Next up...steering!

[BIGdaddy]

in my quest to restore my wee black beastie, I have mentioned focusing on steering as well as suspension refurbishing.

To be frank, these aren't super fun mods or snazzy new parts, in my opinion, but my wife having to borrow the XJ today shifted my paradigm a bit.

Reliability IS foremost. The fact that she had some honest issues controlling the rig definitely gives me pause and refocuses me on why I bought such a safe, tough easy to work on rig

To that end I'm going to be looking at lower steering shaft choices to get rid of the play that exists between the fire wall and the steering box.

I'll likely go the zj(or was it wj) tie rod/drag link with new ball joints for a refresh. I like the currie setup but just too spendy right now, probably.

I'm finding the xj steering shaft for around $100.00. Does that sound right?

B

 

[XXXpedition]

i actually changed my y-shaped tie-rod to a wheel-to-wheel one. that took out the extra play in the steering.
additionally i installed a frame reinforcement for the steering box and then added a brace for the steering box from the passenger side frame...

that did all that was necessary for me, and i never had any issues with it thereafter!
that was very easy and fast to do.
i thought of changing it similar to you, but with other rigs stuff, there's always more to modify + fixing bugs afterward...

just my 2 cents ;-)

 

[DrMoab]

I have owned three different XJ's over the years with various configurations of steering set ups and I have not been happy with any of them. That is until my wife drove her new(to us) 2000 that was set up way more as a rock crawler type rig than an overlander. The guy we bought it from spent some serious money and put the full Tera system on and I have to say I am nothing short of amazed. This rig is sitting with about 7 inches of lift and 35 inch tires and you can take it down the roughest section of highway and drive with your pinky. There is no bumpsteer at all...none.

The guy we bought it from said it was the best money he spent on the Jeep and after spending some seat time both on and off road I have become a believer. The only hurdle is the cost. At over a grand for everything it is a steep price to pay but I am putting my pennies in a jar for a system of my own.

 

[Root Moose]

Another spendy system that ends up similar to the Tera knuckle setup is the WJ knuckle conversion. It gets you "proper" steering geometry and bigger brakes at the same time. FWIW, you might be able to do the WJ setup for similar money as the Currie steering if you are a good scrounger. It's a lot more work though. Mine still isn't done but then everything I touch is über slow.

Otherwise, I think for what you have in mind (i.e. only a few inches lift) I'd probably freshen the existing OEM parts and go from there.

 

[troy]

I'd just freshen it up with new tie rod ends if you are on a budget. Not sure about the steering shaft.

When I replaced my tie rod (JCR 1-ton) and drag link (from a ZJ) it really tightened it up. My steering is still in stock arrangement, but the JCR and ZJ parts were sourced from a local jeeper for cheap. I believe most if not all the improvement was from new TREs since the JCR and draglink didn't change the geometry.

I've driven a rig with the Off Road Only U-turn set up and it is like a sports car with rack and pinion steering. Still too spendy for me. I like my "cheap" XJ.

I'm in the same boat with being comfortable with the wife driving it. That is a big reason I'm staying more to an expedtion style build. Just this weekend I refreshed the suspension with new control arms, OME shocks and new sway bar busings. At 220K it was due.

 

[Root Moose]

I'm in the same boat with being comfortable with the wife driving it. That is a big reason I'm staying more to an expedtion style build.

x3

 

[BIGdaddy]

Thanks for all the input so far, I think having looked at DPG's website again, and having my wife drive my rig out of necessity yesterday, (Childcare took her van, she took my jeep, and I got the clunker Chevy celebrity, for a day..haha!)I realized that I really do need to keep the rig as stock-feeling/driving as possible and as low as possible, due to the tissue damage and pain she still has from our latest baby (2 months old in a few days) which makes a the jeep's high step-in height even harder for her.

So yeah, sub 3" spring lift, 31"s maybe some cutout fender flares for clearance(if needed..I like the look, too), and I'm probably good.

