again.

I have had a few of our local "modded XJ" gurus come over and look at it today and we going to come up with something by the weekend.
 
OK, what if I heat and bend the drag link outward some, maybe an inch? Will heating the drag link and bending it weaken it any?

I have searched and found that some have done this. I carry my kids in this XJ to and from the trail and it sees some highway runs sometimes for 3-4 hours at 65-70. I don't want to take any chances with something breaking.

Give me some input guys, I need to fix this!
 
same problem here with disconnect, I went to the inverted t steering, jcr style and it didnt hit it so that ended the problem. But the tie rod rolling sucked so I ditched it and went to zj stuff which hits it again. So if you want the jcr utk then I think it will solve that problem.
 
dellstopjeep said:
same problem here with disconnect, I went to the inverted t steering, jcr style and it didnt hit it so that ended the problem. But the tie rod rolling sucked so I ditched it and went to zj stuff which hits it again. So if you want the jcr utk then I think it will solve that problem.
Click to expand...

Thanks but I hate to spend that much money to fix one problem only to make another! There has to be a simple solution to the steering interference issue without spending a fortune.
 
If your going w/ JCR the way to go is OTK. Mine did not do well in the rocks setup UTK, everytime I went wheeling something got bent. But if you go OTK the track bar needs to be shortened and relocated over the axle and the swaybar tabs need to be moved also. The currie systems seems like the most user friendly, bolt on solution for you though as already stated their rod mounted ends, especially the drag link are not rebuildable unlike most other kits so when/if you wear it out it's big money to replace.
 
xjtrailrider said:
I have about 5.5" lift, RE drop brackets, adjustable LCA's/UCA's, Currie HD adj track bar, RE4.5 springs and ACOS set to the minimum.

My stock steering is hitting the JKS quicker disconnect lower mount at ride height, flexing it right now is out of the question. Its also hitting the steering stabilizer frame mount/bolt which I plan on removing

Which one do you all recommend? They are the same price.

I'm sick of this stock steering, it has to go!

Also, where is the best place to get a good quality reamer for a descent price? $75 from JCR seems a bit high.


And yes search nazi's I have already searched and could not find the specific answer I was looking for.
Click to expand...

I'm not understanding your problem. The steering is hitting the disconnect mount on the axle causing you to not be able to steer?

If so, what was changed? Did something bend? Stock axle? I ran stock steering with JKS disconnects and did not have this problem. More than likely your steering is bent.

If you want a bolt on replacement and are sick of the stock steering than pick up the currie steering setup.

If you go JCR, go OTK. It’s very nice to keep the steering out of the rocks but this will require welding on your part or give a buddy some beer and get it done.

For the OTK you'll want to run an over the axle trackbar bracket. You can use JKS or TNT's. You'll have to shorten or make a new trackbar. You have to remove the disconnect brackets/mounts from the axle and reweld longer ones in their place. JKS and cRustys sells these.
The Snap-on reamer is your best bet. It works just fine. Or you can go the ebay route.


http://rustysoffroad.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=RC-SBAM-UV&Category_Code=ste


jeep010.jpg
 
Deadman 94 xj said:
Ahh, I guess I should have read the whole thread.
Click to expand...

Not a problem, I did the RE DB's which put everything forward where its supposed to be and I have the 4.5 springs and ACOS set to a minimum which puts me at 5.5

So going forward and up made my steering not like my axle!

My plan is to ditch the stabilizer and do a slight relocation of the sway bar axle mounts to get things going so i can drive it. then I'll figure out what to do about a better steering set-up.
 
idk why no one has been able to figure this out yet but the only reason your steering can everything is your axle is pushed forward. i went with balistic fab 1 ton otk steering, i highly recommend btw. i paid 4 wheelers in phoenix to ream my piman arm and knuckles it cost 65, its done right, not wobbly, and the rods are 1 1/2" .250 wall DOM and freakin burly as heck!! btw deadman your steering angle is way off the track bar and drag link are supposed to be parellel.
 
ditch the RE drop brackets and control arms and go rock krawler 3 link while your in the ditching mood. it'll ride smoother and flex way better.
 
xjtrailrider said:
Not a problem, I did the RE DB's which put everything forward where its supposed to be and I have the 4.5 springs and ACOS set to a minimum which puts me at 5.5

So going forward and up made my steering not like my axle!

My plan is to ditch the stabilizer and do a slight relocation of the sway bar axle mounts to get things going so i can drive it. then I'll figure out what to do about a better steering set-up.
Click to expand...


Ok, makes sense. Good call, that's what I would do. Just incase your wondering, I ordered the rustys brackets and they seem beefy enough. I think the JKS peices are nice but a little too nice for what they're used for and cost more. I'm not sure if anyone else sells them.
 
jeep pox said:
idk why no one has been able to figure this out yet but the only reason your steering can everything is your axle is pushed forward. i went with balistic fab 1 ton otk steering, i highly recommend btw. i paid 4 wheelers in phoenix to ream my piman arm and knuckles it cost 65, its done right, not wobbly, and the rods are 1 1/2" .250 wall DOM and freakin burly as heck!! btw deadman your steering angle is way off the track bar and drag link are supposed to be parellel.
Click to expand...


Buy the way, your not teaching me anything new. If the pic was level you'd see that it is in fact parellel.

Next...
 
jeep pox said:
ditch the RE drop brackets and control arms and go rock krawler 3 link while your in the ditching mood. it'll ride smoother and flex way better.
Click to expand...


:wstupid: Yeah and while you're at it, why not buy a new jeep. That'll fix your problem. RE brackets are fine.
 
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