Brake lines I ordered from Rock Auto listed below - for a 1995 YJ

Front Brake Lines
DORMAN Part (left) # H38862 - $11.38
DORMAN Part (right)# H38861 - $11.38

Rear Brake Line
DORMAN Part # H38845 - $8.96

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Been kicking around what to do about the broken sway bar link I need to replace. Then, should I get longer ones.....then led to well, I should probably just go ahead and get some disconnecting links.....and just ordered a set of JKS discos. This Jeep thing is turning into another motorcycle / gun hobby

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Ha, I have that jeep/motorcycle/gun hobby problem also...guess you could add 'guitar' to that list.

Funny, I've talked myself into a lot of parts that way too. Matter of fact, thats the kind of logic that now has me planning on a custom long arm 4 link...

 

Got everything buttoned up tonight. Brake lines on and bled, headlights and grille put back on, confirmed the hood is opening nicely now. I took it for a test ride a few miles down a country road and it was squirrelly with no front sway bar. I've got it zip tied up right now until the JKS discos get here. Only ran about 40mph and it was manageable but I wouldn't want to run any faster than that. I'm not sure though if the sway bar was the cause or if the caster being out due to the lift, i didnt disturb the rear of the LCA's or either end of the UCA's during the install - just the axle side of the LCA's. The front feels really loose and I'm getting bump steer so I'm leaning to caster being the main cause.

I got some pics of the YJ brake lines and an after shot of the jeep. I'll try and get them up later tonight or in the morning.

 

I've edited the first post with the After shot of the jeep, but I'll put it here too.

I'm thinking that putting all the spacers in the front like I did was a little much. I haven't measured the end result after driving it down the road and cycling the suspension a bit. I may do that today. I'm gonna wait a bit and see where the springs settle after they get some miles on them and flex a bit before deciding what to do to level it out. I'll either put shackles in the rear or take a spacer out of the front - probably the stock iso, but dang I dread that.

I've been watching craigslist for some decent mud tires to come up in either 30x9.50 or 31x10.50 at a good price. Most likely going to run across 31x10.50 first since they are more widely used tire. I may spring for a new set if none come up in a while. If I buy new, I'll likely go with 30x9.50 I think. I don't want to trim on the body any if I can help it.



Here's the YJ brake lines. Much better than the stock lines. The front lines do rub against the shock and tend to bind a little when turning the wheel full lock, but I suspect that once the shock and lines both get some dirt / grime on them that they'll instead slide against the shock and not fold over like in the second pic. Gotta keep in mind that both the shock and lines are new and clean and the rubber line is "grippy".





Rear line



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Looks good man. Whats the distance between the center of the back wheel and bottom of the flare? I'd say you got about 2" of lift (over stock) on those springs, your old springs were just super saggy (like mine, haha!). Is the shackle angle settling back down any now that you got it down? Hows it ride?

 

I'll take that measurement this evening. When I measured before I just went from the garage floor to the wheel well. But I am going to redo that measurement this evening too after driving it.

Didn't look at the shackle angle last night, I'll do that today and take a pic if it looks any better.

Rides good - aside from the bump steer - but it feels like once the bump steer is corrected and the sway bar hooked back up that it's going to ride real nice.

I run the Bilstein 5100's on my 2500HD and my wife's Yukon - they are NICE riding shocks. I find that they are just a *bit* too light in the rebound damping (on both my truck and hers) but they are the nicest riding shocks I've ran. That's comparing them to the yellow Bilsteins and the Rancho 9000.

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Good deal. I got a set of OME shocks I'll be running on my lift. I'm getting them from a buddy who's taking them off to lift his XJ more...otherwise I would have gotten the 5100's.

Now all you gotta do is get some wheels & tires and you'll be looking good. Too bad you're not closer, I got a set I'm about to sell, haha!

 

Been searching the forum and think I am going to check / adjust my toe and caster today to try and solve the bump steer. JKS discos show to be here tomorrow, but FedEx tracking isn't always accurate, maybe Thur.

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So, I ran across the XJ alignment guide at http://jeep-xj.info/HowtoAlignment.htm yesterday and stopped at Lowes on the way home and picked up some 1/8" thick x 2" wide aluminum strip to make shims out of.

