commented in the wrong thread.. sorry.

 

Not really, I've swapped shackles, but It's hard to guess where you will sit until all the pieces are put on and sat on the ground. I've tweaked and adjusted it here and there and I think I've finally got it where I want it now. But only time will tell.

 

So I installed the the IRO shackles this weekend in the stock length location hole and found I was hitting the LII relocation brackets on compression, because of the shape of the shackles. The JKS shackles worked beautifilly, but gave too much lift and allowed too much droop for my shocks to handle. If I was building a trail rig, I would have just relocated my shock mounts higher on the axle, but that is not my intention with this build and I wanted to bring it back down to 3.5" for many reasons.

So this is where it was hitting.



The solution was to notch out the brackets to allow the shackle to compress.



Now I have room to compress and the shackle will hit the bracket on limiting my droop the other way. Not the ideal stopping point, but it is better than maxing out the shock.



All said and done, I removed the .75" coil spacers from the front as well and this is how she sits now. Roughly 3.5" all around.




Overall very pleased with the better control arm angle, pinion angles, shackle angles and flex, tie rod/draglink angle, driver entry/exit and roof top access has improved. This is where I wanted to sit in the first place and the JKS shackles kinda threw me off track. I might make another adjustment to the control arms, then get it aligned and wheels balanced, then I can make a final determination on the improved drivability, sans "death wobble".

 

'Steering geometry' was an imprecise term on my part.
Alignment is a different issue, I was referencing the stock steering assembly. If reducing lift by one inch did solve death wobble, that would prove there is a problem somewhere, in a component or major mis-adjustment.

I have dealt with the wheelbase issues, there is a difference in left and right wheelbase from the factory. Also, a small amount of cross-caster is dialed into the axle itself.
If there is an issue with caster or toe, than an angle finder and a measuring tape, on level ground, will show it.
Trackbar and it's bracket should be compatible and correct for your steering system from the beginning.

'Stringing' is technique I used for wheelbase and trackbar adjustment.
After you do the alignment yourself, a shop will provide a printout for free.

 

Looks good man!

 

That is right in line with what I think and do as well. I've been all over every bolt, adjusted, re-torqued, re-adjusted, re-torqued, measured, calculated, guesstimated and have only found the reasoning to be what I mentioned in my first post.



I didn't like the angle of the currie tie rod, not sure if that was a player in the DW either, but it looks a lot better at 3.5". But don't mistake my "lowering" as strictly trying to get rid of death wobble, I am simply getting my suspension where I want it, the DW just gave me a reason to get it done sooner than later I guess.

There is actually a very good chance the autoskills shop here did a very shoddy job balancing the tires. So that is my next step for sure and could solve the whole issue in the first place. I am also not ruling out the leaking steering box or possibly the Alloy USA balljoints (I can't get any vertical or lateral movement out of them, but it's possible I suppose).

 

Subbed, Very impressed with your attention to detail on this XJ. I'm debating what I want to do to my stock 2001 XJ Sport and exactly how high I want to go. If I decide to go 3-3.5", this is the kit I'm going to go with for sure. If I go 2-2.5" OME, I may still get some of their duroflex bits.

Thanks for the great detailed build thread and thanks for your service!

 

Just wanted to give you a heads up on the 2.5" OME kit. They come with the same leaf springs that the Metal Cloak kit does (OME CS033RB). Even when you remove the leaf like ss427ci & I did you'll end up with over 3" of height in the rear. I think most people got around 3.25" without messing with shackles or reallocation brackets.

There's some discussion regarding this in here:

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f67/ol...203278/index3/

 

Thanks for that info. I actually have an email out to Metal Cloak right now asking if they were using CS033RB or CS033RA. I'll check that thread out. Also FWIW I always have 100-150lbs worth of stuff in the back plus a 50lb hitch-mounted bike rack on mine (plus 1 30lb bike 2-3 times a week and 120lbs worth of 4 bikes maybe 1-2 times a month).

 

Thanks man, I appreciate it. If you did go with 2.5" OME kit with Duroflex bushings, then you could run the JKS boomerang shackles in the rear and JKS ACOS up front and still be around 3.5", that would be a nice setup indeed.

 

Mine came with the CS033RB spring packs FWIW

 

Yep very true, if I had a true 2.5" leaf pack I could have kept the JKS boomerang shackles and been happy. But I'm ok with my setup as it is for now.

 

Finally got around to installing the ARB roof rack that has been laying around for months while I tried to sell it. I didn't get any interest at $500, so I decided to throw it on.







First off, I am a huge ARB fan and believe they make some of the best quality components out there. This thing is heavy duty steel, weighing in around 100lbs. I have complete confidence I could strap whatever I wanted up there.

But if you really think about how much weight you want on the top and what you would actually strap up there, it begs the question...Do I really need a super heavy duty steel roof rack to hold tents and sleeping bags???

Which brings me back to my regret of impulse buying this at 4wheelparts while it was on sale for $500, saving me $250 + shipping. Yeah it was a good deal, but it is not the aluminum Front Runner rack I originally wanted. I did try to sell it and still plan on selling it once I get to Colorado, but I didn't feel comfortable with the Army shipping this with my household goods, so I bought the $350 fitting kit and threw it on for now.

Speaking of the fitting kit. High quality matching steel brackets and stainless fasteners, but why do I have to use a ball end hex key to reach the mounting bolts through the wire mesh at odd angles? Couldn't the mesh have been laid out in a way that allows straight forward access to the mounting bolts, instead of running right over the top of them? That really bugged me, along with the fact I snapped the allen key that came with the kit and now need to remove that from one of the hex heads.

Overall I am happy with the quality and looks, I just feel adding a 100 lbs steel rack to the top of a LCOG build doesn't make much sense in hindsight. Oh well, we live and learn...anybody wanna buy a ARB roof rack in about a month in the Colorado Springs area???

 

I like it. You'll always be able to sell it if doesn't work out for you. Colorado has a huge offroad community, so you should have no trouble selling there.

 

Check out what I picked up the other day. Seems like a perfect compliment to my XJ.

2016 Kawasaki KLR 650 camo edition