Rough country lift kit question

DaytonaBeachTJ

New Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2017
Messages
8
Location
Daytona Beach, FL, United States
Can anyone give me some advice please? I have a 98 TJ. I'm installing a rough country 3.25" lift. Front is finished. On the rear I have already removed the rear shocks and sway bar links. According to the directions I have to take the track bar loose on the drivers side. It is held in with a T55 torx head bolt. The problem is that the gas tank is too close to it and I can't get the impact on it. I can barely get a 3/8" drive breaker bar on it, but can't break it loose. Any suggestions other than dropping the gas tank?
 
Jack the rear of the Jeep up via a floor jack and a 4x4 under the rear bumper until you get the clearance required. That will allow the rear axle to droop down so you can get to the bolt.

Use jack stands to support the frame at the rear once it is jacked up.
 
Last edited:
The rear end has to droop. Do as Jerry suggested or jack it up as far as you can and place stands under the frame and let the rear down.
 
The rear end has to droop. Do as Jerry suggested or jack it up as far as you can and place stands under the frame and let the rear down.

I have the jeep up on jack stands. The rear tires, shocks and sway bar links are completely off. The axel is hanging as far down as it possibly can. Any other suggestions?

E7BB80A1-8F59-4D18-B05A-8357E3D8771C.jpg


87CB2ADE-F84B-467A-848F-1E94A546AEEC.jpg


6672EDCE-40CF-4CBC-9FA2-574A4B786FFD.jpg


72E29C42-8A52-40E4-9A0B-182988B6E6D2.jpg
 
Did you Kroil or PB Blaster the bolt? Should be able to break free if you did and you're getting on it w breaker bar.

Another option is to tighten it a bit. Sometimes that will break it free.
 
Can you throw some heat to it? I know it is close to the tank so not really sure. I would be wary of hitting it with the impact for fear of stripping it out and being in a worse position.

Pick up some Kroil. Supposedly it works better than PB. Certainly couldn't hurt.
 
I wonder if what @Jerry Bransford is saying above might give it more droop? Raising from the rear bumper rather than the differential with jack stands under frame rails? I don't know. Never tried it. I'm supposing you're having to mount a trackbar relocation bracket? You might replace it with a hex head bolt when you get it off! I had trouble reaching mine too, but it did break free and I did have to use it on reinstall. Might have to remove gas tank skid if you can't get to it. How much are you going to gain by doing that though? Doesn't look like much. I've read shop guys say tighten it first. Then it will break free and you can take it out. Hope you don't strip it . And hopefully @Jerry Bransford will chime in about that droop
 
It would droop the same, just going at it a different way. The tank skid and tank are basically one piece so either it all comes out or not at all. You could disconnect the upper and lower control arms at the rear end and it would fall as far as it could with the TB still attached.
 
I wasn't aware you wanted the additional access for an impact wrench. You shouldn't need an impact wrench to get that bolt out, the most I've ever used there is a breaker bar for more leverage. Plus I'd be worried using an impact wrench on the T-55 bit would snap it as regularly happens when they're on an impact wrench... they're made pretty hard (brittle) so they can snap when used with an impact wrench. I had a torx bit on my 3/8 impact wrench snap while trying to remove a door screw and the broken bit danced about 8" over the door's paint before I could release the trigger.

Personally, I'd abandon the impact wrench idea and go for a breaker bar. Or a piece of pipe slid over a 1/2" ratchet drive. Plus that will eliminate having to get the axle to droop more so the impact wrench can get in there.

One more comment is the more the axle is pulling on the track bar, the tighter that bolt is going to be. I'd work to get the axle in a 'neutral' position so it's not pulling on its mounting bolts which can make that T-55 easier to get out.
 
Last edited: