What was done to your rig this week?

jeeeep said:
been doing maintenance on the JLU, dw started up again so off came the track bar, replaced worn out bolts as they kept coming lose even with stover nuts, checked toe-in and it was off by 1/2 inch from 1/16, checked caster and it was also off.. hmmm
Put a pry bar on the lower control arms thinking maybe worn bushings when I discovered this through the Gap in the front axle truss:
View attachment 434769
That's the upper control arm front axle bushing squeezed out.

Maneuvered a pry bar in there and sure enough, it moved with ease and may also be the cause of the knock I've been hearing from a stop.

Ordered bushings from the dealership and should be here in the morning, yay upper control arm bushing.
Click to expand...
Chasing DW is always a hassle. Hopefully that gets you squared away. I’ve been neglecting mine pretty bad also.
 
jeeeep said:
been doing maintenance on the JLU, dw started up again so off came the track bar, replaced worn out bolts as they kept coming lose even with stover nuts, checked toe-in and it was off by 1/2 inch from 1/16, checked caster and it was also off.. hmmm
Put a pry bar on the lower control arms thinking maybe worn bushings when I discovered this through the Gap in the front axle truss:
View attachment 434769
That's the upper control arm front axle bushing squeezed out.

Maneuvered a pry bar in there and sure enough, it moved with ease and may also be the cause of the knock I've been hearing from a stop.

Ordered bushings from the dealership and should be here in the morning, yay upper control arm bushing.
Click to expand...
Wow, that’s a lot gone wrong! Hopefully all that’ll fix your DW one and for all!
 
This is getting ridiculous, apparently the installer decided this bushing was never going to come out so they didn't leave any room o the truss to remove the bushing.

Found that control arm jam nut was never tightened, it was nice and loose.


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bad bushing, not sure how much the loose control arm contributed to it wearing out.

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I did not get a picture of the differential breather tube that broke because I was speaking in tongue and creating a barrage of new swear words that I'm sure even the devil covered his ears.

I was removing the hose clamp on the differential breather elbow and that little piece of shit elbow snapped off at the axle, did not even put force on it, touched it too support it and it snapped off in my hand.

It looks pressed in, back to Ace Hardware to find something to insert into the piece on the diff that will fit tight and I can connect the rest of the breather hose to it, fucking hell.
 

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How many cuss words does it take to remove driverside axle upper control arm bushing?
finally got that sob out after taking the Sawzall to score the inside.


20251128_122536.jpg

Some lessons learned:

SOB IS A PIA with a truss and no air tools.

1. if you have a truss or plan to get one, make sure there is clearance for the bushing and ball joint press. I had to trim portions off the truss to get the ball joint press aligned to allow pressing the new bushing in. Would have had to take much more off the truss to use it for the removal.

2. if you have an air hammer it might make it easier and faster - my compressor didn't have enough to drive an air hammer. Otherwise, use a hole drill, drill the center secton/rubber out then use a hand hacksaw or sawzall to score the inside of the bushing. the sawzall cuts it like butter so don't get too crazy or you'll cut thru. Once the inside was scored, I was able to easily tap it out.

OR... cut the truss off to allow getting a chisel in place behind the bushing edge to hammer it out.

RockJock makes a sized round steel tool for this, unfortunately it wasn't going to arrive in time to miss the rain.

3. remove the upper bolt of the track bar instead of the lower, easier to get the lower lined up 1st and then the upper.

4. on the JL, the axle vent tube is brittle AF, I tried the hack saw to trim it flat, but the tube was hard to cut.
Used needle nose pliers and it broke off easily into pieces, go figure.
For now, I was able to tap a brass fitting tight into the existing hole and reattach the hose.

5. upper control arm must have been in a constant bind; alignment tomorrow will tell how close I got caster correct

6. A lift would make the job much easier, break into a shop and use the lift if you don't know a guy.

7. Save the expense of jail time from breaking in and let a mechanic do it.
 
Last edited:
jeeeep said:
How many cuss words does it take to remove driverside axle upper control arm bushing?
finally got that sob out after taking the Sawzall to score the inside.


View attachment 434876

Some lessons learned:

SOB IS A PIA with a truss and no air tools.

1. if you have a truss or plan to get one, make sure there is clearance for the bushing and ball joint press. I had to trim portions off the truss to get the ball joint press aligned to allow pressing the new bushing in. Would have had to take much more off the truss to use it for the removal.

2. if you have an air hammer it might make it easier and faster - my compressor didn't have enough to drive an air hammer. Otherwise, use a hole drill, drill the center secton/rubber out then use a hand hacksaw or sawzall to score the inside of the bushing. the sawzall cuts it like butter so don't get too crazy or you'll cut thru. Once the inside was scored, I was able to easily tap it out.

OR... cut the truss off to allow getting a chisel in place behind the bushing edge to hammer it out.

