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Bryan Irons photos
Jeep JKU Fix
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Jeep JKU Fix
1. Look carefully and see the track bar and draglink are not even close to parallel. If in doubt, use string to give you a straight line between the axis points of the joints.
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Jeep JKU Fix
2. AEV found an inventive way to use factory Jeep parts to flip the draglink (top ball joint) on top of the knuckle.
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Jeep JKU Fix
3. Disassembly took less than an hour even with all the rusty, mismatched bolts.
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Jeep JKU Fix
4. With the Clayton adjustable track bar on the bottom, you can see how it dwarfs the factory unit above it and most aftermarket units as well. We pulled this weak and wobbly track bar (top) from a previously abused project. It’s not even worthy of a wall hanger in our shop.
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Jeep JKU Fix
5. Assembly begins with the new track bar brackets and assorted hardware.
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Jeep JKU Fix
6. Passenger side brackets go on in the same manner, lifting the mounting locations of the swaybar ends, and moving the mounting location of the lower shock mount closer to the wheel for greater stability.
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Jeep JKU Fix
7. A 7/8-in drill bit and some cutting fluid will make quick work of reaming out the knuckle for the included insert.
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Jeep JKU Fix
8. Assembly is now complete with our new swaybar end links from Teraflex and spiffy Walker Evans shocks.
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Jeep JKU Fix
9. Raymond said he could feel the rear axle move out of alignment while going over whoops in the road, the white-can shocks and flimsy track bar brackets were a sure-fire culprit to the handling issues back here.
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Jeep JKU Fix
10. We sat in complete amazement at the lack of customer care when it came to the track bar bracket. Stripped bolts and mismatched hardware combined with the cheap design made our heads hurt. Even the factory holes were oblong due to neglect
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Jeep JKU Fix
11. The added beef of the Clayton brackets were apparent and appreciated.
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Jeep JKU Fix
12. We added a new set of Clayton Off-Road bump stops as well. These durable, plastic units can easily be trimmed for various lift heights.
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Jeep JKU Fix
13. The rear install took only a few hours mostly due to the old rusty hardware fighting us. Have a can of anti-seize on hand and don’t be afraid to use it!
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Jeep JKU Fix
14. Our Walker Evans shocks are light-years ahead of the crap that we pulled out of the Jeep. Have a buddy give you a hand mounting them as the nitrogen charge is pretty high and will fight your efforts to install by yourself. The Parker brand fittings make for easy mounting location adjustments of the remote reservoirs to suit your personal preference.
Story & photos by Bryan Irons
Fixing a Jeep JKU that has been botched by unprofessional shops
“There is hardly a man on earth who will take advice unless he is certain that it is positively bad.” - John Burroughs
Where does one go for sound advice with the “wonderful” world of free opinions on the internet today? You would hope that going to a reputable off-road shop would get you the advice and answers you need. Sadly, this is not always the case.
With the best of intentions, our buddy Raymond ventured out seeking advice to get his 2011 Jeep JKU, with a generic 3-in lift, driving and handling like it should. It would seem that the lights were out on his radar for shady shops and “professionals” lacking any kind of a clue. Bump steer, poor tracking, rough ride, death wobble, excessive tire wear, darting, leaning, and annoying are some of the kinder words he could use to explain his JK’s handling qualities. This is after forking out the cash to have them “fixed.”
Steering and suspension geometry design and application, is a subject we could talk for eons about, in nap inducing detail. However, we are going focus on some of the common problem plaguing, not only Raymond’s rig, but countless others, maybe even yours. The solutions we chose are from some of the most trusted aftermarket companies we know of, and the results speak to that.
Front end
A couple issues were apparent upon our first peek at the JKU. Next time you are under your rig scratching you head, remember a few simple rules of thumb when looking at a crossover steering design with a link suspension like these:
- Ensure the tie rod from the steering box to the passenger side axle knuckle and the track bar are parallel to each other, and roughly the same length.
- Try to make the tie rod and track bar as parallel to the ground as you can.
- Worn, loose components like ball joints, bushings and tie rod ends can wreak havoc on a linked suspension system feel on the street.
Incorrect geometry was visually apparent on the rig causing the wicked bump steer in the front end. With a track bar lift bracket installed and no attention paid to keep the tie rod parallel with it, this thing handled like a cheap shopping cart on a rough road. AEV answered our call with a JK high steer kit designed to raise the tie rod and track bar into the correct positions explained earlier. Solid brackets with the correct grade hardware and easily found replacement parts is what AEV is known for, and the install only took a few hours after scrapping the junk that ghetto shop twit had installed. A new Old Man Emu steering stabilizer is included and it was nice to see the “Made in Canada” sign on the Mopar spec tie rod that came with the kit.
Bad ball joints, a worn track bar and discount swaybar end links caused some excessive tire wear and annoying rattling on dirt roads. The culprit installed by another wallet draining “expert” was an 80’s reminiscent dual steering stabilizer setup. Be warned; a steering stabilizer only covers the effects of worn suspension parts and “what were you thinking” geometry. It found the bottom of a dumpster in short time as Teraflex ball joints, swaybar end links and one of their massive track bars were installed.
The bump steer induced, wayward steering was now gone from the front end. Goofy tire wear and rattles are also a thing of the past and the AEV and Teraflex components work together like they were designed that way. The beefy parts and OEM quality joints are light years ahead of the parts removed. The only specialty tool required was a large drill bit to move the AEV tie rod to the topside of the knuckle and a ball joint press. Other bonuses of the AEV kit is the angling of the shock mounts to keep them from rubbing other suspension parts, and the relocation of the swaybar links for more room during full stuff. For the price, these parts should be a “must have”
Rear End
Like the front axle we tackled, flimsy brackets with oblong holes and stress cracks were causing the rear axle to wander all over the road. Piss poor geometry and worn parts are a nasty mix, unless you like having to fight the steering wheel to stay between the ditches. Another hack shop had installed some garbage brackets they had laying around, but were missing a few parts and substituted them with some random bolts and chunks of rusty metal to try and help. The bent up wreckage was replaced with a Clayton Off-Road rear track bar and bracket. The Currie Johnny Joint used has been trail tested by 4WDrive in the past and we trust them to be with the Jeep for the long haul.
The Clayton track bar bracket keys off of the factory mounts but also clamps around the axle tube with four grade-8 bolts to keep it solidly mounted and out of the way of trail debris. The old bent up bracket used the differential cover-mounting surface as support, which negated the use of a beefy aftermarket full cover. We like the Purple Cranium dirt helmets, but prefer a full cover to fend off sharp rocks.
Shocks
Around the 4WDrive office, we call the generic shocks found on this rig “white cans”. Let’s face it; they’re only certified for a mall crawl, while high speeds and rough roads cause them to overheat and fade in no time flat. Raymond hits the potted and rough roads of the Canadian Prairies with his Jeep for work, so this is no place for cheap parts that likely came out of the same factory as Editor Stanley’s sweater vests. These particular shocks were installed a short time earlier and we found the bushings already worn out. Again, a shop had them on the shelf and proclaimed them “as good as any other”. We’re going to disagree… profusely.
Ever heard of Walker Evans? He won the Baja 1000 9-times and was inducted into the motorsports hall of fame running his own parts. We wanted the same, and a set of custom valved, 16-way adjustable remote reservoir, hard anodized, rebuildable, 2.0 shocks showed up in short time. Walker Evans does not make a “Generic” shock, and as such, information like vehicle weight, layout, use, and lengths are all taken into the equation before the valving is selected and the shocks assembled.
Most “adjustable” shocks we have used in the past were not designed for fine-tuning the ride comfort, but more to cover a wider array of vehicles by using one part number. This is not the case with the 2.0 Walker Evans units. The reservoirs come with clamps to mount directly to the main shock body, but they can be re-routed for easier access to the adjuster knob. We found a happy medium in the adjustment range that allowed for more tuning if we add or remove any sprung weight to the rig.
Final Thought
We didn’t set out to bash every shop you may walk into, but if you’re a known goof magnet, do a little research, as the intricacies of a link style suspension are immense. Simple rules of thumb, and trust in the people who work on and service your rig, should point you in the right direction to a relaxing drive to work, at work, or on the trail. Companies like Teraflex, AEV, and Clayton know what it takes to modify a suspension to not only add bigger rubber, but also handle well after the job is done.