Rusty's Off-Road Products 7161 Steele Station Rd. Rainbow City, AL 35906 techline: 256-442-0607 www.rustysoffroad.com Rusty's WJ Steering and Brake Conversion PART #: RS-BC999-UV APPLICATION: XJ,TJ,ZJ INTRODUCTION Rusty s recommends that this installation should be preformed by a certified automotive technician or a person with a professional mechanical knowledge. Installing this kit with out this expertise may jeopardize the handling and safety of the vehicle. Read instructions several times before starting. Be sure you have all needed parts and know where they install. Read each step completely as you go. A front end alignment is a must. Prior to drilling or cutting, check behind the surface being worked on for any wires, lines, or hoses that could be damaged. After any drilling or cutting, de burr and grind smooth any surfaces, be sure to paint or undercoat afterwards. INSTALLATION NOTE: Save all factory components and hardware for reuse, unless noted. 1) Rusty s Offroad recommends this installation should be done with the vehicle at ride height. 2) This can be done by chalking the rear tires, raising the front of the vehicle and placing jack stands under the right and left side of the front axle. 3) Remove the Tires/Wheels (front) and then place jack stands under the driver and passenger side frame rails toward the front of the vehicle. A small gap between the frame rail and jack stand will insure that the vehicles weight is on the front axle. This is to secure the vehicle in case of an accident. The vehicle s weight should still be on the front axle. 4) Remove the steering stabilizer at both ends of its mounting points. 5) Remove the castle nuts at the pitman arm, right, and left knuckle, and remove the steering linkage. The use of a pickle fork will make tie rod end removal easier. 6) Remove the lower (axle end) bolts of the sway bar links. With the lower bolts removed, lift the sway bar as high as possible to get it out of the way during the rest of the installation. 7) Remove the brake lines from the calipers. (The Banjo bolt) Cap the hoses to prevent fluid loss. 8) Remove the calipers from the spindles; these bolts will not be reused. 9) Remove the cotter key and castle washer from the hub stud. Remove the hub stud nut, keep this hardware as it will be reused.
10) Remove the hub assembly bolts (3 bolts inside the knuckle and axle assembly.) Keep this hardware as it will be reused. 11) Separate the hub assembly from the spindle and set aside. Remove the cotter keys from the upper and lower ball joints. Remove the castle nuts at the ball joints. Keep this hardware it will be reused. 12) Remove the knuckles from the axle. A few firm hits on the knuckle near where the upper and lower ball joint studs go through may be needed to dislodge the knuckle. 13) Locate the driver and passenger WJ knuckles. The knuckles should be drilled 0.750" at each steering point the driver side will have one steering point the passenger side will have 2 steering points. These should be drilled to 0.750" at a slow RPM and clamped to ensure the holes are straight. 14) Drill the pitman arm to 0.750" using the same process. 15) Install the knuckles on the ball joints using the factory hardware and tighten to the proper specifications found in the factory service manual. Install new cotter keys. 16) Install the supplied hub assembly spacers on the hub and slide the hub on the stub shaft. For clarification, the hub spacers should be sandwiched between the hub and the knuckle, one per side. Place the hub flush to the knuckle and install the (3) hub assembly bolts. 17) Reinstall the nut on the hub stud, tighten, and reinstall the castle washer with new cotter key. 18) Install the WJ Rotors and install the WJ calipers with the newly supplied hardware. 19) Attach the brake hose to the caliper. Make sure to use the brass washers. 20) The installation of the new calipers will require more fluid. Note that the brake system will need to be bled according to the procedure found in the factory service manual. 21) Remove the track bar at the axle and at the frame mounting points. Please move to step 24 if you have a TJ. If you have a XJ or ZJ step 22 and 23 will apply to you. 22) Remove the track bar mount at the frame mount. There will be 4 bolts that fix this mount to the frame. Do not discard these bolts and nuts.(xj and ZJ Only) 23) Locate the Rusty s Heavy Duty Track Bar Frame Mount. This can now be installed and torque using the factory hardware to 85ft lbs. (Rusty s Off-Road recommends vehicles that are used in competition or extreme crawling conditions drill the 4 holes in the frame to 9/16 and replace the factory hardware with grade 8 9/16" bolts with nyloc nuts as this bracket will be under a tremendous amount of stress. (XJ and ZJ Only) 24) Locate the supplied HD track bar mount(frame side.) The TJ HD frame mount instructions will be followed now. (TJ only) 25) Remove the factory sway bar mounts at the axle. When cutting or sawing the brackets, make sure not to cut the axle tube or damage the coil spring pad. 26) Remove the track bar mount and steering stabilizer mount at the axle. The removal should be done with a cutting wheel or plasma cutter, make sure these are precision cuts to prevent damage to the axle tube passenger side coil spring pad. Remove the outer portion of these two mounts first to gain better access to the parts of the mount closer to the axle tube. The axle tube and coil pad should now be ground smooth (Rusty s Offroad recommends using 40 grit 2 die grinder or 40 grit 4.5" flap wheel.) To remove the remaining slag grind 2 toward the top of the axle tube as well as the bottom to clean surface of any paint or rust.
