darkness878

i have a 97 cherokee with a 6.5 long arm from rough country i already found the steering kit i want its to otk rusty offroad kit so thats out of the way im wondering what all do i need to do the wj front brake swap
knuckles, calipers, redrilled wj rotors to 5 on 4.5 is it that simply? also i know a spacer on one side for the hub
anyone here do this swap???

Dumajones

found this,,

exjay1027

dont just go ordering a steering kit for a custom application.. definitely call and tell them what you have if you do go through with the swap

Lowrange2

^^^ - Right. That Rustys steering kit isn't going to work with the WJ steering knuckles.

At least not using them to the fullest.

You can make custom steering links yourself for half of what Rusty's charges.

rompnXJ

Here's a list of parts I used for my swap, if it helps you.

JKS .25" knuckle spacers (needed to center the ujoint)
TJ hubs (needed to center the caliper on the rotor)
WJ rotors redrilled to 4.5x5
Stock WJ draglink, shortened 5"
Stock WJ tie rod, shortened 4"
Rusty's OTA trackbar bracket (needed to align the trackbar with the draglink again)
4 WJ balljoints.. I forget, either the upper, or the lower balljoints are the same for XJ &WJ. I just replaced all 4 with WJ parts.


BTW instead of using TJ hubs, some people keep their XJ hubs and just use spacers or whatever on the caliper bolts to center the caliper. I didn't want any mickey mouse bullsh** on my brakes though.

gpXJ

The upper ball joints are the same for WJ and XJ. The lower is different. Some people will tell you the XJ lower will work, and while it's true you can bolt the knuckle on, it does not accomplish the machined fit that it should. Over time that lower hole will wallow out and you will have to replace the knuckle, or worse, pull out completely, leaving you stranded.

cleenrob

how did you go about shortening the stock wj steering?

darkness878

thanks for all the help im going to call rustys or how did you guys make your stuff, so the top ball joint is xj ball joint bottom is wj so just for the knuckles go
wj knucklels
bottom wj balljoint
spacer for hubs welded on both sides?

Metmknice

Honestly, what is the point of buying rusty's xj steering if you are doing a WJ swap?
Clayton makes a bolt in swap kit, also has all the components.
Otherwise, I would say ruffstuff/other for DIY links. Should be less expensive even if you need someone to weld it for you.

94XjSport94

Clayton's kit was stupid pricey last time I saw it. I was starting to piece together WJ stuff before I sold it to Rob.

I wouldn't call hub spacers welded to the knuckle mickey mouse if done right... I cooked them in the grill to about 400*, Mig'd them, then let them simmer in the grill for a while. Unless your 10.9 hub bolts break it's not an issue.

Big David

You don't even have to weld them. It's just the preferred method.

Rockfrog

IMO if you don't weld them, you are placing far more stress on those three bolts as the spacer is not actually able to support the hub effectively. The hub will still be in the knuckle, but not fully ... I sided on the safer side instead of the cheaper side and had them fully welded to my knuckles for peace of mind.

Jbh97009

The normal rustys 'otk' steering setup will not work in the wj configuration!!!!!!
Tie rod is too short, and drag link isn't right either.... Now, that said rustys does make a steering setup for a wj swap, so if your set on going that route just make sure you get the wj style!

Clayton also sells the parts individual or as a kit. Or if you can weld (and measure) ruff stuff has a steering kit for heims (just like rustys) or you can get the offset tie rod ends if you don't want heim....

cleenrob

i thought about running claytons tie rod/draglink but they're made of aluminum, im sure the linkage is capable but id rather steel linkage like the jks stuff

rompnXJ

I wasn't talking about the hub spacers. In order to center the caliper over the rotor, you either need TJ hubs, which have a different offset, or put spacers on the caliper bolts to offset the caliper.


The latter is the mickey mouse bull**** I was referring to.