Front axle rotated changing control arms

Bratch

TJ Enthusiast
Supporting Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2018
Messages
113
Location
OKC
I was changing out my control arms and screwed up.

I had all the rear and the front lower done one at a time with no problems. I had changed the front passenger upper and was torquing it down to 60 ft lbs when the rear bolt broke in half.

Without thinking I pulled the driver side thinking I’d take the bolt to town to try and find a match, I’m guessing while I had both off the axle rotated forward away from the arms.

I read the old threads and fought with it tonight but no luck. I’ve loosened my lower control arm bolts. I jacked the front end off the ground and supported the frame with stands and attached a ratchet strap to the axle, this got the axle closer but I’m probably still about a ¼” misaligned. I tried some
dry steering but it still didn’t line up.

What should I try next? More with the ratchet strap? I stripped the gears on one already. Is there anything else I should loosen or remove? Put it in neutral and push back and forth?

I am replacing with OEM style Crown arms.
 
Last edited:
I’d put it on the ground. Jack under the farthest part of pumpkin.

Then rather strap, get creative.

Also, if you have help, have someone press brakes, and another push the tire backward to rotate the axle some.
 
Worked on it today and everything went together fairly painlessly.

I loosened the front lower arms a little more and made sure the washers were out of the slot and put the floor jack under the pumpkin and put some light pressure on it, pushed on the passenger tire some and the passenger side lined right up. I dropped the jack and got the wife to push on the driver side tire and got that bolt in too.

The lower arm was misaligned after I got the top bolted together so I used the bottle jack trick from @Viking Jeeper and got everything lined up again. Just need to torque everything back down in the next day or two and I’ll be back on the road.

Thanks everyone