kelly4

Hey guys, I installed my lift a while ago and then got an alignment to straighten everything up. However after I got the alignment, my front axle seemed like it was angled (like the drivers side is shifted back further than the passengers side), making a visible difference in the wheel well gap on each side (see the pics). This also causes the drivers side tire to rub on the fender flare at less than full lock. I'm only on 31's at 3.5" so it doesn't seem like that is normal. Any ideas of what is going on here and how to take care of it?

Here's the drivers side:


And here's the passenger side:


It might be a little hard to see in the pictures, but just look at the gap between the fender and the side of the wheel closest to the doors

94XjSport94

Looks like the Lower control arms are pulling the axle back under the Jeep on that side. That shouldn't have change unless the alignment tech put in a ton of shims in the shoe mount. Are you on stock LCA's?

kelly4

no i've got the rubicon express ones. but now that you said that i realized what it probably is... My jeep's a salvage title, so it was "totaled" by the insurance company after and accident. Apparently the lca axle bracket broke and when i bought it the shop said they welded it back together

It was just weird because it wasn't noticeable when it was stock. The lift must have just made it more noticeable i guess

XJ99MN

Track bar maybe is pulling your axle off center? If i remember correctly you have the adjustable track bar maybe it needs to be adjusted? Just a guess.

kelly4

I just got around to thinking about this... What if I got adjustable LCAs and just made one a little longer than the other to straighten out the axle. Thoughts?

EvstaG

I would try to find the root of the problem rather than try to cover it- although your method might work. Why is the axle not straight to start with? Were the mounts re-welded improperly, or not measured? That is the sort of thing that would bother me; however, theoretically just making one LCA a bit longer should fix the problem, yes.

kelly4

Well I already know that the lca mount on the axle end is the actual problem, but I don't have the time or means for an axle swap quite yet. I think the adjustable lca's would work though. It seems like they would

AlphaQup

Weld on a new bracket if the old bracket is haggard

kelly4

this is also a good option
It's not urgent because everything is aligned properly right now, but it's something that's always in the back of my mind haha

shum8

Dude, sorry to inform u, but it doesnt look like everything is aligned properly. Im having a similar issue myself. You need to measure your wheelbase. If its diff from side to side u need to resolve that issue.

kelly4

I'm quite certain everything is aligned properly. If your referring to the axle being angled as "not aligned properly" then you should know that getting an alignment can't change the position of the axle, especially at an angle. It's a control arm mount issue and I'm pretty sure that's the only thing it could be. Yes, that means that the axle is at a slight angle, but it in no major way effects the car when the wheels are properly aligned.

shum8

Not being ugly or disrespectful. But if one side was shorter than the other....i wouldnt drive it until it was fixed. Just be safe.

kelly4

It is perfectly safe.