Lumpskie's 1989 Grand Wagoneer Build

lumpskie

Independent Thinker
Today's agenda:

Inner and Outer wheel bearings, spindle bearing rebuild kit, oil seals, steering u-joints.

 

lumpskie

Independent Thinker
Always good to keep those things nice!

Yes it is!

I got a lot of work done on the Waggy yesterday. Replaced (and packed) the inner wheel bearings, spindle bearings, oil seals and spindle seals. It ended up taking over 7 hours, but almost everything on the front end is now new.



I tried to replace the steering u-joints but couldn't press the old ones out and got scared I was going to bend something. They felt tight and smooth, so I left them in there. When the start feeling old, I'll pull the axles and take them to G&S to have them pressed out.

Honestly, I'm amazed what a difference it made. The ride is noticeably smoother and I can be lighter on the gas to hold speed. This makes me want to replace the rear bearings too. But, I'll have to find time to do that after winter has come and gone.
 

Zeiderman

Adventurer
Have you done the rag joint delete yet with the steering shaft at the box, mine tightened up considerably afterwards, JY pull plus upgraded box from XJ was $50. Mind you my steering is/was considerably sloppy, this simple swap calmed it down quite a bit, haven't put the "new" box on yet, but the difference is supposedly night and day.
 

lumpskie

Independent Thinker
Have you done the rag joint delete yet with the steering shaft at the box, mine tightened up considerably afterwards, JY pull plus upgraded box from XJ was $50. Mind you my steering is/was considerably sloppy, this simple swap calmed it down quite a bit, haven't put the "new" box on yet, but the difference is supposedly night and day.

No sir, I haven't done the rag joint delete yet. Right now, the steering feels pretty good, but I'll keep that on my radar for sure. So... do XJ steering boxes fit on full size jeeps?
 

Zeiderman

Adventurer
Yes, certain year XJ"s, but it's several, I'll get the write up off JF and post the link.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
 

Zeiderman

Adventurer
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f57/xj-steering-gearbox-2272777/

Here's where I first learned about the delete and shaft swap, I am sure more years are available, just couldn't find them all. If you do the swap make sure you grab all the bolts, we didn't take the one of the shaft and I couldn't match the thread pitch to save my life, ended up drilling the threads out and went with a longer Grade 8 with nylock, there is also going to be the flat spot on the GW gear that the shaft bolt rests against. In my area wrecked XJ's are plentiful and I was lucky enough to find one where others had already pulled PS pump, air box etc. Take a half inch drive ratchet set, PB or fav, vice grips, large screw driver and BFH, but not so BFH that you can't swing in the engine compartment.
 

lumpskie

Independent Thinker
^That's good info. Thanks for the link, Zeiderman. So, what are your impressions, after doing the mod and why do Wagoneers have that rag joint in there in the first place?

Also... I bought door lock return springs and a steering stabilizer yesterday. Once those are on, (really just the stabilizer) I will consider the Waggy ready for Ouray. Only one month till I'm there!
 

Zeiderman

Adventurer
I'm not sure of the original intent of the rag joint completely, but I have heard that it was used as damper. I haven't done the steering box yet, but just doing the shaft helped immensely, mind you though my wander made/makes for quite the adventure, I still have bad tie rod ends to deal with, as well as a loose steering column, and 10" shackles in the front. So with so much bad my gains were highly noticed, as they say in the infomercial "you're results may vary". But both mods are cheap, highly recommended, and thus far fairly simple.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
 

lumpskie

Independent Thinker
^You really need to start a build thread on here. I am soo curious to see what your rig looks like. (I've never seen a 10" shackle before!) Do you have any pictures?
 

lumpskie

Independent Thinker
I decided to RTV my front hub caps as a water seal. When Shimniok and I originally dug into my hubs, we found they were sealed like this and no water got in them from my water crossings.



I also replace the rear brake cable on my Tacoma with my new service tech in training. His skills are coming along nicely.
 

Zeiderman

Adventurer
^You really need to start a build thread on here. I am soo curious to see what your rig looks like. (I've never seen a 10" shackle before!) Do you have any pictures?

I should, I have one started on JF, the build is just going so slooooow, life and loss of income caused a hickup, but that has changed recently and should be back on track soon. I spend more time over hear now anyways just cause it's such a cool sight to hang out on, mostly go to JF for tech. Will post pics of the shackles, they're a hoot.
 

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