Rear upper control arm installation issue

Honest_Abe74

Honest_Abe74

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Thornton, CO
Attempting to install a 2” OME lift today and have run into an issue with the driver rear upper control arm bolt lining up upon reinstall. Looking back through threads I see now that the proper procedure was to remove the trackbar and not the upper control arm mounts, but can’t change that now. Is there a way to get that bolt lined up again? Stock control arms.

The axle needs to rotate counterclockwise to get the control arm to line up, I found an old thread where it was suggested to place a floor jack between the pinion and floor and no luck with that (moved forward very little). Also tried inserting a screwdriver and using that to pry it but no luck. Am I missing something? Everything else is reattached save for the sway bar.
Pics attached. Appreciate the help, calling it a night out of frustration.

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Try placing the jack under the differential, closer to the pinion seal and tilt the differential. Is the pinion seal seeping?
 
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get a pinch bar ............or get that jack under the nose of the axle and crank the nose up some.
the scissor on top is stopping it from being able to rotate.
 
also loosen the bolt at the other end of the CA if you haven't already, this should give you a little more mobility to line it up. Sometimes a smaller punch can be inserted and used to shift the holes into alignment as well.
 
Axeman said:
also loosen the bolt at the other end of the CA if you haven't already, this should give you a little more mobility to line it up. Sometimes a smaller punch can be inserted and used to shift the holes into alignment as well.
Click to expand...
if your moving that axle they should all be loosed, upper and lower CA's. after the new position is established then you re-torque in that position.
 
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Short chain around the pinion nose holding a crowbar will provide a ton of leverage to rotate the axle. It's odd that you have 3 stock arms in and the 4th won't go, but that's a Jeep for ya. Also shifting the axle slightly left or right may get you the lineup you need. If the axle shifts to the side it will effectively shorten one side and lengthen the other side's distance to the arms.
 
Come-along here...there are obviously a hundred different ways to position the axle. It doesn't take much for it to get out of position when installing control arms.
 
I appreciate all the advice. I’ll start by loosening the upper and lower control arm bolts on that side and move the jack under the pinion nose first. If that doesn’t work I’ll try the ratchet straps again. Or burn the damn thing. And yep, the seeping pinion seal is on the list of maintenance items.
 
Ended up finally getting it using a combination of ratchet straps, strategic pry bar placement, and loosening the control arms. What a colossal pain in the ass. Thanks again for all the advice
 
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I just ran into this problem when installing the new rear upper passenger side arm. The bracket was tilted about a 1/4 inch too far rearward to get the bolt in.

After trying a bunch of the stuff listed on forums and it not working, I had easy, quick success with putting a chock block behind my driver side rear tire, reversing into it (not over it) and having a helper place a 2nd chock block in front of that same tire to keep the Jeep from rolling forward when I let off the clutch and brake.

This twisted the axle the perfect amount to slide the bolt right across.
 
Honest_Abe74 said:
I appreciate all the advice. I’ll start by loosening the upper and lower control arm bolts on that side and move the jack under the pinion nose first. If that doesn’t work I’ll try the ratchet straps again. Or burn the damn thing. And yep, the seeping pinion seal is on the list of maintenance items.
Click to expand...

With stock-type CA bushings, it's important that you leave all the mounting bolts loose until all are installed and have the weight of the jeep resting on the suspension before tightening the bolts.

Same with track bats that use Clevite style bushings.
 
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