RockJock makes a sized round steel tool for this, unfortunately it wasn't going to arrive in time to miss the rain.

3. remove the upper bolt of the track bar instead of the lower, easier to get the lower lined up 1st and then the upper.

4. on the JL, the axle vent tube is brittle AF, I tried the hack saw to trim it flat, but the tube was hard to cut.
Used needle nose pliers and it broke off easily into pieces, go figure.
For now, I was able to tap a brass fitting tight into the existing hole and reattach the hose.

5. upper control arm must have been in a constant bind; alignment tomorrow will tell how close I got caster correct

6. A lift would make the job much easier, break into a shop and use the lift if you don't know a guy.

7. Save the expense of jail time from breaking in and let a mechanic do it.
Click to expand...
Nuts!!!!
When is the new dictionary coming? I’d like a signed copy !!!!
 
Lperdue said:
Found a set of KMC Tanks for a decent price and got them mounted for the wife’s rig. Her tires also need to be replaced so went in on a set of Trail Grappler’s in a 38.

View attachment 434587

View attachment 434591
Thanks Eddy for providing a good how to video on deadlocks.
View attachment 434589

And of course when little man came home, he wanted to help. But he also took away my TV privileges lol. View attachment 434592
View attachment 434593
Click to expand...
I want these tires. Awesome to see the next generation turning wrenches!

jeeeep said:
How many cuss words does it take to remove driverside axle upper control arm bushing?
finally got that sob out after taking the Sawzall to score the inside.


View attachment 434876

Some lessons learned:

SOB IS A PIA with a truss and no air tools.

1. if you have a truss or plan to get one, make sure there is clearance for the bushing and ball joint press. I had to trim portions off the truss to get the ball joint press aligned to allow pressing the new bushing in. Would have had to take much more off the truss to use it for the removal.

2. if you have an air hammer it might make it easier and faster - my compressor didn't have enough to drive an air hammer. Otherwise, use a hole drill, drill the center secton/rubber out then use a hand hacksaw or sawzall to score the inside of the bushing. the sawzall cuts it like butter so don't get too crazy or you'll cut thru. Once the inside was scored, I was able to easily tap it out.

OR... cut the truss off to allow getting a chisel in place behind the bushing edge to hammer it out.

RockJock makes a sized round steel tool for this, unfortunately it wasn't going to arrive in time to miss the rain.

3. remove the upper bolt of the track bar instead of the lower, easier to get the lower lined up 1st and then the upper.

4. on the JL, the axle vent tube is brittle AF, I tried the hack saw to trim it flat, but the tube was hard to cut.
Used needle nose pliers and it broke off easily into pieces, go figure.
For now, I was able to tap a brass fitting tight into the existing hole and reattach the hose.

5. upper control arm must have been in a constant bind; alignment tomorrow will tell how close I got caster correct

6. A lift would make the job much easier, break into a shop and use the lift if you don't know a guy.

7. Save the expense of jail time from breaking in and let a mechanic do it.
Click to expand...
Glad you got this sorted. I’ve had the factory bushing at this location for 10 years. I bet it’s toast.

RESURECTIONJK said:
Busy weekend getting the new shoes installed. Kind of went overboard getting my old ATX beadlocks freshened up but, they needed it. Had to replace a dozen of the threaded steel inserts and then prep and paint them.
View attachment 434714View attachment 434716View attachment 434717
After breaking down and remounting the first one myself using a sketchy combination of bottle jacks and 2x4’s. I decided to take the other 4 to a local offroad shop to have the dismounted and the new 40’s put on the rim.

Needless to say, “off-road” shop doesn’t mean they know beadlocks and, they tried to actually install the tires like a traditional wheel.

Discount tire to the rescue and, I have to give the guys at the Encinitas discount tire location a HUGE shoutout. They got me right in about 10 minutes before they closed and had them fixed up before I could even get out of the truck.
View attachment 434718View attachment 434719
Spent the good part of yesterday getting the finally coats of paint and clear coat on, and using brand new bolts after chasing all the threads with a tap, they were ready to go back together.
Super satisfying to say the least. I could have just slapped them together in a day but, really wanted to take my time and do it right.
View attachment 434721View attachment 434722View attachment 434723View attachment 434724
Needless to say, I’ll be doing this project again sometime next year as this was supposed to be something I wasn’t going to do until I had my super duty axles built and ready to hang but, I was due for tires, didn’t want to buy twice and got a good deal on these. With my driving style and the the axle upgrades I currently have in place, I think it will hold together okay and, I’ll be sure to carry a few more spare parts just in case.

I’ll be doing a flex test soon to see how much I’ll have to trim and, I’ll likely have to adjust my front control arms to give it a bit more stretch to clear when turning.

Overall, pretty happy with the result.
Click to expand...
Congratulations on the 40s. Such a perfect fit on a JKU.
 
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