How Do I Correct Wheels Towed In After Lift Install

I have a 1970 cj5, l just installed a rough ridge 4” spring lift and was told I wouldn’t need and other parts. I have discovered I need longer brake lines and my steering has the wheels towed in towards each other. Any help on what parts I’ll need to correct this would be greatly appreciated

 

Adjusting your tie rod will change the toe in or out. I typically run my tires towed in (front of tires angled toward each other) about 1/8 of an inch.

 

That much of a lift on the stock 2-piece tie rod setup will give you headaches. Research “one piece tie rod conversion” on here. It will save you a lot of headaches in the long run.

 

This.
The added angle on the tie rods will really work over the bellcrank pivot while steering.
A conversion to a Saginaw unit will give you the opportunity to install a drop pitman arm. Which will put your steering geometry back in alignment.

 

That is a lot of lift and whoever told you that you wouldn't need other parts either did not know what they were talking about, or just wanted to make a sale.

You can't just jack a vehicle up and expect everything to work the same without making changes.

At the very least you should convert to a one piece tie rod of appropriate length, then you can set the alignment and it will stay put. I agree with "Jeepdaddy2000" that the increased angle on the drag link will stress the bell crank.

 

how do you measure tie Rod to order the kit from herm

 

Back in the day at the Jeep dealership, we sold a one-piece tie rod kit for the CJ - no measuring needed. I would think Herm could give you the long tie rod without any measuring from you. Usually the original passenger side tie rod becomes a drag link and the new one piece tie rod connects between the knuckles. This uses a new right side tie rod end that has a hole to accept the drag link from the bellcrank. Your drag link angle will remain quite severe - not great for longevity, I presume.

Does a kit exist to lower the bellcrank? I thought something like this existed. With a lower bellcrank, you could continue to use the 2-piece tie rod setup. Or you could make longer tie rods that would allow you to adjust the toe-in to spec. With a tie rod angle like that, you will have lots of bump steer, even if you lengthen the tie rods.

Just a comment - the Ross steering has a lot of moving parts, and was not great for longevity, even in factory condition. The geometry works ok with the original ride height, but just ok. There are things you can do, like beefing up the bellcrank and the one piece tie rod. Enthusiast owners typically go to a steering conversion at some point, usually the Saginaw steering from a GM product. Jeep dropped the Ross steering and went to Saginaw in 1972, as part of a major revision for the CJ-5 under AMC. Other steering conversions are possible too.

The forum has a thread in the Technical area that is just pictures of Saginaw conversions. http://www.earlycj5.com/xf_cj5/index.php?threads/17911/ The big three conversions are brakes, steering and engine.

 

The length of the tie rod depends on whether you have a two hole knuckle or not and also on whether you have a Dana 27 or 30 axle. The 30 has a wider track.

If you call Herm he can help you figure out what you need, but were I to lift my Jeep 4" I would do the Saginaw conversion with a Pittman arm with the appropriate drop. The steering system is not something to cut corners with.

Interesting roadster pickup off to the side.

 

Thank you on my 29 ford roadster pickup (original)

 

It appears that advance adapters still carries the one piece tie rod as well.

 

I thought it was a 28 or 29 due to the small hubcaps. Always wanted one of those.

 

Can I use my steering box set up with the one piece tie Rod conversion kit,I really don’t have the cash to do steering box swap. I could also use a source for longer brake lines

 

Did you fit longer shock absorbers too? They need spacers under the frame bumpers to keep them from bottoming.

How long have you owned these springs? How long have you owned the Jeep? Where did you purchase the springs? 4" is a lot of lift for one of these Jeeps. What is "Rough Ridge" - do you mean "Rugged Ridge?" Those are Omix. Don't know if it's practical, but I would suggest removing them and getting your money back.

https://www.bing.com/search?q=site:earlycj5.com+Omix+quality

http://omixsupport.com/

 

Yes have longer shocks, new U bolts… I’ve had the jeep a long time and I need the lift for where I go. Yes I meant rugged ridge they had to custom make them they didn’t have them

 

If you can’t do the Saginaw, you should do the tie rod flip to put the tie rod on top of steering arms when you go to the one piece tie rod. Search tie rod flip and you’ll get a lot of info.

Tim

 

Flipping the tie rods to the top would help the angle but requires a different tie rod end on the passenger side where the drag link attaches.

That's a lot of up and down force at the steering bellcrank when turning and with each bump.

 

Just throwing it out there, but going with a 2.5” suspension lift, you would not have the issues associated with a 4” or higher suspension lift. You can run 33” tires.

 

I’m going to do the one piece tie Rod conversion. Is tie Rod flip different

 

I used a Genright steering kit with 5/8 hiem joints and flipped the tie rod at the same time. Once I built the tie rod and drag link, I used a piece of 3/8 flat bar and built a tab on which I attached the drag link. This requires conversion to Saginaw box out front, which is a great modification.

I drive my 47 quite a lot, and although I flat towed to Moab a few years ago, snow required that I drive it home 1000 miles. On the sections with no snow I easily traveled at 65 mph with only one finger and one thumb on the steering wheel...no wandering at all.

My only wish was that I had cruise control...

Don't go cheap on the steering, it can literally mean the difference between life and death.

 

You could sell me that 29 pickup and have plenty of money to do the conversion right.