04 LJK Repair, Redo, Recycle - The 3 R's of a First Build

someguysjeep said:
it is fugly as hell but it does what it has to, thankfully i got a good line vs the drag and it's nearly invisible directly behind it. but if 1 stuck their head into my wheel well and looked across i'm gonna have to answer to WTF.
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Thats what my previous trackbar was, 2 bends and a FUGLY ass gusset. I happily tossed that in the garbage and i do love the straight clean TB.
 
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B00mb00m said:
For me the flat pitman was only benefit, i'm forward about 1" from stock. If you make the pitman arm long it will hit the frame, Toximus notched his frame i believe. I build a telescoping pitman arm to adjust the length such that i could match the max turning radius with my axle UJ's. My flat pitman does not hit the frame. If one needs more turning radius, you and I already know the answer.... cutting brakes! :)
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No one on the face of this fucking planet needs more turning radius. A few could use a smaller one though.

That and your cutting brake answer- When your only tool is a hammer, every solution is a nail.
 
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For me the flat pitman was only benefit, i'm forward about 1" from stock. If you make the pitman arm long it will hit the frame, Toximus notched his frame i believe. I build a telescoping pitman arm to adjust the length such that i could match the max turning radius with my axle UJ's. My flat pitman does not hit the frame. If one needs A TIGHTER turning radius, you and I already know the answer.... cutting brakes!

Fixed it for me.
 
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that's my drive for all this transfer case BS, the stretches effect on my turning radius. i'd love to have a screwdriver and wrench in my box.
 
mrblaine said:
No one on the face of this fucking planet needs more turning radius. A few could use a smaller one though.

That and your cutting brake answer- When your only tool is a hammer, every solution is a nail.
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Correct again, of course.

Once you max out the UJ's isn't the only option RCV's in order to gain tighter turning radius (Greater knuckle turning angle).
 
someguysjeep said:
that's my drive for all this transfer case BS, the stretches effect on my turning radius. i'd love to have a screwdriver and wrench in my box.
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That's precisely why i keep a full set of metric vise-grips in my toolbox.
 
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Our old '63 GMC 1 ton would turn on a dime - I'll swear the front wheels turned darn close to 90 degrees! Then my dad bought a '78 Chevy 1 ton. Despite having a slightly shorter wheelbase, "Give me 100 acres and I'll turn this rig around." Drove him nuts, the darn front wheels hardly cranked over at all by comparison.
 
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B00mb00m said:
For me the flat pitman was only benefit, i'm forward about 1" from stock. If you make the pitman arm long it will hit the frame, Toximus notched his frame i believe. I build a telescoping pitman arm to adjust the length such that i could match the max turning radius with my axle UJ's. My flat pitman does not hit the frame. If one needs A TIGHTER turning radius, you and I already know the answer.... cutting brakes!

Fixed it for me.
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i was long and it wanted into the frame just a bit, but after talkin to Blaine it ended up with a shorter hole spread that times end of gear travel to knuckle stop peg being simultaneous (IIRC).
 
mrblaine said:
We don't use anything with a 3/4" thread. Our rod ends have a 7/8-14 and our tie rod ends have 7/8-18. Well, that and without a lathe or some other special stuff I don't want to deal with, tapping tube is not as much fun as it should be.

I can send out a tube to get tapped or I can weld a bung in and get done in a day roughing in all the links.
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When building a track bar, do you use a heim style rod end on both ends? Or a JJ flex style joint on the frame side mount with a rod end on the axle? or something completely different that I am missing?
 
mrblaine said:
Very high quality rod ends. FK HD F1 fit.
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This is a big difference. I ran the Metal Cloak spherical rod end and it went to shit right quick, mind you I also had bump steer but the FK ones you spec have lasted 3 years of hard wheeling no slop, no squeaks.
 
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Sunny Side Up said:
When building a track bar, do you use a heim style rod end on both ends? Or a JJ flex style joint on the frame side mount with a rod end on the axle? or something completely different that I am missing?
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I always had shimmy and shakes and tried the multiple versions of clevite + rodend, rodend + rodend, JJ + rodend. In the end, balljoints and bumpsteer were the main culprits. When I have good geometry i don't have any problem running rodend trackbars.
 
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Sunny Side Up said:
When building a track bar, do you use a heim style rod end on both ends? Or a JJ flex style joint on the frame side mount with a rod end on the axle? or something completely different that I am missing?
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kinda depends on design of the rod as well. i run a heim type joint on 1 end but a solid bushed joint for the upper or it'll flop around because of the offset,
but i also don't have the factory chunk on the frame to deal with either and use a DS mount.
 
someguysjeep said:
kinda depends on design of the rod as well. i run a heim type joint on 1 end but a solid bushed joint for the upper or it'll flop around because of the offset,
but i also don't have the factory chunk on the frame to deal with either and use a DS mount.
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When I have to do a bent trackbar, I use the same rod ends and bush one side with washers cut from a semi truck mudflap. Stops the flop, same wear.
 
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Same one I'm now running also. I drilled it at 5.5" which was what I'd thought I'd read was the TJ spread. I also have a Wagoneer pitman that is 7" spread and drops about an 1". It hits the tie rod.

I had to under the pitman at first but figured out I needed to flip it to the top.
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Here is the Waggy arm.

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