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1991 XJ Limited - Project "It's About Time"

Update from the weekend:

I opened up my lower mileage HP30 to check backlash and do a brief visual inspection before dropping some coin on new u-joints, ball joints, spindle shafts and tube seals. Everything looked great. Backlash was .006" which is right on the tight end of spec.

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Also, I ended up snagging some 285/75-16's which essentially is a 33x11.5 for $100. They have over half tread so this will get me by over the winter at least then I can put some money into new rubber when I get some more mechanical issues out of the way.

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As you can tell I have some old crappy road tires installed currently. I seem to be struggling with what I can only describe as a camber problem. I'm not exactly sure what would cause camber on a fixed axle. I do know for a fact that I only started to experience this tire wear after the lift. About 3000 miles ago this tire tread pattern was even. I know I'm slightly toed in as well but sometimes you can visually see the camber.

The plan is to install this lower mileage Dana 30, get the tires installed then get it aligned. But I'm tempted to spend the money and get it aligned right now to see what my reading is on camber.

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Improper toe can cause that. If you never aligned it after the lift, that's the problem.



Thanks, I hope that's what it is. I'm gonna be parking the Jeep for a few weeks hopefully after this week. I just ordered ball joints, u-joints, axle seals, and spindle shafts for the axle you see in the pics above, so I'll be removing those from the equation.

I've been reading and I think you're right that toe can cause it to look cambered.

What about front pinion angle...my front pinion is 7 degrees below my DS angle currently. I'll also be purchasing adjustable UCAs - will pointing the pinion up a couple degrees by lengthening the UCAs cause a problem with caster, making my steering like a shopping cart...?


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It may. That's the only real advantage I see of the CAD 30's used that year. I just keep my caster high and don't worry about pinion since my front ds only spins when I engage the CAD in the axle.
 
It may. That's the only real advantage I see of the CAD 30's used that year. I just keep my caster high and don't worry about pinion since my front ds only spins when I engage the CAD in the axle.



Yeah - I get a vibration from the front with the DS installed. Uninstalled smooth as butter. Well smooth as a jeep on the highway - that's relative...

It's also possible my axle has something to do with it. I know I'm out of spec on backlash so it could be a multitude of things.

I'll get the front axle in and then assess the angles.


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BL is perfectly within spec. With ds out and it's smooth, it's certainly your DS. Could just need a rebuild and balance. Lots of folks get away without turning the C's on D30's by just balancing and rebuilding the front DS and getting pinion angle right. Caster takes a hit but most don't think it's noticeable or care. I'd rather be safe so I chose caster over pinion angle and leave the front axle disconnected except when wheeling.
 
BL is perfectly within spec. With ds out and it's smooth, it's certainly your DS. Could just need a rebuild and balance. Lots of folks get away without turning the C's on D30's by just balancing and rebuilding the front DS and getting pinion angle right. Caster takes a hit but most don't think it's noticeable or care. I'd rather be safe so I chose caster over pinion angle and leave the front axle disconnected except when wheeling.



The axle I have on the floor is within spec. The axle that's in the jeep now isn't (350k miles never rebuilt).

I am doing exactly what you're doing. I have the DS out as well. I really should only need it if I'm off-road or in the snow for half a day per year so I'm not too worried about it.

I'd probably be riding highway speed more often than wheeling per year, so I like your thinking there.


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So my toe is 67" even on the front of the front wheels and 68" on the back of the front wheels. So that needs adjusting. I hear to leave it "slightly" toe in. Perfectly even would be 67.5 across the front and 67.5 across the back. What would be "slightly" toe in in this case?

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About 1/8 inch toe in. So 67 7/16 front and 67 9/16 rear. 1/8 difference. In and out for toe refer to the relation of the front of the tie to center.
 
About 1/8 inch toe in. So 67 7/16 front and 67 9/16 rear. 1/8 difference. In and out for toe refer to the relation of the front of the tie to center.



Thanks! I've been using the edge of the tire thread because it's a sharp corner. It's a relative number as long as it's the same spot front and back. Thanks for the number I'm shooting for.


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I'm fixing to replace the UCA bushings on the axle. Why is one bushing (passenger side) fully pressed into the axle but the other (drivers) is only partially pressed in? Is this for alignment of the arm?

You can see in this picture how it's not fully pressed in. It's like that on all axles that I've seen.

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Read somewhere that the drivers side boss is a smaller ID so the bushing only presses in but so far. All good.

A little progress today: I was able to get the alignment done. I'm about an eighth toe in which is indistinguishable to the eye. The camber problem seems to have gone away. Must've been an optical illusion. I also adjusted the steering wheel alignment so it's nice to not be driving with the steering wheel upside down.

Learned something new: don't try to adjust the drag link if your steering wheel is locked. You're definitely not going to get anywhere.


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haha yea i made that mistake too about adjusting the drag link. sat there going what the hell isnt the pitman arm moving? for probably 2-3 minutes before my brain clicked.
 
haha yea i made that mistake too about adjusting the drag link. sat there going what the hell isnt the pitman arm moving? for probably 2-3 minutes before my brain clicked.



My brain didn't click until I maxed out the adjuster and I was pushing my passenger side wheel toe out...


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The guys at the tire shop are wondering if the 285/75's will fit :)

If not I brought tools to take the flares off.

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Yep they fit :)

The plan for the future is bushwacker flat flares and 305/70's bit this will get me through the winter

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The RE leafs and springs are STIFF. Barely any change with the weight of the jeep on them from a tire clearance perspective.


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