SCAMPER ZJ
07-11-2005, 05:36 PM
In June 2005 while attending Grand Slam West in Moab, I bent my drag link on Golden Spike going over the Golden Crack obstacle. This occurred in spite of cautious wheeling that day (in other words no bouncing or gunning it through obstacles, DAVE :smt003 ), though I must admit that I don't usually flex it quite that much during my daily driving! :yawinkle: Anyway, it was bent pretty bad (see pic below, it is bowing forward at the steering shock), and I thought that this would be the end of my wheeling trip. I certainly didn't want to attempt any more obstacles with a weakened drag link and risk getting stuck (or worse). Lucky for me however, one of the guys in the group had an "extra" drag link that he let me borrow (thanks, Scott). I did the swap right there in the City Market parking lot, then headed back out to the trails.
http://www.jeepsite.net/MOAB32.jpg
http://www.jeepsite.net/Steering01.jpg
While still at GSW, I had the good fortune of running into Kevin from KevinsOffroad (http://www.kevinsoffroad.com). He had replaced his stock drag link and tie rod with the U-Turn (http://www.offroadonly.com/products/new/u-turn) from Off Road Only (http://www.offroadonly.com). Kevin said he had been real impressed with it, and had recently begun retailing them on his web site. After getting home and doing some of my own research, I gave him a call and ordered one up.
A couple of days later the U-Turn (http://www.offroadonly.com/products/new/u-turn) arrived. Talk about beefy! Compared to the stock setup, these chromoly components look TOUGH! I really don't see bending this drag link like I did the stock one (pictured again below).
http://www.jeepsite.net/Steering02.jpg
http://www.jeepsite.net/Steering03.jpg
Since the setup is designed for a TJ with 3" of lift, some minor modifications needed to be done to fit my ZJ with 7" of lift. Kevin recommended using slightly beefier ends with more articulation for the drag link (NAPA part #2692023). Both are right-handed tie rod ends (terminology that is a little confusing since in this case they are used on the drag link, not the tie rod). The larger range-of-motion in the tie rod ends is necessary in order to minimize the stress placed on these parts, as well as the pitman arm and other components. Since the taper is of a larger diameter, I had to ream out two slightly bigger drag link holes: one in the bracket on the passenger side, and the other in the pitman arm. I used a drill press to do the former, and a hand-held 1/2" drill for the latter. For the tie rod itself, I used the tie rod ends that came with the U-Turn (http://www.offroadonly.com/products/new/u-turn).
http://www.jeepsite.net/Steering06.jpg
http://www.jeepsite.net/Steering07.jpg
http://www.jeepsite.net/Steering08.jpg
http://www.jeepsite.net/Steering09.jpg
To make the installation a little easier, I took off the passenger side tire. Not only did this make torquing the bolts easier, it also allowed me to droop the axle with and without the tie rod and drag link connected. The reason I did this was so that I could reassure myself that the orientation of the drag link, with the bend slightly forward, did not limit droop (which would have indicated potentially excessive stress on the tie rod end, etc.). The droop remained at 10" before and after, so I am confident that wear-and-tear will be minimized.
http://www.jeepsite.net/Steering10.jpg
http://www.jeepsite.net/Steering11.jpg
http://www.jeepsite.net/Steering12.jpg
http://www.jeepsite.net/Steering13.jpg
I must admit I was a bit nervous when I first took it for a test drive at 1AM the day before heading to Wheeler Lake (and less than a week before Holy Cross). However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only did the steering seem smoother, it also was more responsive. Turning corners was easier, and it held lines better. I wasn't disappointed when I took it out on the trail, either. Now the steering is less likely to have problems under strenuous conditions, and flex shots look even better with the U-Turn (http://www.offroadonly.com/products/new/u-turn) hardware under there!
:bling:
http://www.jeepsite.net/05Wheeler0166.jpg
http://www.jeepsite.net/05HC0204.jpg :fart:
http://www.jeepsite.net/MOAB32.jpg
http://www.jeepsite.net/Steering01.jpg
While still at GSW, I had the good fortune of running into Kevin from KevinsOffroad (http://www.kevinsoffroad.com). He had replaced his stock drag link and tie rod with the U-Turn (http://www.offroadonly.com/products/new/u-turn) from Off Road Only (http://www.offroadonly.com). Kevin said he had been real impressed with it, and had recently begun retailing them on his web site. After getting home and doing some of my own research, I gave him a call and ordered one up.
A couple of days later the U-Turn (http://www.offroadonly.com/products/new/u-turn) arrived. Talk about beefy! Compared to the stock setup, these chromoly components look TOUGH! I really don't see bending this drag link like I did the stock one (pictured again below).
http://www.jeepsite.net/Steering02.jpg
http://www.jeepsite.net/Steering03.jpg
Since the setup is designed for a TJ with 3" of lift, some minor modifications needed to be done to fit my ZJ with 7" of lift. Kevin recommended using slightly beefier ends with more articulation for the drag link (NAPA part #2692023). Both are right-handed tie rod ends (terminology that is a little confusing since in this case they are used on the drag link, not the tie rod). The larger range-of-motion in the tie rod ends is necessary in order to minimize the stress placed on these parts, as well as the pitman arm and other components. Since the taper is of a larger diameter, I had to ream out two slightly bigger drag link holes: one in the bracket on the passenger side, and the other in the pitman arm. I used a drill press to do the former, and a hand-held 1/2" drill for the latter. For the tie rod itself, I used the tie rod ends that came with the U-Turn (http://www.offroadonly.com/products/new/u-turn).
http://www.jeepsite.net/Steering06.jpg
http://www.jeepsite.net/Steering07.jpg
http://www.jeepsite.net/Steering08.jpg
http://www.jeepsite.net/Steering09.jpg
To make the installation a little easier, I took off the passenger side tire. Not only did this make torquing the bolts easier, it also allowed me to droop the axle with and without the tie rod and drag link connected. The reason I did this was so that I could reassure myself that the orientation of the drag link, with the bend slightly forward, did not limit droop (which would have indicated potentially excessive stress on the tie rod end, etc.). The droop remained at 10" before and after, so I am confident that wear-and-tear will be minimized.
http://www.jeepsite.net/Steering10.jpg
http://www.jeepsite.net/Steering11.jpg
http://www.jeepsite.net/Steering12.jpg
http://www.jeepsite.net/Steering13.jpg
I must admit I was a bit nervous when I first took it for a test drive at 1AM the day before heading to Wheeler Lake (and less than a week before Holy Cross). However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only did the steering seem smoother, it also was more responsive. Turning corners was easier, and it held lines better. I wasn't disappointed when I took it out on the trail, either. Now the steering is less likely to have problems under strenuous conditions, and flex shots look even better with the U-Turn (http://www.offroadonly.com/products/new/u-turn) hardware under there!
:bling:
http://www.jeepsite.net/05Wheeler0166.jpg
http://www.jeepsite.net/05HC0204.jpg :fart: