What did you do to or with your CJ today?
jonboy1919
Active Jeeper
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- Location
- Maltby, WA
- Vehicle(s)
- 1979 CJ7 Renegade, 304cid, MC 2150 Carb, TH400 tranny, Dana 300 twin stick, Dana 44 front w/lock right, Dana 44 rear w/truetrack locker, 33x12.5 Goodrich's, Warn 8k, onboard air, Motorcraft TFI ignition upgrade, WipeBoy wiper upgrade, Painless wiring harness, backup lamps, Driving lamps, YJ brake booster and MC upgrade swap, Rear tow hitch
I've been threatening to put on high steer on my CJ7 for 2 years, just never had the time. Last weekend I decided to "just" fix RS top ball joint that I've known to be bad for a while on a Dana 44.
Well, as you all know, "one thing leads to another" to quote an 80s song by The Fixx. Upon removal of the wheel, Warn lockout and hub assembly, both inner and outer bearings were badly damaged from water leaks and red dirt (PO rock climbed and drowned Jeep aplenty in Oregon, home of red cinder).
At this point I decided I better open up the left side wheel assembly too. The hubs and spindles all had surface rust, some gouges and signs of overheating from the bearings, but not enough damage that some emery cloth couldn't fix in my estimation.
After removing the axles then the steer knuckles, I realized I was beyond "The Point of No Return" for converting my SOA CJ7 to High Steer. 2 years ago I did some research about High Steer (most info coming from these forums, thank you) and found it was going to be very time consuming for this owner/operator truck driver to comb through wrecking yards for the correct Fords & Chevys, then removing, cleaning, pressing, drilling and tapering. I just do not have that kind of time.
Upon my many sojourns in my 18-wheeler, I came upon a Jeep parts dealer in Auburn, CA who has put together a High Steer Kit for most Jeep axles. His price, $1137.00 for everything. I just had to give him 2 steering component measurements. For my money & lack of time, the kit is excellent and well worth it.
So last Saturday & Sunday, I tore into the front end & acquired replacement parts. Today I removed my leaky Saginaw steering gearbox & returned it to NAPA where they honored their lifetime warranty (500 mi, all seals leaking) and will get me a reman from Nebraska in 7 days. I also spent today ruining 3 pairs of latex mechanic's gloves with solvent in my parts washer.
Tomorrow will be spent packing and installing new bearings, races, seals and RTV gaskets.
Finally, I've always been very leery of how short the stock wheel studs are on my CJ7 , especially when married with a thick aluminum wheel. Upon searching for longer studs, I was directed to Les Schwab Tire Centers (Western states only) to purchase "Gorilla Lugs." Look at the photo, you'll see they have an extra 1/4-inch of threads on the thin shaft which make all the difference in the world for torqueing. Just a note, I did have to drill every stud hole on my wheels 1/16th of an inch larger.
Hope I didn't bore you all.
Well, as you all know, "one thing leads to another" to quote an 80s song by The Fixx. Upon removal of the wheel, Warn lockout and hub assembly, both inner and outer bearings were badly damaged from water leaks and red dirt (PO rock climbed and drowned Jeep aplenty in Oregon, home of red cinder).
At this point I decided I better open up the left side wheel assembly too. The hubs and spindles all had surface rust, some gouges and signs of overheating from the bearings, but not enough damage that some emery cloth couldn't fix in my estimation.
After removing the axles then the steer knuckles, I realized I was beyond "The Point of No Return" for converting my SOA CJ7 to High Steer. 2 years ago I did some research about High Steer (most info coming from these forums, thank you) and found it was going to be very time consuming for this owner/operator truck driver to comb through wrecking yards for the correct Fords & Chevys, then removing, cleaning, pressing, drilling and tapering. I just do not have that kind of time.
Upon my many sojourns in my 18-wheeler, I came upon a Jeep parts dealer in Auburn, CA who has put together a High Steer Kit for most Jeep axles. His price, $1137.00 for everything. I just had to give him 2 steering component measurements. For my money & lack of time, the kit is excellent and well worth it.
So last Saturday & Sunday, I tore into the front end & acquired replacement parts. Today I removed my leaky Saginaw steering gearbox & returned it to NAPA where they honored their lifetime warranty (500 mi, all seals leaking) and will get me a reman from Nebraska in 7 days. I also spent today ruining 3 pairs of latex mechanic's gloves with solvent in my parts washer.
Tomorrow will be spent packing and installing new bearings, races, seals and RTV gaskets.
Finally, I've always been very leery of how short the stock wheel studs are on my CJ7 , especially when married with a thick aluminum wheel. Upon searching for longer studs, I was directed to Les Schwab Tire Centers (Western states only) to purchase "Gorilla Lugs." Look at the photo, you'll see they have an extra 1/4-inch of threads on the thin shaft which make all the difference in the world for torqueing. Just a note, I did have to drill every stud hole on my wheels 1/16th of an inch larger.
Hope I didn't bore you all.
:driving: 
