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drewp29

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Everything posted by drewp29

  1. I run the Sentinels, which are now the Watchman. They are a Dueler A/T Revo clone. So far they are wearing great, I have about 4000 miles on them and they still look new. I did not get the kedge grip. For what it's worth, I am running 2wd only (hopefully not too much longer), and when we did get snow this winter I never felt like I needed the 4wd the few times I was out in it. They seem to stick pretty well. Off-road traction isn't as good as the Guard Dogs, but they are much quieter on the highway and get marginally better gas mileage. They are heavy tires though, due in part to the MASSIVE tread depth, and they can be difficult to balance. Treadwright guarantees 8oz or less to balance each tire otherwise they will replace the tire, and they must be statically balanced, not dynamic. One of my tires took 7.5oz to balance, but the other three were under 4oz. Overall I have no complaints, especially when considering the cost savings. I fully expect to get 40-50k miles out of them, and if the Pathy is still holding strong at 230k miles I'll replace them with another set of Treadwrights.
  2. Essentially, just buy a die grinder and slot the upper hole towards the strut tube. You won't need much, maybe 1/4-3/8" before you will lock the spindle to the strut tube and can go no further with the adjustment. I slotted mine WAY more than I needed, by about 3/8", but it doesn't really make a difference as I am locked to the strut tube and the bolt hasn't moved on me yet.
  3. Oh, and it's pronounce jiggawatts - giggity...
  4. Lol, I feel better now knowing i am not the only one who has cross threaded a strut nut. I currently have a KYB Excel-G sitting in my garage that looks exactly the same. Make sure, if using aftermarket (non-oem) strut mounts, that you use the metal spacer that comes with the kit!!!!! If you do not then the nut bottoms out on the threads and will cross thread as you try to get it tight. I CANNOT stress this enough. I actually read a thread on here where the OP didn't use the spacer and said everything was alright, which is why I did not use it. However, if you look at the OEM mount, the spacer is built in to the mount.
  5. I would endorse this. I have removed mine I think 7 or 8 times now and this is the easiest method IMO. Use an impact to get these out because they will be pretty cranked, BUT hand thread the two at the rear on reinstallation because they are easily cross thread. Once you've taken one off, it will be easy should you need to do another.
  6. I have manual hubs and only engage them off-road and in inclement weather. As my Pathy sits right now, were I to lock the front hubs there is no way I could drive it without eventually grenading the passenger CV. I have no explanation as to why the passenger CV is over-extended, but it is. It's annoying, but I should be used to these types of things by now - it seems all my projects lately end up with some annoying quirk that doesn't have any explanation. Bluewulf - hope you get 'er figured out!
  7. fleurys - do you by chance have a drawing of the spacer plate? I might have my shop cut one out of 1/4" A36 and see if it solves the problem for the short term. Thanks!
  8. That's what I did since I was in a pinch and couldn't find the proper one locally. I did need to bend in the two remaining tabs slightly and shave them down a bit to make them fit well, but nothing a dremel couldn't handle in about 10 minutes time. If you repack the in-board bearing you will need to buy new seals as the old one will be toast when you remove them. The outer bearing itself is fairly simple, just make sure you press the rotor assembly on fully after repacking or you will spend a god awful amount of time trying to thread the retainer nut/washer thingamajigger and you'll cuss a lot in the process (or at least I did).
  9. I would be interested to see if the spacer solves the issue. It will alleviate the over extension, however, the increase in angle of the CV may pose issues as well. I think I am still voting for the 2" subframe drop to fix mine.
  10. And I just noticed mel.d's comment on the positive camber relieving the issue. Egg-->Face I suppose if the outer joint (non-floating) is increasing the angle of the inner CV then adjusting the top of the tire outwards (positive camber) could relieve the angle enough to fix it, but in the OP's case he already has definite positive camber.
  11. For what it's worth, that was my thread, and my camber is dead nuts at 0 degrees on both sides according to the alignment sheet. My issue is passenger side as well. I tried 2 different new shafts and they both had the same issue. The stock CV had the issue but was MUCH less pronounced. I doubt your camber being out is the issue unless it is the outer joint that is binding, in which case it could be the camber. If it is the inner joint then camber should not affect it. The ride height change effect on the angle of the shaft is likely the culprit. THAT BEING SAID, if the change in camber solves it I'll eat my words... and take my truck back in for an alignment check! Edit: (a)ffect to (e)ffect . . . just my inner grammar Nazi coming out to play.
  12. Nice ride man, the tires definitely make a difference in the look as well. It's funny, I considered removing my running boards after the lift, but if I did my girlfriend wouldn't be able to get into the truck! She already complains about it being difficult to get into! Lol, I told her it's a good thing I didn't do the full on SFD then cause I'd have to get her a step ladder to get in and out!
  13. Thanks Iceman, it did change the look quite a bit. Still haven't gotten around to the SFD to solve my CV issue. Getting close though. I'll post it up when I get it finished. Currently it sits without a front driveshaft, but it drives fine in 2wd so it is still useable.
  14. My plan might be incorrect. The distance from the strut mounting point (engine bay) to the center of the hub needs to remain the same in order for the body to remain the same height. So in order to lower the inboard CV to where I intend I need to block the sub frame 2", correct? That way I can leave the NX4 spacer and the body will remain level where it is. The crappy thing about that is I effectively lose 1" of ground clearance from where I am now.
