Problem With Metalcloak Track Bar

andy29847 said:
2 years ago, when I bought my 2004 Rubicon, I was pleased that it was already lifted. When I started having some driveability issues, I asked for advice and shared some pics on the Rubicon Owners forum. I was ridiculed for having a Skyjacker (Skycrapper) lift. It made me mad. I decided I could fix the issues without changing the lift. I spent several hundred dollars on things like the Johnny Joint that I shared in the previous post. I was reasonably successful. The Jeep drove OK for a while. When I started noticing some play in the new Skycrapper Control Arm bushings, I decided to fix everything once and for all. I switched to Curry steering, front track bar. and control arms about 6 months ago. The difference in how the Jeep drives is amazing. It makes me wish I had listened to the guys on the ROF and gone to Currie 1st.
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Trust me when I say that I don't have much interest in defending MC. I can point to my first hand experience for why one end of their track bar is not the high quality product so many claim MC to be. But the remaining several feet of it seems to be doing it's job. Regardless, my experience with their heim joint is enough for me to encourage others to just get a Currie track bar and be done with it.
 
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Seems like I have seen a Currie JJ that is a replacement for the MC joint. Is this untrue or not as easy as just unscrewing one and installing the other?

I also have the MC bar and have always wondered about maintenance on the HJ as it always looks really dry. After reading this and seeing that a wax lube is used, I may try the stuff that I use on my mountain bike chain. It actually "sheds" dirt and debris and works really good. Kind of expensive to use on this but I may try it anyway.
 
andy29847 said:
A newb suggestion....You might could use a Johnny Joint to replace the heim joint on the end of your trackbar. I did this when I had a Skycrapper Track bar. I still have the joint (i eventually replaced the trackbar with a Currie item). The joint I have is CE-9112N75-12. I only used the end for a couple of thousand miles. I sell and ship it for $25. You would need to verify that it fits your application.
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I'll have to measure and see if that would work.

Update: The failure may have been caused by my diff cover making contact with the TB. It appears there was some contact. It looks like it barely touched but might have been enough to tweak the mounting bolt and/or the heim joint. MC has shipped a new HJ and I've ordered Currie front CA's that I'll be installing and move the axle back slightly to hopefully prevent any further contact. I'll remove the springs and thoroughly cycle the suspension while I'm at it which I should have done before.

The whole reason I went to the MC TB was to eliminate contact between the pseudo-JJ and the diff housing which occurred with a JKS TB. For some reason, my front Dana 44 seems to sit a bit further forward than on most TJs. No idea why but a few others have noticed the same thing. Time to stop F'ing around and make sure everything clears everything else.
 
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MaloStapalo said:
Can Anyone confirm this is the correct part for the MC trackbar heim replacement? I've seen a few different opinions on direct replacement availability .
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When I get my new HJ, I'll measure the threads to be sure but based on the MC documentation, the threads are 3/4"-16 RH. I know the bolt size is 5/8". So any JJ that has 3/4-16 RH threads and a 5/8" hole should work. Currie has a couple options for body size and joint width. The example I selected has smaller sizes for both to provide more clearance.
 
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My whole front end is set up with heims and they can get very loud. Use some tri-flow dry Teflon lubricant and it will quiet it up real good! It goes on wet and dries with no residue
 
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andy29847 said:
I was ridiculed for having a Skyjacker (Skycrapper) lift
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And then you found a loving home here...
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g.hayduke said:
When I get my new HJ, I'll measure the threads to be sure but based on the MC documentation, the threads are 3/4"-16 RH. I know the bolt size is 5/8". So any JJ that has 3/4-16 RH threads and a 5/8" hole should work. Currie has a couple options for body size and joint width. The example I selected has smaller sizes for both to provide more clearance.
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Hey did you ever do the JJ swap in place of the heim joint ? Having issues with mine and would rather find something different.
 
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Celticsfan said:
Hey did you ever do the JJ swap in place of the heim joint ?
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I've had the part for months but have not tried installing it yet. I've got to get the track bar sorted before a trip to Silverton in July. I can't remember if I'm on my 3rd or 4th heim joint. They don't hold up for shit on my LJ. I know a lot of people swear by the MC stuff but my experience with their track bar has been disappointing to say the least.

