Did not expect to find this...

[Aceofspades]

In my other vehicles if I couldn’t get poly , either prothane energy suspension or Home made , I would stick with moog.
My endlinks were swapped out because “someone” didn’t tightnen them “enough”
All is good now.
My control arm was going to be replaced for new but instead I decided spending 1.5 hours per side removing and re installing a moog clevis fork bushing...

Next on my list will be engine mounts come spring

 

[Cardhu]

I also found some new rims as well, 16x8 w/ 5" backspacing for $80 on summitracing.com, and will be getting them soon.

there is nothing sacred about 8 inch wide rims. Its only popular as thats what moabs were in 03-06. If you can find 7 inch wide ~4 - 4.5 BS it would work just as well.

only other set of JBA UCA that i seen cracked like that was from not checking torque on ball joint(your grinder marks suggest something else). In other words the failures are infrequent. Someone may chime in regarding 265 on stock rims, only saw one example on 265 70 16's back in the day(Destination ATs). It looked tight. Depending on your tire pressure I can see how they'd rub.

 

[Charlesthe2nd]

there is nothing sacred about 8 inch wide rims. Its only popular as thats what moabs were in 03-06. If you can find 7 inch wide ~4 - 4.5 BS it would work just as well..

Thanks for the tip on rim sizes. I'll be going with whatever is cheapest honestly, so more sizes to choose from should help me find the best price.

 

[Charlesthe2nd]

Good news everybody

My control arm was going to be replaced for new but instead I decided spending 1.5 hours per side removing and re installing a moog clevis fork bushing...

First off, y'all are all a great group of Jeepers, I really appreciate all the information shared, and not making me feel like an idiot, even though it's clear that I am. :gr_grin::gr_grin:

I talked to Marlin and he said the UCA are ok, even with that much material missing. The ball joint there is super strong. He said that it'd be smart to upgrade the bolts from Grade 5 to Grade 8 to bear the added stress, so I'll be doing that. Gonna install new UCA ball joints, at the same time.

I'll also be putting in new swaybar bushings and endlinks, LCA strut bushing and ball joint, and replacing the worn brake lines with the JBA stainless lines. I'm hoping this removes the slop and tightens up the whole front end, giving me back some peace of mind. While it's all apart, I figured I might as well be doing the UCA pocket cutout. Any tips on doing that, did browse around but couldn't find a specific link?

 

[HoosierJeeper]

Don't do the pocket cut, they'll self clear and make a safe, natural stop point. Never cut mine, never have had issues.

 

[profdlp]

Don't do the pocket cut, they'll self clear and make a safe, natural stop point. Never cut mine, never have had issues.

Same here. :winner_third_h4h:

 

[Charlesthe2nd]

Don't do the pocket cut, they'll self clear and make a safe, natural stop point. Never cut mine, never have had issues.

Same here. :winner_third_h4h:

That's the same for me, haven't bothered messing with the pocket. When I rang up JBA to ask him about my predicament, he mentioned that it's important to cut the pocket down to eliminate the UCA from making contact, because that contact can cause the UCA to crack or cause stress fractures.

Now, since I've had these for years, and they've clearly been abused, I'm curious if they'll show any signs of damage due to the contact they've been making. I'll be giving the a-arms a thorough inspection for cracks or damage once it's all apart. It's clear that there is a spot where it makes contact, and if the man who makes them says that it's bad for the UCA, then I'll take his advice. Won't hurt to do it, unless I horribly maim myself in the process, which would probably hurt.

I'll update when I get to working on it. Really looking forward to doing the lower ball joints and strut bushings, can't wait to report back on how fun they were. :emotions34:

 

[HoosierJeeper]

I honestly haven't noticed mine making contact, if anything I wouldn't cut, but maybe take a ball peen hammer and fold the edge over. I just would worry about over extending the front suspension.

 

[Aceofspades]

Mine made contact and I was concerned something was wrong. It took the powder coat off where it hits
Now it seems to have “self corrected” itself but when I get the chance I’m going to clean it up a bit