Steering Issues/ Flaming River

Ahhh....The Money pit continues especially for a Newbie that can”t do it himself. . I am getting closer but no cigar yet. My mechanic took it for a drive today. When he hit close to 45 mph he had trouble steering.It is a 73 with a Flaming River tilt. He feels it might be missing a bracket plus the small steering wheel might add to it. So far: rebuilt engine,tranny,new gauges,tires, mirrors , light switches, rear lights, vintage steps, battery and new shocks. Thoughts? Thanks in advance

Carlos

 

ball joints ,tie rods, caster angle. was it wobbly or just wandery?

 

45 mph is good with these tyres = no need to drive faster
It is easy to control the steering system ...then you have shock absorbers to check or change but your Jeep is high on wheels so it adds problems.
Specialists in the forum will tell you.

 

”wandery” Hard to control

 

Caster makes a big difference for these Jeeps. Is your picture on the hoist or standing alone? Likely too much lift to track right without added caster. Lower is better. I'd start with factory-length shackles.



Also, everything that you can do yourself will lower your cost of ownership. Owning an old car will be costly if you can't do your own work. There's no better way to learn than to roll up your sleeves and go at it. Free support here ...

 

Thanks Tim. I appreciate your support. Standing alone. I believe the lift was 3 and got dropped to 2. I will forward this to my mechanic.

Carlos

 

Thanks James. I’ll forward this to my mechanic. Appreciate the help.

Carlos

 

mcruff here makes excellent shims.

 

I had the same problem on My 1974 CJ5 I installed 6 Degree shims that helped A lot.
It still wanders some . I would also go back to the stock length shackles .

 

I agree with the above post check the caster and try to change that shackle angle. I had wondering issues on my CJ and also have a Flaming river set up. Does the wheel have play in it? mine did and it ended up being the small universal joint that is connecting the steering column to the shaft, if your steering doesn't have play then u may have another issue.

If you haven't already done so have someone move the wheel back and forth and look at all the components, such as the steering box shackle bushings and tire rods. I have isolated a lot of steering problems in the past using this method and it's saved me a lot of money and time.

 

Thanks all. I will forward them on. Sorry for the late reply.

Carlos

 

Also take a good look at the Tulip joint at the steering box, they can cause you grief. Unless you got the the complete kit not just the column.

 

Thanks. Will do.

 

While I am certainly no expert, this may be useful to you. My "72 has new Rocky Road YJ suspension, new tires and a new steering box. All of those things certainly helped, but the biggest improvement came when I changed the front shackles to a set from M.O.R.E. The previous shackles, while new, were 4.5" center to center and the wall thickness was, well, pretty thin. The new shackles are 3.5" and are made with 3/8" steel and have a beefy center brace. After that I had a proper alignment performed. Toe in was way off, but caster was within a half degree.

What I also know, in Jeep steering and all things in life, is that everything effects everything. And steering and stopping a 48 year old truck is not something to skimp on in my book. Hope this all helps in some way.

 

Thanks for the Feedback