cj wondering???

[ncpatroler]

ok i'm not new to offroading but i am new to doing it right...before now redneck engineering has gotten me where i needed to go but this time i'm a little older and wiser and have finally realized that flipping a vehicle at highway speeds might actually hurt....we'll just say close call the other day

so here's the question i have a 77 cj7 that i'm trying to restore one step at the time but its already a little franinstein...u know a piece from this jeep and a piece from another

it appears to have factory springs, inch and half lift shackles, no sway bar (dont think its suppose to, but i dont know), and 33x12.5 MTs...drives pretty good at high speeds but when going slower sways badly

i'm looking for a low budget way of fixing this...if i need to loose the shackles and get lift springs...or i saw someone was talking about caster...i'm looking at road manners right now but still being able to keep my 33s or maybe even 35s

help please before i take her for a roll

 

[Down&Dirty]

There are really a lot of things that can cause this. In my experience it has almost always ended up being a loose tierod end, a bad balljoint, or an out of balance tire. Crawl under and check to make sure it is all tight. Also have someone turn the wheel and look to see if things are moving that shouldn't be.

 

[braxton357]

Adjusting the caster back into spec fixed all wandering and wobbling my bronco had... Not saying it's your problem but why not go out and put an angle finder on your C's to find out...

 

[trailjeepman]

If you have lift shackles, then your caster is prolly off. I dont know if a 77 cj had a sway bar but my 83 does. You otta see about getting one. I am sure you could find one on here. Tie rod ends is another problem if they are worn. Also worn bushings. I have had all of these problems. If you fix them then you should be OK.

 

[RenegadeT]

Adjusting the caster back into spec fixed all wandering and wobbling my bronco had... Not saying it's your problem but why not go out and put an angle finder on your C's to find out...

Adjust the caster by putting shorter shackles on. When I put the 4" lift on 77CJ7, I added lift shackles, I thought the additional 1-1.5" wouldnt matter much. It did. I put ordered some HD stock length shackles from 4wdHardware and it fixed my wondering and wandering.

 

[ncpatroler]

"wandering"

Adjust the caster by putting shorter shackles on. When I put the 4" lift on 77CJ7, I added lift shackles, I thought the additional 1-1.5" wouldnt matter much. It did. I put ordered some HD stock length shackles from 4wdHardware and it fixed my wondering and wandering.

...

hey ok i admitted to being able to use a wrench (not a dictionary) lol

so if i need to go back to stock length shackles that means i need some lift springs in order to keep my tires...now i've seen a lot of guys are for trimming fenders, but not me, at least not yet, so 2half inch or 4 inch to fit 33s-35s

and while buying new leaf springs is it worth the money to switch over to yj springs...keep in mind over half the drive time will be on pavement

 

[spraypaintman]

Ditch the lift shackles and get some lift springs 2.5" should be plenty for 33's or 35's. You can get away with 1/2" lift shackles and not have your jeep wander. Maybe you can trim down or modify your existing lift shackes if your fab skills are up to it!

I also have a stock swaybar off my 78cj7 if you need one. 20bucks and it's yours....

Noah

 

[ncpatroler]

thanks for the help guys...i replaced the worn tierod and steering arm and its like night and day....just a little "wandering" left

now i have a different problem and maybe its just my OCD kicking in but I can't get the steering wheel upright...can anyone help??? before I go crazy looking at a sideways steering wheel

 

[strange1]

adjust the drag link to straighten the wheel.

I had 1-3/8 lift shackles on a cj5 with no swaybar and it drove great.

 

[ncpatroler]

i tried that one...but in order to get it straight i have to lenthen it out so much that while i have full turn to the right i only get a third of the turn to the left

so i had to put it back...the only other idea i have is to remove the steering wheel, drill a new hole for the horn button, and remount it...then the fine ajustment can be made with the drag link

 

[RenegadeT]

i tried that one...but in order to get it straight i have to lenthen it out so much that while i have full turn to the right i only get a third of the turn to the left
so i had to put it back...the only other idea i have is to remove the steering wheel, drill a new hole for the horn button, and remount it...then the fine ajustment can be made with the drag link

Could the steering shaft be 'off' one revolution either on the steering column or box input shaft? Then dial the drag link all the way in?