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Bolt on S.O.A.

Bolt on S.O.A.

Petescj

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Location
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Vehicle(s)
1982 CJ-7 258 / T-18 / Dana 300 31 in All Terrains.
1978 CJ-7 304 / TH 400 / Quadratrac 32 in Mud Terrains
I could never figure out why anyone would want a bolt on kit, it just sounds scary to me. It's just not that hard to weld some spring pearches on.
Oh yea you gota love that steering Z link :eek:
 
I'm definitely not as proficient as some of you guys, but doesnt that "z link" seem like a very weak link in the whole steering system.???
 
I'm definitely not as proficient as some of you guys, but doesnt that "z link" seem like a very weak link in the whole steering system.???

I can't believe they even sell that.
 
I'm definitely not as proficient as some of you guys, but doesnt that "z link" seem like a very weak link in the whole steering system.???
This is wrong in so many ways!

attachment.php


cj_soa_zlink.webp
 
Thats what I was thinking. And they kinda brag about it that they offer it? :wtf:. I can see the appeal of it being someone who doesnt weld but wow how about saftey? It will mislead alot of people who dont know what their looking for thats for sure.
I can't believe they even sell that.
 
pitman-knuckle-draglink.jpg

it's best to have the drag link horizontal. At first some may think this is horizontal.
9127d1333664428-bolt-s-o-cj_soa_zlink.jpg

But the center angle means it might as well make a direct slope. It still has a lot of bump steer. Both ends of the drag link should be close to the same height. A dropped pitman would help a little but a better approach would be to have a tie rod flip but then it looks like the drag link might hit the spring. A high steer setup is another option.
 
Here it is with a drop pitman, no help there.;)
Why raise your CJ to the moon then hang a stabilizer below everything?
Looks good at the mall I guess.:D
scary-cj-steering.jpg
 
If someone isn't an excellent welder, they could install the bolt-on kit themselves, drive it to a shop or buddy's house, and then have someone else to weld it up afterward, as opposed to doing the entire SOA lift for them.

With SOAs, all sorts of stuff pops up. Driveline issues. caster angle, maybe clocking Transfer Case , ETC. Non welding CJ owners may not want to spend the cash to have a shop figure this stuff out or hold up a buddys driveway for a a week or month. Bolting the kit on in your driveway let's you do all the work, but welding it. I wouldn't wheel it with just the bolts holding it on. I'd drive across town, but I'd have it welded, ASAP.

The z-link looks better than many homebrew solutions I've seen, it keeps the joint angles correct. No design shortcuts many jeepers use by using a Heim joint either.

yeah, won't do a damn thing about bump-steer. Oh well.
 
Here it is with a drop pitman, no help there.;)
Why raise your CJ to the moon then hang a stabilizer below everything?
Looks good at the mall I guess.:D

Thats not a rocky road z-link, RR is full tube with gussets.

That think looks stamped or forged, and ugly, and the twin-stabilizer is bling-tastic. :D
 
I must say i like the idea of the self-aligning spring perches. Thats a pretty cool idea. If they sold those separately I would buy them. They can be welded to mitigate that weakness and save a lot of trouble for a guy like me setting up the axles.
The steering can be done the correct way with other parts...
 
Funny....
I was sitting at a light today, and a camo CJ7 went across the intersection. Aside from the horrible paintjob, I only had a brief second to give it the "once-over".

All I could see underneath it as it drove by was the crazy drag link. It was either a custom drag link as shown above, or a homemade drag link that was bent in the shape of an "s"...

Somehow it just didnt look "right". Never noticed one before until this thread came up...
 
I must say i like the idea of the self-aligning spring perches. Thats a pretty cool idea. If they sold those separately I would buy them. They can be welded to mitigate that weakness and save a lot of trouble for a guy like me setting up the axles.
The steering can be done the correct way with other parts...
Self-algning spring perches? ? Never heard of them.
 
did you look at the link?
 
cj_soa_rear.webp
It looks like they give you an extra long spring perch that fits over the axle and meets up with the OEM welded perch on the bottom of the axle.
 

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