Wagoneer Questions

I am in the process of sourcing parts for my front waggy 44 swap and have a few questions.

First relates to steering. I want to run the ruff stuff Y link tie rod kit with chevy 1 ton tie rod ends. Will the stock waggy knuckles and the stock xj pitman arm be able to accept with reaming? The 4th discount and discount makes it a steal!
http://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/catalog/YLINK.html

Next relates to the track bar location. I’m going to use the T&T truss but don't know what would be the best option for the track bar mount to best match the angle of the drag link with the waggy knuckles? The options are over the knuckle, high steer, and stock, I'm thinking the over the knuckle would be correct? Oh and I have Rustys HD track bar mount and will be running 3/4 heims on both ends.
http://www.tntcustoms.com/fronttruss-wagoneerd4480.aspx

Last questions relates to caster. I am having a hard time finding info on this. I want a very streetable ride so I want caster to be around 5-6 degrees. I’m on 6.5 inches of lift, am I going to have to rotate the knuckles? I’m thinking I will have to because its low pinion. Any info on this?


Thanks guys,
Pete

Youll need these for the steering, your pitman arm can be reamed. But youll need to drill out your knuckles with a 1" drill bit and weld those in.

http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/Tapered-GM-TRE-insert_p_1706.html

Theres no way for sure to know what your drag link angle will be exactly until you mock it up on your jeep, then you can make a track bar mount.

I wouldnt worry about caster because you have locking hubs, set your caster at your desired streetable angle, and then just disconnect the hubs to stop driveline vibes

Thanks I haven't seen those before. Is there any reason I couldn't use one of those on the pitman arm also to save me from buying a reamer?

Pete

I put a wagoneer D44 up front with the TnT truss. The above post is correct that you can't 100% predict the angles until it is mocked up. The steering can be tricky. It is not only the angle, but the lengths of the track bar vs. drag link that need to be as close as possible. I ended up using the drop pitman and track bar mounts that came with my Clayton kit, a stock waggy tie rod, and a built drag link. My track bar mount is in the stock position under the passenger coil bucket. My drag link is shorter than the track bar but at a shallower angle, and it steers OK. The bump steer is suprisingly minimal even with no sway bars.

If you want your full turning radius, you'll need the waggy pitman arm. Using the XJ arm with a shorter throw, you will reduce your turning radius. I am using the XJ arm, and while it is crappier than stock, it is not a huge handicap.
I am planning on doing high steer soon - I have all the parts, just looking for time.

Caster - you don't HAVE to change it, but I would recommend it if you have the ability. I have 6.5" of lift and did not rotate mine because I didn't want to mess with it. Around here, there is a lot of snow, so being able to go higher speeds with the hubs locked in is really nice. If you get it rotated so the yoke is pointing up where it should, you would likely avoid problems I have had with driveline angles and vibes.

Feel free to PM me If there are issues you think I can help with.

good luck!

I did not cut/turn the knuckles....too much work for minimal if any gain.

I used the TNT truss with the stock mounting option, and flipped my IRO track bar backwards to help clear the pumpkin.

I also was using an IRO solid tie rod on my old D30. I cut a piece out of it, welded it back together and then sleeved it with some tubing and am now using this as my drag link. I am using the stock Wagoneer tie rod(knuckle to knuckle) but I welded the tapered hole up and redrilled it for the XJ tie rod end that I made. Using a stock XJ pitman arm. It all works perfectly, and didn't really cost any money.

I saw no reason to purchase anything, as the OE Wagoneer stuff is OTK already. I drive this thing daily at 80+mph on the interstate with 35's. In the below pictures the IRO track bar IS NOT flipped around. But, this shows why I did it....it was contacting the top of the curved part of the diff cover. I'm running about 2* of caster....maybe less. I tried to get the pinion up as far as possible and keep caster in check.

im in the middle of this swap except leaf springs up front, i know, i know, reverse enginearing, but its what is wanted. My queston is if you can add 1 or 2 more pics from differnt angles of the stearing as i think its really close to what im trying to pull off on here.

cobrasatellite said:

im in the middle of this swap except leaf springs up front, i know, i know, reverse enginearing, but its what is wanted. My queston is if you can add 1 or 2 more pics from differnt angles of the stearing as i think its really close to what im trying to pull off on here.

Click to expand...

Its current state(this shows the track bar flip):

I bought the TnT truss for my Waggy 44 and got the OTK trackbar mount thinking I needed it for the OTK steering....stupid, I know...well now I know.

So when I mocked things up in my head I found that I would have to get rid of my current trackbar and make my own for the angles to line up.

Luckily for me the stock trackbar mount was included also (maybe someone screwed up or maybe people make this mistake more often than I think) so I should be alright.

NJblackdeath4x4 said:

I bought the TnT truss for my Waggy 44 and got the OTK trackbar mount thinking I needed it for the OTK steering....stupid, I know...well now I know.

So when I mocked things up in my head I found that I would have to get rid of my current trackbar and make my own for the angles to line up.

Luckily for me the stock trackbar mount was included also (maybe someone screwed up or maybe people make this mistake more often than I think) so I should be alright.

Click to expand...

So your saying the stock track bar mount on the truss matches the draglink angle better then the otk bracket would? Im think im going to not get the otk bracket and build one if absoultly neccasary.

And just an FYI if you need it, 1985 Chevy K-Blazer brake hoses will work as extended brake lines(about 3" longer than the OE Wagoneer brake hoses). They're 15 bucks each at your local parts store. They have a very nice/convenient hardline coming from the caliper mount to help keep the line away from the tires while turning.

The OTK mount sits closer to the differential and obviously higher and my current trackbar would not fit. I guess it's meant to be an option for people who build their own links.



I'm only bringing this up because I assume you would have the same problem

Thanks for the pic. I plan on fabbing a new track bar so it won't be a huge issue. But I could build that if I really needed it. I guess your doing a 3 link?

Yea I have a RK 3 link already