CK5
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Anyone experience tighter steering feel after steering brace?

No one likes a sloppy box! Mine didn't change when I put this one on. I'm pretty convinced it's the frame flexing. But I guess I'll know when I put the brace on.
 
No one likes a sloppy box! Mine didn't change when I put this one on. I'm pretty convinced it's the frame flexing. But I guess I'll know when I put the brace on.

Did you put a reman box in, or another used one?
 
I just put a reman box, tie rod and xj shaft on mine and steering is very loose.
Probably worse than it was before. You tried adjusting the slop out of the box?
 
lots of guys forget to add the pinch bolt/nut to the xj shaft before install.

I forgot and had lots of slop . added it and bam gone.
 
yep . have to do it after you modify he shaft to slip and fit in by removing the plastic .

its easy to do .
 
I want to play.:D

I did the column rebuild, XJ shaft with a big O ring at the crush sleeve, XJ pitman arm reamed for GM TRE's, 2wd gearbox tapped for hydro assist, welded cracked frame and bolt on ORD steering support with High steer and 8" hydraulic ram.
Everything is so tight it feels loose. I can wedge it in some rocks and turn lock to lock with one finger. Awesome on the trail but when I drive down the street it feels loose and white knuckley.
 
With me, when I first got the truck some 10 years and only 30k miles ago, the truck drove amazing. 75mph all day with one finger on the wheel. Now, it's "springy" at 35. It's not slop. I have felt slop in several trucks. Even this one used to have a good bit of it before I rebuilt the front end years ago. This is more of a spring connecting the wheel to the box feeling. I'm going to order the brace and hope for the best. The only other thing I have started to wonder about is the steering stabilizer. Maybe it's starting to stick and I'm having to work past it.
 
That the bolt that holds one part of the shaft tight to the other?

if the center is still good, than it's probably at the top of the shaft. The rubber isolator normally go bad by the time we get them used. I weld the top together, making a solid bond between the center shaft and the upper collar.

I wouldn't bolt the two halves together, they should slip for safety reasons. I used a couple set screws to eliminate slop. Or you can use a nylon bolt and synch the two together. In an accident, hopefully the bolt breaks.
 
Definitely worth replacing, but may not make a big difference.

I did all mine, and the difference wasn't much.
 
That one is less than 2k miles old. I'm thinking of making a sort of "Panhard bar" going from the front leaf spring bolt back to the axle.
 
That one is less than 2k miles old. I'm thinking of making a sort of "Panhard bar" going from the front leaf spring bolt back to the axle.

I wouldn't, the spring is an arc and when the spring flexes the distance from the front spring bolt to axle changes a small amount.
 
I wouldn't, the spring is an arc and when the spring flexes the distance from the front spring bolt to axle changes a small amount.



The bushings of the pan hard bar would take up the slight movement. I say add a pan hard bar.
 
I thought about the arc difference and figured it can't possibly be any more movement than what's going on now! I'm positive it would not create a noticeable binding issue. The only issue I haven't had chance to investigate yet is if the pitman arm would wack the bar or not. If it won't, it would be super quick and easy to fab up the bar and take it for a test drive.
 
After watching this video of mine, i would say there is plenty of room for a "panhard" in there.

 
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Nother used.

Put a reman Delco box in mine yesterday.

Noticeable tighter than the 280k stock one.

Now, if only I hadn't tossed the bushings when i installed my XJ shaft, i'd be in good shape. :doah:

Wasn't there a post talking about the xj bushings recently? I can't find it, cause you can't search a 2 character string on here.

Anyone?
 
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