I've been recovering from back surgery since October so all work on the Jeep has been suspended until I think I can do it without hurting myself. Not quite there yet but will be collecting parts over the summer for some major upgrades.
 
g.hayduke said:
I've had the part for months but have not tried installing it yet. I've got to get the track bar sorted before a trip to Silverton in July. I can't remember if I'm on my 3rd or 4th heim joint. They don't hold up for shit on my LJ. I know a lot of people swear by the MC stuff but my experience with their track bar has been disappointing to say the least.

I've been recovering from back surgery since October so all work on the Jeep has been suspended until I think I can do it without hurting myself. Not quite there yet but will be collecting parts over the summer for some major upgrades.
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Oh ok gotcha. That’s no fun ! Im
Leaning toward the EMF Heim now.
 
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I have a Metalcloak trackbar with the heim joint. Never had a problem with it, but I thought I would try the RockJock CE-9112N75-16 Johnny Joint on the track bar.

Here are some pics showing the comparison of the two:

IMG_1053.jpg
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The Johnny Joint will fit nicely into the track bar and I got everything lined up and installed the bolt. This is where I ran into problems. The Metalcloak instructions say tighten to 150 ft lbs.

I thought I would tighten the johnny joint in increments.........this happened at 120 ft lbs.

IMG_1054.jpg



The johnny joint is thicker than the heim joint and the Metalcloak 5/8" x 3.5" bolt is just long enough to fit through the johnny joint and frame mount to leave two to three threads showing on the other side of the nut. So to prevent too much stress on the johnny joint bushing, do we need a flanged bolt, or a bolt with a washer? If so, one would have to buy a longer 5/8" bolt.

Thoughts?

I am a little concerned about the proper application of this johnny joint at this location.
 
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Bigfoot-NM said:
The Johnny Joint will fit nicely into the track bar and I got everything lined up and installed the bolt. This is where I ran into problems. The Metalcloak instructions say tighten to 150 ft lbs.

I thought I would tighten the johnny joint in increments.........this happened at 120 ft lbs.

View attachment 243853
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That seems odd. Dry threads? Was the nut fully seated in the track bar recess?
Mine has been on and off and tightened to 150lbs several times.
 
jjvw said:
That seems odd. Dry threads? Was the nut fully seated in the track bar recess?
Mine has been on and off and tightened to 150lbs several times.
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Your Johnny Joint has been on and off several times? Bolt and nut were seating fine.

Do you have a washer or anything between the bolt and the johnny joint bushing?
 
Bigfoot-NM said:
Your Johnny Joint has been on and off several times? Bolt and nut were seating fine.

Do you have a washer or anything between the bolt and the johnny joint bushing?
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My front track bar has stories to tell.

Look at the top side of the track bar mount and see if there is a machined recess. With the Currie/RockJock track bar there is a thick washer that fits in there. Without that, I wonder if the bolt can sit crooked and cause what happened to yours.
 
jjvw said:
My front track bar has stories to tell.

Look at the top side of the track bar mount and see if there is a machined recess. With the Currie/RockJock track bar there is a thick washer that fits in there. Without that, I wonder if the bolt can sit crooked and cause what happened to yours.
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That’s on the frame end right? Looks like a small JJ vs what’s on the Currie TB, so my guess is this isn’t up to the task. It’s also not offset, so gives up some benefits there anyway.
 
rasband said:
That’s on the frame end right? Looks like a small JJ vs what’s on the Currie TB, so my guess is this isn’t up to the task. It’s also not offset, so gives up some benefits there anyway.
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I think the one that comes with the track bar is a 2.5" with one end shaved off to keep the bolt head from hanging down as far as it otherwise would.
 
jjvw said:
I think the one that comes with the track bar is a 2.5" with one end shaved off to keep the bolt head from hanging down as far as it otherwise would.
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I ran out and measured mine, 2.4” ish - the one in the picture above is 1.8” and the housing looks smaller. I think you’re right the bolt got off camber, but I also think the joint for this application is also too small. I suppose it could also be a defective ball.
 
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