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Cherokee with 3 link - help needed

heinie_21

heinie_21

Active Member
Location
Price
I bought a cherokee with custom 3 link suspension. The 3rd link is quite poorly done, and i think the joint is worn out. I am looking for somebody who can help me to fab a better 3rd link and also maybe add a 4th link. Also somebody who is good with coil-overs to help me decide how much stiffer my springs need to be.

if you can help me out or if you know anybody who can email me at
blake_heiner_21@hotmail.com

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RockMonkey

RockMonkey

Suddenly Enthusiastic
You probably don't really want to add that 4th link. It will probably lead to suspension bind and/or nasty bump steer. It looks like you need to completely redo the control arms and mounts at both ends.

Tell us more about your coilovers and we can figure out spring rates that will work better. Answer these:

1. How long are your coilovers?
2. What are your existing spring lengths (with no weight on them) and rates?
3. How long is each spring when it's compressed with the vehicles weight on a level surface?
4. What change do you want to make to ride height? (IE 1 inch taller, 1 inch lower, etc.)
 
Mug

Mug

PHORmerly
Location
Orem, UT
heinie_21 said:
I'm not sure i understand. is a heim joint not strong enough? or is there something else wrong that i'm unaware of?

i'm new to the whole control arm scene.. i've always been a leaf-sprung wheeler haha
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Replied to PM

The rear mount should be in a parallel axis with the axle and the front mount. Right now it's axis is pointed straight up. With that, your ability to flex is limited by what should be the amount of left to right travel the heim joint has. If the joint were lined up, your amount of vertical travel in that control arm would be infinite.
 
Z

Zombie

Random Dead Guy
Location
Sandy Utah
heinie_21 said:
what do you mean Creasey rig? what's creasey? i bought it from a guy up in kearnes. i think thats kinda close to sandy.
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Creasey was the owner of a 4x4 shop for a while. He ripped a lot of people off, and passed some pretty shoddy work. Search here for Creasey and get yourself some popcorn.
 
DaveB

DaveB

Long Jeep Fan
Location
Holladay, Utah
What is the heim joint bolted to ? I couldn't quite tell from the pictures. Is it going through the floor ? It looks weak to me beside bieng oriented wrong. From the looks of the upper arms there isn't any shock absorbtion going on either. From what I have seen there is usually at least one end of the arm mounted with rubber or poly to absorb shocks.
 
RockMonkey

RockMonkey

Suddenly Enthusiastic
DaveB said:
What is the heim joint bolted to ? I couldn't quite tell from the pictures. Is it going through the floor ? It looks weak to me beside bieng oriented wrong. From the looks of the upper arms there isn't any shock absorbtion going on either. From what I have seen there is usually at least one end of the arm mounted with rubber or poly to absorb shocks.
Click to expand...

Having rubber or poly on one end of each arm will help reduce road noise and vibration transmitted into the cab, but it is common to put spherical rod ends (heim joints) on both ends of the control arms. There is nothing wrong with that.
 
Herzog

Herzog

somewhat damaged
Admin
Location
Wydaho
There really isn't too much wrong with running that heim like that. I'm betting you have plenty of articulation before it maxes the heim joint out.

You don't need a whole lot of misalignment at the joint on a longer arm like that, it will work. I'd do some major fixes on the axle arm mount and go from there.
 
RockMonkey

RockMonkey

Suddenly Enthusiastic
I'd rip it all off and plate the unibody before welding critical stuff to it if it was me (and it was), but those pictures look a whole lot better than the first pictures posted. Regardless of if that upper joint has enough misalignment to handle the suspension movement or not, it's going to wear out a bunch quicker mounted like that then if it were mounted "normally". I agree, it's not nearly as much of an issue as what's going on at the axle end.
 
I Lean

I Lean

Mbryson's hairdresser
Vendor
Location
Utah
I don't see the joint wearing any faster whether it's horizontal or vertical. It's still the same swept area on the ball, I'm thinking.

Then again, this way it needs to continually sweep the ball clean, the other way it's going to be traveling in a "clean path" most of the time, so it might actually wear a bit faster this way.
 
RockMonkey

RockMonkey

Suddenly Enthusiastic
I Lean said:
I don't see the joint wearing any faster whether it's horizontal or vertical. It's still the same swept area on the ball, I'm thinking.

Then again, this way it needs to continually sweep the ball clean, the other way it's going to be traveling in a "clean path" most of the time, so it might actually wear a bit faster this way.
Click to expand...

You talked yourself into my logic. Now I don't have to. :)
 
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