Using the caster template shim here https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f51/lo...emplate-94261/ I made 6 shims fairly quickly. I simply traced the template out on the aluminum and drilled 3/8" holes and cut them out with a hacksaw. They don't have to be perfect, so fast and dirty works fine.

Measured the caster angle by laying a 6" scale (metal ruler) against the cover plate bolts and putting my iphone against that - got the free app iHandy Level for the angle measurement. The caster angle was 5.8* after the lift and I ended up using all 6 shims, 3 each side, which brought it to 3.2*. The link above suggests 3.0* for 3" lift. I was able to get 3 of the 1/2" nuts worked loose on the shim brackets (whatever they are called) but one twisted right off. I think it'll hold fine though and if not, I guess I'll be ordering a new one.

My toe was at 3/4" toe-in lol. After some Liquid Wrench, heat from a propane torch and a monkey wrench with a cheater pipe, I was finally able to break the tie rod free and get it to turn. Set the toe at 1/8" as suggested by the article.

Took it for a test drive and it is MUCH better. I was able to let go of the wheel on the same country road (that has lots of dips, and road camber changes) and the jeep stayed in my lane for about 100yds before another car was coming and I had to get my hands back on the wheel.

It does still have a "disconnected" feeling - like the suspension isn't solidly connected to the body. All the bolts are torqued to spec. I don't know if it's just the front swaybar being disconnected or if it's bushings in the front control arms as I am sure with 172,xxx they are wore out and now have more leverage on them with the lift or if it's the stock track bar on the 3" of lift I ended up with. The axle is to the driver side flush with the fender flare. I've read lots of guys run them this way with no issues, but I can see how the suspension cycling would be pushing the body to the driver side as the track bar moves through it's range. Eh, I'll probably give in and order an adjustable one at some point.

JKS discos should be here today hopefully, so I'll get to rule the sway bar out once those are on, but I really kind of know deep down that the track bar is what's causing the "disconnected or bump steer feeling" now.

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Got the JKS discos in yesterday, but failed at getting the stock bolts off the axle bracket. I heated, beated, cut, drilled on the pass side and STILL can't get the damn thing all the way out. I had to just leave it and walk away, I've been working on this thing everyday soon as I walk in the door up to about 10PM since last Thursday and it's getting old.

So me and the boys piled in the jeep and headed to our land. Had the wife follow in her truck and then we all piled in the jeep and went up in the woods. Jeep was doing good, rides really good and seems to flex well. It's the perfect size and mobility to snake through the trees.





Was having a good time, it was just before dusk and then I dropped into a stream bed to go up the hill and sunk it. Didn't think it would be that soft, but it was and those Wranglers ain't mud tires. Wouldn't move either direction. We had to walk out about 1/2 mile back to the shop and drive her truck back home (about 5 miles) and get my truck, then drive back in the woods and pull it out. You can't turn my dang truck in a football field, so it was slow going to keep from tearing the side out of it in the trees. About 3 hours after getting stuck we pulled in the drive way. That sucked, but it happens. It WILL have mud tires on it SOON.

It doesn't look it in the pic, but the front spoiler is mostly on the ground and the gas tank was about 4" above the ground.



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Just got my lift done too, had the same problem with that pass side lower sway link bolt. A pitman arm puller worked on the driver side, but on pass side ended up cutting the bolt and head off with an angle grinder, drilling through the sliver of bolt left in the bracket, then boring it out with a die grinder...

 

Picked up a pitman arm puller yesterday but just went on back home, decided I needed a day off from working on this thing. If not for all the broken and frozen bolts I could have had all this done in 2-3 days. Think I'll try the puller out today and see how it works out.

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I ended up having to put the jaws of the puller on a large socket because they were too wide to grab on that bracket. Just a tip. Good luck.

 

Thanks for the tip man, used the puller today and remembered your tip of the socket. Had to use a socket on the pass side but not on the driver side. Some heat on the bracket and the puller popped the right out. So for anyone reading this, don't try and fight them without a puller like I did, just go spend $18 and get one and be done with it.

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