I can afford to spend a good amount of cash on the rig every month, I just need to spread it around. Last month I did my hitch and the camping lab awning.

Sooo, maybe I need to gather some parts for a month or two and get a quality setup like you guys are alluding to. I certainly want the best when it comes to steering and braking.

 

[Root Moose]

Yeah, I wanted the big brakes for hauling a tent trailer or the race car. That is why I went with the WJ setup.

 

[BIGdaddy]

I'd just freshen it up with new tie rod ends if you are on a budget. Not sure about the steering shaft.

When I replaced my tie rod (JCR 1-ton) and drag link (from a ZJ) it really tightened it up. My steering is still in stock arrangement, but the JCR and ZJ parts were sourced from a local jeeper for cheap. I believe most if not all the improvement was from new TREs since the JCR and draglink didn't change the geometry.

I've driven a rig with the Off Road Only U-turn set up and it is like a sports car with rack and pinion steering. Still too spendy for me. I like my "cheap" XJ.

I'm in the same boat with being comfortable with the wife driving it. That is a big reason I'm staying more to an expedtion style build. Just this weekend I refreshed the suspension with new control arms, OME shocks and new sway bar busings. At 220K it was due.

So I have tested my setup and actually found a lot of play coming from the rubber rag joint at the square tube on tube joint near the firewall. I've been told this rubber joint is supposed to be solid and not "wiggly" when its fresh. the part as a whole seems to be about $100.00 from quatratec and morris4x4.

I like the 1 ton tie rod Idea, which I assume would have me reaming out my knuckle ends to fit, which I'm comfortable doing. I like the plug and play of the currie, and I keep coming back to the slam-dunkness of it.

 

[ExpoMike]

I agree, having looked at many options out there, the easiest yet beefy setup, which no one has really complained about (other then $$$) has been the Currie setup. Unless I am going full tilt on my build, the other options just require too many other mods to work right. The JCR setup is similar to many others and has the same problem. The inverted T (versus the stock inverted Y) has a problem with the drag link wanting to roll where it connects to the cross over link. If you notice, they have a "bushing" that is suppose to eliminate this problem but as it wears, you get a big dead spot on center.

The cheapest upgrade would be using the ZJ parts (V8 model) which is better than the stock XJ parts. As for the steering shaft and rag joint, these do wear out and get loose. If you are finding a fair amount of play there, start there and work your way down. $100 seems to be about what I have found as typical pricing.

 

[Momrocks]

I have the Currie system on my XJ. I love it. I've mentioned it before but will say again, the Currie is exceedingly stout. More than I needed really. When I installed it I layed the stock next to the Currie and was blown away by the contrast. Super easy to install and adjust, very elegant as far as TRE, tie rods and drag links go. The only two downsides are initial price of the system and price of replacement TREs etc. Though when you consider the piece of mind the system brings, the price aint so bad. All the same, if I was on a budget I'd have sourced V-8 Grand Cherokee steering for a considerable upgrade over XJ steering.

 

[DrMoab]

The only thing that bugs me about the Currie system is the fact that it is so expensive and when you pay all that money you should at least get a replaceable tie rod on the drag link. I've seen a lot of them wear out (including mine) prematurely.........

 

[BIGdaddy]

The only thing that bugs me about the Currie system is the fact that it is so expensive and when you pay all that money you should at least get a replaceable tie rod on the drag link. I've seen a lot of them wear out (including mine) prematurely.........

Great info...never would have known that

 

[ExpoMike]

The only thing that bugs me about the Currie system is the fact that it is so expensive and when you pay all that money you should at least get a replaceable tie rod on the drag link. I've seen a lot of them wear out (including mine) prematurely.........

Looking at their site, all of the parts are replaceable. It's just the one main link is not cheap.

 

[GTABurnout]

Currie here, I love it. But its still not perfect...

I have prett much given up on maiing it steer like a car.