Rancho track bar doesn't quite fit

LJBrix

LJBrix

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Joined
Sep 17, 2021
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Alabama
So I'm a new Jeep owner and I'm getting my feet wet in mods. I have a 2004 LJ sport. The previous owner put a 2" spring and shock lift on and I'd begun to feel some wobble around 50 mph. From the research I had done I believed it was the track bar and went ahead and bought a Rancho 2-6" adjustable bar as I'm planning on upgrading to a rancho 3.5-4" lift in the future (I'm in college so it might be a while lol). After removing the factory track bar I couldn't get the new one to fit, it's very close but the holes just don't line up even with the track bar being as compressed as possible, pictured below.
Any help or tips are appreciated,
Thanks!
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Is the ball joint part of your track arm all the way threaded in? it looks like you could get another turn out of it if you loosened up the jam nut.
If you lift the jeep up and let the axle droop those holes would line up. I just don't know if that would put a lot of stress on the ball joint when you set the jeep back down on its own weight
 
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LJBrix said:
Yes. The measurement I took from the inside tire to the frame on both sides is the same.
Click to expand...
Just to be sure, are measuring from the same tread on each side? My KM3s have differentiating knob patterns(if that makes sense) and I kept measuring the closer one when on one side, while the further on the other. Was messing up my measurements a lot.
 
rustygastank said:
Is the ball joint part of your track arm all the way threaded in? it looks like you could get another turn out of it if you loosened up the jam nut.
If you lift the jeep up and let the axle droop those holes would line up. I just don't know if that would put a lot of stress on the ball joint when you set the jeep back down on its own weight
Click to expand...
It is not threaded in all the way, but even if it was that shouldn't change the horizontal position of the bar.
I've thought about that but I'm hoping there's a better way that has less potential to break something 😬
 
DylanM345 said:
Just to be sure, are measuring from the same tread on each side? My KM3s have differentiating knob patterns(if that makes sense) and I kept measuring the closer one when on one side, while the further on the other. Was messing up my measurements a lot.
Click to expand...
Yes to this as well.
 
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LJBrix said:
It is not threaded in all the way, but even if it was that shouldn't change the horizontal position of the bar.
I've thought about that but I'm hoping there's a better way that has less potential to break something 😬
Click to expand...
Yes of course adjusting the track bar's length to make it a tad shorter will move the passenger-side mounting bolt hole over toward where it needs to be.
 
LJBrix said:
It is not threaded in all the way, but even if it was that shouldn't change the horizontal position of the bar.
I've thought about that but I'm hoping there's a better way that has less potential to break something 😬
Click to expand...
You really are from the south, ain'tcha? Jam nut is at the end of the tube. He wants to know if you can shorten the bar enough to get the hole to line up that way or if you will need to cut some off the tube if you trust the tire measurements. (I don't, but you do you)
 
You might want to turn the steering wheel to make the tires shift the axle and slide the bolt in, torque it down and drive it to see if the reason you replaced the track bar was successful, then jounce it and let everything settle in and then check your centers and see where you are at.
 
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