[Roach]

Originally Posted by EricsXJ

Installed some limiting straps.





I bought them from pyrotect.com custom length and they took a couple weeks to get here.

That's cool, I've never seen limiting straps used on a mid point like that.

Awesome rig by the way, You have some impressive fab skill.

[EricsXJ]

Originally Posted by wojtizzlator

ya im in love with your jeep. yeah i have longarms on mine with rubber joints at the axle mount. also it might be trac bar as i do have a temp fix on it. steering def. too damn thanks man you really helped me out

I have rubber or poly bushings on my axle end as well. But as you can see in the pics most of the articulation is achieved via the johnny joints on the belly pan end of the arms.

[Jason, aka: Jeepin.com]

Originally Posted by EricsXJ

Installed some limiting straps.

...

I bought them from pyrotect.com custom length and they took a couple weeks to get here.

Eric, T&T makes a Y-link specific limiting strap kit, did you look into that? Looks like you've got yours mounted exactly like how they do theirs.

Originally Posted by wojtizzlator

hey eric sorry to kinda butt in but i noticed you need limiting straps. i took my shocks off because im selling and i went to go flex to measure out for new shocks and my front doesnt really flex all that good my spring comes barely loose. what could i fix that with?

My guesses are your trackbar and steering bottoming out. I can't recall if you're running that funny SkyJacker trackbar that mounts to the steering stabilizer bracket on the axle, but if you're running a trackbar in the stock axle mount, it could very well be bottoming out and limiting your driver-side droop. I know that my RE trackbar hits the axle bracket, limiting my driver-side droop.

[wojtizzlator]

Originally Posted by EricsXJ

I have rubber or poly bushings on my axle end as well. But as you can see in the pics most of the articulation is achieved via the johnny joints on the belly pan end of the arms.

hmm that actually interests me because i have the same joints too. its just frustrating me because i always get the wheels off the ground. this is the closest pic i can give you (warning the drop is out, its bolted in all; the way around and tached to the frame.)

[Jason, aka: Jeepin.com]

you're probably maxing out the rodends on your steering and trackbar.

If you can unload the coils though, why do you need more?

[wojtizzlator]

I DONT UNLOAD THEM OPPS SORRY FOR CAPS anyway i figured it out it was my track bar

[Jason, aka: Jeepin.com]

oh, sorry, thought you said you did.

[EricsXJ]

Originally Posted by Jason, aka: Jeepin.com

Eric, T&T makes a Y-link specific limiting strap kit, did you look into that? Looks like you've got yours mounted exactly like how they do theirs.

Yes I looked at it. Theirs says it is weld-on and doesn't give a length of the strap so I am guessing you weld some kind of upper mount at the specific height you need for the proper length.

I simply bolted mine to the stock UCA mounts.

T&T Customs = $69.95 + shipping and welding required
Pyrotect = $45.25 after shipping and they are the exact length I need + bolt on.

[jamesmakela]

I recently put the Teraflex rear disc brake conversion kit on my 2000 XJ and was wondering what replacement disks and pads I would order when these wear out? I'm currently in Korea and have to order everything online which makes mistakes costly. Are these parts the same as the on the Grand Cherokee rear brakes?

[EricsXJ]

James,

That really belongs in its own separate thread but thats okay - the TeraFlex kit uses Ford Explorer parts.

And its time for another update...

Next on the list to do was to address issues with my rear suspension so I tore it apart.



My RE 4.5" leafs have been on my rig for more than 6 years. I've noticed that the bushings were worn and needed to be replaced. When I took out the leaf pack, this is what I saw:



And the rubber bushing literally fell out in my hand...



A couple months prior I had purchased replacement RE bushings via Jason at Jeepin Outfitters so I had these ready to go in. But I knew it would be a struggle to press these in in my garage so I removed the old bushings and sleeves myself and took them in to a spring shop to have the new bushings pressed in. They charged me $10 a bushing = $40 which is more than I wanted to pay but it was still worth it.



Then it was time to address the condition of the leafs themselves. Here's what they looked like:



I hate rust! So I took a wire wheel to the leafs to clean them up and get them ready for fresh paint. It took several hours to go through each leaf and get it done.

[EricsXJ]

Then I built a shackle box to improve my shackle angle. Because this could be its own write-up I started one in another thread with more details. That thread is here: making a custom shackle box

Here are a few pics however:

Built using 1/4" plate.



Had to redrill the hole to get the proper angle. Hoping for 45*.



Then I put it back together and here is what I ended up with.



I was in a rush to get this done before a trail ride the very next day. So I didn't have a chance to test them out before I left. When I got to camp I found a rock to test the flex out on.



By my best judgement it looks like I've drooped the driver side tire about an inch or maybe two further than before, with much more room to go only there wasn't enough weight to push the axle down further. The improvement wasn't earth shattering but I'm certainly happy with that. It should also flex easier and I believe it does, but again, I didn't have bad flex to begin with so the improvement was not as noticeable as it would otherwise be.

Here is the same flex shot showing the shackle at droop:



And here is a shot of the suspension compressed:



And just another flex shot:

[srmitchell]

Damn!

You don't skimp on quality work!

[99Greenmachine]

that is impressive

eric, you have given me a lot of great ideas

[dcorn]

Sweet! I worked on my rear suspension last night and found an abundance of surface rust. Not cool.

[aircruiser]

so you guys dont like rust? stay away from minnesota then

my jeep doesnt have much rust though so its all good. just little spots underneath here and there on the suspension.

jeep looks good and im subscribing because after mines lifted and done with suspension and bumper mods and what not, im looking into so stiffiners..