Front track bar: Currie or JKS?
- Thread starter Jeeptundra
- Start date
Here is my axle location I hope that helps.
Curiously, looking at my trackbar picture, it almost looks like I already have the double element bushing. I'll have to compare closer when I get my new bushing.
I've seen post telling people to drill a 2nd hole instead of installing an adjustable trackbar. Maybe that is why.
I'd be surprised if my bushing is shot, the bar only has 2000+/- miles on it. I may have to really look things over. I guess I should have done that before I ordered the bushing. Maybe I am just more sensitive to the play in that trackbar than others, I don't know. I guess I have some things to figure out. Thanks for all the info you have provided.
I'd be surprised if my bushing is shot, the bar only has 2000+/- miles on it. I may have to really look things over. I guess I should have done that before I ordered the bushing. Maybe I am just more sensitive to the play in that trackbar than others, I don't know. I guess I have some things to figure out. Thanks for all the info you have provided.
When my lift was originally installed with the OEM track bar, the instruction called for drilling a second hole, about 3/4" closer to the drivers side. I have since installed an adjustable track bar and using the original hole location.
FWIW, my lift is a Zone brand. If you look at their instructions they show where/why to drill the second hole.
Mine are not the same. As Mr Blaine pointed out earlier, the rear trackbar uses a larger bolt. When I checked mine the larger bolt in the rear did not fit through the Moog K3147 front bushing. So I'm still looking for the correct rear bushing for the OEM trackbar.
Upfront, I found my Moog trackbar does use a double element bushing. But it looks different than the K3147. So its possibly a softer compound.
One item to note is that I have the Old Man Emu tracbar bracket in the rear. The bolt I tested against was the bolt provided by OME, not the factory bolt. So there might be a difference between metric and standard sizing, but I'm sure they are close to the same size because the OME bolt is running through the factory trackbar. But it would not fit through the front bushing.
How loose was the bolt in your front bushing? Maybe they used the rear bushing in front. Remind me again which bars and bushings you were comparing.
I have a rough country adjustable in the front, but with the new bushings and tie rod ends, the only parts that's still RC is the bar itself. I had OEM in the rear and it was replaced with a moog. However, both bars uses the same clevite bushings with the same exact model number. That clevite bushing was also used in my front track bar until I replaced it with the dual element.
I'm not sure the exact conversion but I used the same ratchet for both the front and rear--a 15mm. Both bushing appear tight with minimal slop.
I do not know if any of the bolts in question on my Jeep are OEM.
I bought after some guy got frustrated with 35" tires and 3.07 gears.
Hmm, my front bolt was probably a 15mm but my rear was a 18mm. Factory bolts use a T55(?) Torx bolt. Now I wonder about your bolts.
So the Moog rear and the OEM rear used the same bushing. What was the number on that bushing?
I'm speculating that the one I replaced was OEM.
But I can say the bushing that was on both ends of the replaced rear, both ends of the new rear, and the axle side of the front track bar was all the same: Clevite 61460. Which is why I believed that if the K3147 would fit in the front, it would also fit in the rear. It makes me now wonder what bolt do I even have in the rear. The axle side uses an 18mm ratchet and frame size uses a 15mm ratchet.
Since we have completely overtaken the thread, I'll go keep going. My apologies to the OP. I hope you still got some help out of this thread.
So I looked at the Moog K3147 that I purchased for my front bushing. It has 2 different numbers on the bushing. They are very hard to read, but it looks like the outer ring of rubber is Clevite 86929 the inner ring shows 18929. So both are different than the number on your bushing. So that might not be the bushing number but the part numbers of each ring of Clevite that make the bushing... Or something...
So I looked at the Moog K3147 that I purchased for my front bushing. It has 2 different numbers on the bushing. They are very hard to read, but it looks like the outer ring of rubber is Clevite 86929 the inner ring shows 18929. So both are different than the number on your bushing. So that might not be the bushing number but the part numbers of each ring of Clevite that make the bushing... Or something...
Lol at this point it’s clear I have a hack job of a Jeep and who knows if what I have will fit on anyone else’s Jeep.
An updated if anyone cares. I got the Moog K3147 pressed into my front (Moog) trackbar and it is definetely an improvement over the stock Moog bushing that was in the bar. (Even though the stock bushing appeard to be a double element after I inspected it closer.) The trackbar only has 10,000+/- miles on it. So I do not think the bushing was wore out. But I do think it was a softer bushing that had way too much squish. You could view the original bushing squishing almost 1/8" when moving the steering wheel back and forth. The new k3147 only squishes ever so slightly, maybe 1/32"-1/16". If you have loose steering with an aftermarket OEM trackbar, replace that squishy axle bushing with the Moog. However, be sure to check the other site before spending the money. After changing out my rubber bushing, I noticed the frame end appears to have a slight amount of movement as well. Even though the joint feels really tight. So I'm not sure what is going on there. But that Currie bar with the K3147 on one end and the Johnny Joint on the other really does look to be the best solution available.
Now if I can only figure out what my stock rear bushing is.
Now if I can only figure out what my stock rear bushing is.
I never did figure out a good replacement for the stock rear bushing. Its still something I need to figure out.
Energy Suspension Has rear track arm bushings part number 2.7103, that is what I ordered. Pretty cheap at $19.61 shipping however was about 10 bucks.