I got some fixed RC LCA and put them on a few weeks ago and there is a terrible clunking coming from the front end when I go over little bumps in the road.

I got a set of RC Adjustable UCA that I still need to install but I like to do one thing at a time and see how the rig reacts so I know what might be going wrong if the upgrade is no upgrade at all.

I will take pictures so you can see how the piece of metal in the bushings of the RC LCA's is just a bent piece of steel and the ends don't even meet. There is a lot of slack between the steel "tube" and the bolt so every bump is heard inside the rig.
So I just ordered a set of RE Adjustable LCA and a RE Adjustable Track Bar to go with it.

We will see if the change in LCA makes a difference or not.

If time permits I will do the UCA at the same time I do the LCA and Track Bar.

 

Rough country is gaining a reputation for cheap bushings lately. They must be using a different supplier for their rubber products or something. Even after replacing bushings in their kits it's still a good deal though.

You aughta be happy with adj lca's and tracbar. They make a big difference.

 

Yeah man I hope so. I lost my good riding Jeep after the RC LCA install and I want it back. The RE LCA and even the RC adj UCA should put everything in alignment. Add the RE adj track bar and God willing and the creek dont rise I will be back to where I started.

 

It should help a lot. Your ride quality depends on lca's a lot more than uca's.

 

Yeah that is what I was thinking too. I got this chart that said the LCA should be 15" and the UCA should be 14" for a 3" lift and thought that as this rig goes higher I want to keep the ride as stock as possible so I got both.

 

Yea my rig rides like a brick but that's because my control arms are at a steep angle. Too much lift for short arms.

 

Here is that chart if you have not seen it yet:

Control Arm Length Application Chart
For Jeep Cherokee (XJ)

Lift...........Lower Control Arms/Upper Control Arms
********Decimal**Fraction**Decimal**Fraction
Stock........15.75.......15 ¾........15.00........15
2”.............15.92.......16............14.88.... ...15
3”.............16.09.......16............14.92.... ...15
4”.............16.33.......16 3/8......15.03........15
4.5”..........16.47.......16 ½........15.11........15
5”.............16.62.......16 5/8......15.21........15 ¼
6”.............16.97.......17............15.44.... ...15 ½
7”.............17.36.......17 3/8......15.74........15 ¾
8”.............17.81.......17 ¾........16.09........16
9”.............18.30.......18 ¼........16.50........16 ½
10”...........18.82.......18 ¾........16.96.........17

 

Well I just could not stand the clunking from the front end any longer. So the RE Adj LCA came in and I painted them Parrot Blue (kinda) and installed them yesterday.

Out with the old!




This was an easy thing to do as I just installed the RC LCA a few weeks ago and the bolts came out really easy.



Look at the bushing and you can see the seam where they just bent some brass around to form the sleeve where the bolt goes.



Might be hard to see but that little bit of room around the bolt was enough to echo through the Cherokee like the front end was ready to come off. (OK that might be a bit over exaggerate)



Here are the lower control arms side by side. You can see that the RC arms are big and beefy. They do have some weight to them the bushing are just not up to snuff.

 

Well with the RC LCA out I just had to put in the RE Adjustable LCA and its a piece of cake right?


Well because the RE Adjustable Track Bar is still not here I had to do the same wiggling of the axles as I did when I put the RC ones in. This means that I hook up a Come a long to the rear Axel and pull it back the front Axel on the the driver side to get that LCA in and pull from the winch plate to the passenger side to get that one in.

That 3/4" is more than people let on it is. I feel IMHO that is not optional to install an adjustable track bar or move it over the need distance when you raise the jeep even a couple of inches.





Not a hard thing to do even with moving the Axel around.



I tried to do the upper Control arms too but I rounded off the nut so I will spray some more PB Blaster on it and try again when the RE Adjust Track Bar gets here.

Well we drove it around last night and no more clunking from the front end. Nice to have the old Babajeep back.

 

Had to take Babajeep out to see if he flexed any better than before the new Adjustable LCA's.

 

The views are amazing on the way to the lake.







Then there is the lake itself.



Nice trail around the lake is a fun drive.

 

A couple of nice flexing spots to make the day more interesting.







Nice afternoon drive on the Raiders bye week and not much else to do.

 

Like your Jeep. Have you hit those sliders yet adn how are they holding up? I like the square ones that company makes and am curious to see how the mounting system hold up on the trail.

I am envious of your surroundings. Absolutley beautiful scenery.

John

 

The sliders are holding up well. With only 3" lift and 235 tires I get a chance to use them often. I am waiting to weld them to the frame until I see if frame stiffeners are needed for the trails I do.

They do hang down a bit and if I was to change I would do the mod where you replace the rocker panel with a 2x4 .188" steel tube.

I have lifted the whole rig just on the sliders using a rack with the arms just on the sliders and it held strong.

Sierra Nevada's are beautiful and I am grateful everyday that I get to live here. Where are you located?

 

I need to update the thread as I added a RE Adj. Track Bar and brought the Babajeep back in alignment. Sorry no pictures but lets see if I remember how it was done...... yes unbolt one and bolt in the adj. one. You do need to keep adjusting it till wheels are the same distance from the frame on each side but that is so straight forward, just takes a minute.