Doublewide

Purchased a '98 XJ about 5 weeks ago...PO had installed a ~3" lift, SYE, and new rear driveline. Kinda knew coming into it that I'd have to deal with shims to eliminate the vibes I was getting at 65+ mph (my freeway DD).

Spent a couple weeks researching the install process, and chasing down the parts/tools I'd need to do the job...Got new center bolts for the leafs, shims, U-bolts, PB Blaster, etc, etc and today was the day...

Woke up bright and early to nab a floor jack, jackstands, and some last minute misc. tools. Adds up, but I'm building the "garage"...

After getting to the shop and fussing with getting the Jeep securely on stands (1st time doing this...kinda hairy), I was ready to roll.

Got the first set of U-bolts off without much ado, and thought I'd check the new U-bolts for fit...Surprise! Wrong size. So much for the hour+ research for the right part on the interwebs...Off to the parts store. Lucked out and found a set that, although not ideal, would work...Back to the shop!

Axle dropped, and on to the center pin...W.T.F. After dicking around with trying to get the nut loose, I gave it the sawzall treatment. Very little gap to back it out meant prybar time...success!

Opened the new center pin parts package that the off-road "specialists" sold me for my specific application...aaaaand, they're too big for the holes in the leaf pack. Raced to the phone to see if the local parts places carry the smaller pins...nope. nada. Soo, Sunday night my DD sits with its *** in the air, and in various disassembly, since I can't get the right lousy $5 part needed to finish the project.

I figured this is as good a time as ever to ask about some of the "challenges" this little "2 hour" project has thrown my way.

1) I pulled the rear sway bar off, mainly because it was kind of in the way. I've read/seen that I don't really need it, but since this is my DD, will the lack of the SB affect (primarily) highway driveability?

2) I found that backing the original center pin (short) out was a pain...I'm not getting a whole bunch of drop on the axle. I disconnected the shock, and put a jackstand under the opposite side to prevent too much weight/strain on the stock brake line. SO, putting a longer center pin back in should be an even bigger PITA...Any advice on what/how to get more space between the leafpack and the axle? Should I just pull the pack and re-assemble off the Jeep? Am I missing some step to allow for more give?

3) Finally, when I do get this all put back together, what amount of torque should be used on the U-bolts? Tips for squeezing together the U-bolt so it fits back through the cap? Should I use any Loctite? Any "quirks" you've experienced doing this install?

Thanks for your help/input!

adamk

Had the same issues as you when installing a bastard pack on my buddy's rig. Here's what I did:

Centering pin issue:
drilled out the leafs for the pin to fit
also had to drill out the spring perches for the pin to drop down into them.

Room issue:
-used C-clamp to hold leafs together
-then used a standard scissor jack from any smaller car and placed it under the leaf pack and jacked it up just enough to fit the pin. But, that's a very sketchy way to do it and you have to pay attention to how much you push up on the leafs because you dont want it taking the weight of the vechicle off the stands already holding the jeep up.
-OR...with both sets up ubolts off the axle and a jack stand under one end of the axle, push the axle(side without jack stand) toward the front of the vechile. It only has to go about 2 inches if I remember correctly.

For the torque:
-I never had an exact setting that I used. I believe I went somewhere around 85 footpounds but I can't exactly remember.

Hope this info helps.

Adam

OOdynamite

1. Removing the rear sway bar will not noticeably effect road driving. I took mine out

2. When I installed my AAL lift, I stopes my axle to the ground, why not do that?

3. Ubolts are between 75-90, so 90. Also, never reuse old ubolts, get new ones

Doublewide

Thanks for the input...

Brake line is too short to allow more drop without stretching/breaking...?!

OOdynamite

Just remove the hard line from the body mounting location by removing the clip that hold the brake line in place, then slide the line out. That should give you enough drop

Doublewide

Well she's back together...took a lot of jack wrangling and cursing but everything bolted back up and the pinion angle looks just about perfect.

The vibes, however, STILL exist

They aren't as harsh as before, but dammit, once I got it on the freeway, they returned at 65+mph...

Thoughts on what might be next on the list??!

Also, at what point should I check/re-tighten U-bolts?

Jeepxj1234

So it has a sye and cv drive shaft.. Is the rear axle pointed at the tcase?

Doublewide

Yep...put in a 4* shim...if it's off, it's only off a fraction (1-2* low which I understand is what you want since it moves under load/acceleration).

Both SYE and rear DL are practically new and balanced, so I wouldn't think that could be the issue, but idk...

adamk

Check the u-joints on both the front and rear driveshafts. Had a case where I was getting vibes that mimicked minor death wobble and it turned out a bad u-joint in the front driveshaft and worn out splines.