  15. I was considering biting the bullet and doing a full on SFD, but since the AC coils are brand spanking new I would like to run the rears a little while before I get the itch to go big. I guess I could build a spring perch for them, but welding the perch on might make it difficult to go with longer springs/dampers later. The reason I put the stock CV back was to determine whether it was the Raxles CV or something else in the drive train. Since the stock CV has the same issue just less pronounced it very well could be that the Raxles CV is unique and cannot handle the angle increase. However, since the stock CV does have the same issue, I feel that there is something different about the suspension geometry on that side. That is why I think adding a 1" sub frame spacer will solve the issue entirely.
  16. Dang, that's crappy. I agree, if the rest of her is in good shape it is worth it to put a new motor in . . . Save the Pathy!
  17. So I think I can safely say that it is indeed the angle of the cv on that side. I put the stock cv back in the vehicle and the vibration is still there, but it is much less pronounced. Also, with the wheel at full droop there are 3 spots where the axle binds. When the vehicle weight is on the suspension there is only one spot. So, here is my plan. I don't want to lose the added height of the NX4 spacer, but I absolutely need to pull it. So, I am going to take some 1" thk. plate and drop the front subframe, and pull the NX4 spacer as well. That way, I drop the differential 1" as well as raise the outboard CV 1", which should negate 1" of gain (at least in the CV angle) from the AC coils and leave the truck level front to back. Solving the issue this way will also allow the stock brake lines to remain in place. The only thing I will have to do over the subframe/engine blocks is space out the steering rack. What do you guys think?
  18. Al, No worries! I have enough into mine that I will fix the issue no matter what, so hopefully it isn't anything major. I have shifted into 4hi recently and it didn't seem to have any issues, so the transfer case should be fine. Thanks for the tips though!
  19. Actually at this point in time I am hoping it is something other than the CV - Raxles have a stellar reputation and the possibility that I received (2) bad CVs in a row from them is slim. If it is the CV binding then it most likely means something is amiss in the suspension geometry. Given that the angles on both the driver and passenger side appear to be about 20 degrees (you can't really get a magnetic protractor on the axle with the freakin control arm, strut, and sway bar cramming everything up) it has to be a weird anomaly that I believe will not be able to be corrected. I might be able to correct it for now by removing the NX4 spacer, but in all likelihood I'll still have the issue when the tire is unloaded during cornering and wheeling. If it is differential or bearing related I can deal with that, and replace the applicable parts. It just means my refresher of all things drive train related will happen sooner rather than later. If I have to replace gearing I might look into replacing the rear gearing at the same time to account for the larger tires. I have to go through the H233b rear diff eventually due to the excess amount of metal that came out when I drained it and replaced the fluid. It will have to be done at some point. Anyway, what exactly was wrong with your differential?
  20. I have never really encountered a CV binding issue on other vehicles, only the telltale clicking during cornering so I don't have a point of reference. It makes me wonder though if it is binding, why only in one spot around the circumference? If this is a typical tripod joint would binding not occur at three points? The roller bearings would be in the same orientation at (3) different points over 360 degrees right? This is why it seems odd to me. Unless there is one bad bearing and it is causing the issue. It's all just postulation unless I could see the joint throughout the rotation.
  21. Yeah, that's my last resort . . . I don't want to cause I like the way it looks right now, but I may be forced to if nothing pans out. I am going to put one of my old CVs back in and see if the problem persists. If that solves it then I don't know what to do other than pull the NX4 spacer. If it isn't the CV then I will look at the outboard front differential bearing. And if it isn't that then the last thing it could be is the differential, which doesn't make all that much sense given the symptoms. The bearing I suppose could be the problem . . . but it's still guess and check theory. They are Raxles which have a great reputation. I can't believe given their rep that I would get 2 in a row that are bad, but I suppose you never know.
  22. Motor mounts look fine, and there aren't any bangs or thumps when loading the drivetrain and watching the engine shift when you gun it. Wheel bearing on passenger side I repacked during this whole process, the bearings were smooth and the races didn't have any scoring. There was no play in the wheel when I checked to see if the bearings were tight. I torqued the bearing to 65 ft-lbs, backed it off and lightly tightened it before putting on the lock ring and screws, so I believe it is seated correctly. I checked all the suspension bolts, etc. and everything is tight. I swapped the two front wheels to eliminate tire balance/wheels, the vibration is still in the passenger side.
  23. So it isn't the manual hub. What are the odds that the SLIGHT difference between the driver and passenger side geometry is enough to cause the CV to have issues? Here is what I have found: When I am under the vehicle and I manually turn the CV axle on the passenger side there is a point in the rotation that is like a hump you have to get through before it is smooth again. When you go over the hump it wants to push the front differential towards the driver side. You can actually see the front diff move when this happens. The vibration gets worse as the passenger wheel is unloaded while driving, and better when there is a passenger in the car and their weight is compressing the suspension. Anyone have any guesses as to what is going on here?
  24. I am at a loss . . . replaced the CV and the rattle is still there. Pulled the front drive shaft and the rattle is still there. My only other thought is maybe the Mile Marker hub failed and it isn't engaging properly? I am going to put the drive flange back on that side and see if it goes away. Otherwise I have no freaking clue . . . Edit: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH
  25. They are different thicknesses . . . T = xxx Other than that I have no clue, I re-used the old ones when I did mine.
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