Jeep JL axle centering

[hiimmike]

I’m at a loss here. Last weekend I had some folks help me install my Clayton 2.5” lift. It comes with an adjustable track bar which I set to the recommended length from Clayton. Long story short, the Jeep drove like crap, I thought I was going to die. I fixed the major I’m going to die issue by loosening and re-tightening the track bar under load. One other issue I found was the axle wasn’t centered, off about 1” driver. Anyway, I loosened EVERYTHING and removed the lower shock bolts and was able to adjust my track bar. After the adjustment, I was within 1/8” on each side. After tightening almost everything, somehow it seems it’s off about an inch again! Someone said I do NOT have to loosen and remove shock bolts to adjust the axle, I don’t understand how though. Does anyone know how to adjust the front axle on a Jeep without the hours of work loosening and removing bolts?

[JGRubicon]

You can do this with or without the shocks connected.

It needs to be done at ride height.

I spent the hours to adjust both front and rear because I have no experience nor rules of thumb.

You could do the math as well,

I too measurements at the length recommended in my install paperwork, guessed, reinstalled, measured, found the ratio and adjusted accordingly, and then was good with the third measurement.

Did that front and rear.

If you lack experience and don't want to sit down and calculate it out, persistence is key. I got pretty close the second try, but at that point it wasn't that much more effort to nail it.

It's a lot of up and down and lining things up just to slip some bolts in and out if you're inexperienced like me.

[hiimmike]

Thanks Jason. I’ve got the Jeeps front axle on Jack stands and “jounced” it while all the bolts were just threaded. That should put me at “ride height” even if the Jack stands are higher or lower than with the tires on, I still have the full weight of the Jeep on the suspension.

I’m good with putting in the work, albeit annoying, I don’t understand how to move the axle when everything is connected. Control arms, shocks, sway bar links, all that stuff is putting tension on the axle, I can’t just undo one track bar bolt and push the axle one direction to move it. Other people have said I don’t need to loosen anything and I must be a moron because I’m not understanding how to move something that’s completely bolted in, minus a he track bar obviously. Plus, won’t it be a problem because now there’s been lateral movement so all the other bolts need to be re-torqued because I’ve got a different tension on them? Let’s take it to the extreme, let’s say the axle was 2 feet off center. If I torqued Ann the control arms and sway bar links down, then somehow magically moved the axles to center, all the bushings would be jacked up because they were torqued at a different angle, right?

[hiimmike]

I just learned something. I learned how to center the axle without loosening all the suspension bolts…. Thank you Teraflex people! You just remove one side of the track bar then have someone sit in the Jeep and turn the steering wheel until the body is centered over the axle.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Xrlhfooc-Xc&feature=shares

[Jim]

Cool!