Needed to do a bit of maintenance on the Gladiator as it's approaching 6 years old now. I needed to rotate the tires, address a seeping rear diff cover and with big tires and frequent wheelin, I've developed a 'clunk' in the front end while turning. Looks like the frame-side track bar mount ovaled out!
With the Teraflex RT3 suspension kit, the axle side bracket is beefed up and the Teraflex track bar itself is very stout, leaving the factory frame side mount subject to wear.
The factory frame bracket it the weak point in this case. I decided to go with the
Synergy Mfg Front Track Bar and Sector Shaft Brace. I have the upgraded steel steering box, so this seemed like the next logical step.
You can see the witness marks where the track bar bolt has been moving side to side, then the bolt sitting in the ovaled out hole.
After getting the front end up and tires off, I moved the sway-bar out of the way and started unbolting the track bar, then removing the pitman arm nut. I had to do a bit of grinding on the forward weld to get the brace to fit. Assembly was pretty simple, otherwise... the Synergy Mfg directions are plenty good.
The sector shaft brace seems like a valuable upgrade, helping beef up and support the steering box. Once all the bolts were in place, I torqued down the steering box, then the brace and finally put the track bar in place. This should be a great upgrade that'll tighten up the front end like new once again!
