This is my ongoing build of my CJ crawler
I'm not an expert here so take this with a grain of salt, but I think you might have an issue with the strength of that setup with that narrow heim joint. It's not an issue with the bracket itself, but rather that the bolt is taking all of the force of that upper link, and I think the bolt will bend or fail. In a 3link setup the rotational load of the axle is mainly controlled by that single upper joint, so there is a lot of force involved. The bolt is carrying the load between the two brackets (2 1/2" maybe?), rather than the joint. In a johnny joint or a heim in a properly spaced bracket, the sleeve in the joint spans the entire width of the bracket, so the joint takes the load, not the bolt. Your spacer creates a focus point for the force, and the bolt will likely bend right where the spacer meets the collar.NashvilleTJ , the upper link bracket is welded in its final position , I have the spacer in there making it all the way to the passenger side because I thought it might get a bit close to the oil pan and starter at full bump , there is plenty of room to have it in the middle but I do like it on that side because it doesn't bind with the 4 or 5 inches of up travel I have and it makes it close to the frame if I get around to making a bump stop for it
So to not answer your question I don't know if I'll keep it there or not 🙂
Glad it is working... it sure is a good feeling to see everything working. I would suggest adding some fenders along with the windshield. I have the same problem with mine. Full width axles and no fenders definitely leads to large gobs of mud to the face and head.She's finally out and about , did some testing and found a few leaks that need addressed and some parts the need clearances but all in all it's driving great and everything works
I'm also going to have to figure out some way to get a windshield this thing slings mud like nobody's business