need help with drivetrain on 35's

[MoparManiac]

its been wheeled hard

:laugh:

 

[sunburned]

OP: I like the Currie steering I have for $400 or a bit less through a vendor. Cheapest way to upgrade the shafts is 760 joints and full circlips.

Or drop down to 33's if you can't afford the stuff you break? :anon:

8" of lift on 35's stock steering, upgraded tierod been this way since april of 04 and the only thing ive done is ordered a new joint for my trackbar(frame side) puting this on this weekend. its been wheeled hard and driven on the street with no issues.
mike

First, why 8" of lift? Second, why not splurge on a decent steering setup?

I bent a TnT trackbar my first time out. Got a Currie setup, which is like 1.5" solid bar, and its bent now too. That was all on 4.5" lift and 32's before I got 35's. The stock tie rod probably would have folded like a taco within a few feet of a rock.

What kind of hard wheeling do you do?

 

[19CHEROKEE89]

Agreed.

 

[Darky]

OP says 6.5"
I ran the stock steering at 4" and it was completely maxed out. I can't imagine that it's pretty at 6.5

And then later he says he's not planning on going above his RE 4.5" kit.

well i have a little budget i get 500 a month im still in highschool so its a low budget, i wheel fairly hard, i do not plan going any bigger then my RE 4.5, and i wheel mostly mudd and some trails, i live in oregon so lots of both :]

 

[boss hoss]

i have a 4.5in RE lift, but i have poly spacers, i only have 4.5in lift still do to weight from a brush guard winch and rear homemade steel bumper. technically its 6.5ins on lift, but the kit on it is a 4.5in short arm RE lift, the one that's $1299. i do not plan on adding to it, will not put new kit on or any bigger poly spacers, blocks or anything. so please, dont read my thread, then act like you found some funny thing you can point out and try to make it seem im an idiot, fairly new to modding jeeps yes. but i know what im talking about, my questions were about axles and steering, i keep breaking tie rods, u joints and i even had steering bust, i replaced the entire column, any help anyone?

 

[boss hoss]

and i do not mind people asking there own questions related to topic on thread :] and i am not angry with you darky :] just saying, also i have put 1' spacers on but i and still rubbing on lower control arm? my tires are 35x12.50xR15, if i go to 35x10.50xR16 would i have same trouble? or would the whidth change the problem? it just seems its the hieght of tire thats prob? help?

 

[Darky]

I think you misread my point. I was clarifying because lift height does have to do with steering. It seemed like you gave two different heights, so to make it easier for people who might try to help advise you on steering, I wanted to be sure.

How heavy are your bumpers if you lost 2"? I'm running a JCR prerunner winch bumper with a winch up front and used to have a JCR tire carrier rear bumper and didn't lose 2" worth of lift.

Did your kit come with a new trackbar? I think the 4.5" does, but if not, you'll want one, and at 6.5", you may want to look into OTK steering possibly to help with angles. But to be honest, and don't take this the wrong way, I'd consider dropping the spacers and running 33s for now being on such a tight budget. Stuff will live longer with 33s, less needs to be upgraded at a true 4.5".

For rubbing, the problem is likely the width of the tire combined with wheel backspacing. 3.75" seems to be the general backspacing people run with 12.5" wide tires.

 

[boss hoss]

i apoligize on miss understanding and yes i agree i was thinking of droping spacers and keeping 4.5, and i got my lift from someone on craigslist, i dont believe it had a trackbar, and my front bumber is a heavy pig, not sure exact wieght or hieght loss, kinda sits like 5, but its heavy, im debating taking it off, and my rear saged before steel bumper, the add a leaf and shackle are not working great im looking for a full spring pack, but problem im having is finding 33's that it my 15in rim...

 

[19CHEROKEE89]

dude nearly anything is available for a 15" wheel. How on earth are you having issues finding a 33 to fit??

and there is no way in hell your bumpers are so heavy to lose you 2" of lift, Post some pictures of your steering linkage so we can see the horrible angles and be able to point out exactly why it is not good for you to easier understand why some things are breaking.

 

[Darky]

33s and 15s is run by a lot of people, so shouldn't be too hard to find. 15s are the most common wheel out there.

 

[boss hoss]

yes but i cannot afford bran new ones, and were i live the tires that are 33's are ran by 3/4 tons trucks, with 16/16.5 rims, i know easy to get bran new but i have to buy at 50% tread or lower. and i didnt lose 2, i lost bought 1-.5 in in front, rear sagged before, bumper just made it worst, i removed my poly spacer and rear shackle, im at 5.5in lift right now on my 35's i will post pics asap, is there a way to post pics without photobucket? i am sorry if its hard to understand the things i mean :[ but please try not to be mean, im newly 18, so i dont have budget that is very big, i work at a local auto shop so i dont get lots of ccash, and if i move to 33's whats best tire? tsl? toyo mt?

 

[Porch951]

I don't mean to sound harsh, but i'm hearing a lot of budget-related stuff here. Just because you can afford to buy some used 35's doesn't mean you can afford to make your XJ handle them safely.

Maybe it's best to find some 30's or 31's and stick with those for a while, save up some cash, and do it all at a better time.

 

[boss hoss]

not harsh, its wise, but i got a for 9" dana 44 rear and a d44 for front from uncle, he had an xj with no motor, any advise in installing it? all rear needs is gear oil no miles yet, should i put them on?

 

[87manche]

not harsh, its wise, but i got a for 9" dana 44 rear and a d44 for front from uncle, he had an xj with no motor, any advise in installing it? all rear needs is gear oil no miles yet, should i put them on?

those axles in stock trim would hold up to 35's reasonably well.

probably the same axle shaft u joints, so that's your weak point still.

Was the D44 in an XJ already? If not you'll be into it pretty havey for coil buckets/brackets and such to put it under a coil sprung Jeep. The rear is no big deal, just weld some shock mounts and perches to it.

 

[boss hoss]

ya they were under a project xj, but he never got the motor in and gave them to me after giving up project, so its all ready to go in

 

[87manche]

if it's ready to install yes, that's a very good upgrade axle strength wise.

Be prepared to need new driveshafts, and plan your budget accordingly.

Also if they were from a 1/2 ton truck or something with a v8 they probably don't hav very deep gears. Find out what gears are in them. You'll need 4.10s at a minimum to run 35's, the deeper the better.

 

[RoyalXJ]

if it's ready to install yes, that's a very good upgrade axle strength wise.

Be prepared to need new driveshafts, and plan your budget accordingly.

Also if they were from a 1/2 ton truck or something with a v8 they probably don't hav very deep gears. Find out what gears are in them. You'll need 4.10s at a minimum to run 35's, the deeper the better.

New driveshafts?