27) Locate the Rusty's adjustable track bar and Rusty's axle end track bar mount. **Note before going any further it is very important to center the axle under the vehicle. This can be done by measuring in a side to side method. Put one point of tape measure at the upper ball joint zerk fitting and measure to a certain point of the opposing frame rail. This should be done from both driver and passenger s side. Mark the point on the frame rails to ensure these points on the frame rail are the same. Upon completion of cross measuring done, you should have equal measurements. If the measurement is not equal, use a small ratchet strap to pull the axle in the direction you received with the smallest measurement. Check twice to ensure the axle is centered of the body of the vehicle. ** 28) Mount the adjustable track bar at the frame but do not tighten at this time. 29) Mount the adjustable track bar to the new axle mount. Just install the bolt and start the nut, do not tighten. Lower the Rusty's bracket to the axle tube. This bracket should sit close or against the passenger side coil spring pad. The adjustment of the adjustable trac bar will allow you to move this bracket to the correct location. Do not exceed 1-½" of thread exposed including jam nut of the adjustable track bar. If the bar exceeds this spec, align the bracket to the desired location and then move bracket toward the passenger side upper control arm mount (axle end.) This will shorten the track bar length to keep it at a safe adjustment range. The small amount you may have move the bracket location will not change the perfect geometry more than 1 degree. 30) Once adjustable track bar is set to the correct length and bracket is placed in the desired location (left to right), the bracket should be set vertically level, from the side. It should be vertically in line with the coil spring. The weight of the vehicle must be on the suspension to ensure the axle end track bar mount sits vertically upright. 31) With the bracket positioned vertically upright, check the fitment of the bracket to the axle tube. It is designed for the Jeep Dana 30/44 axle tube; aftermarket or larger axles may require grinding the bracket for better fitment.
32) With the bracket located and level, tack weld it in place in several locations (front and back.) 33) Remove the adjustable track bar from the mount. The bracket is now ready to be welded by a certified welder, as should any structural mount. Rusty s Off-Road recommends using 0.35 wire with a amp range of 150-200 amps. Weld all accessible areas of the track bar axle brackets. This bracket should now cool before any further installation. 34) Once cooled, the track bar axle bracket should be painted along with all other areas that were stripped of paint. (Please allow for dry time) 35) The axle end of the adjustable track bar can now be mounted and tightened to the new HD axle track bar mount. Next tighten the track bar frame mount. 36) At the adjustable end of the adjustable track bar, locate the jam nut, apply a few drops of red Loc-tite to the threads. Tighten the jam nut firmly. 37) Locate the HD tie rod and drag link. Mount the drag link to the pitman arm. Make sure to use the high misalignment spacers that are zip tied to the heim. Locate the 0.750" x 4" bolt. Insert the bolt through the high misalignment spacer, heim, misalignment spacer, and pitman arm, then torque to 180ft lbs. Bring the loose end of the draglink to the top of the drag link attachment point on the knuckle. Install the 0.750" x 4" bolt and torque to 180ft lbs. 38) Place the HD tie rod on the top of the driver and passenger knuckle. The bolt size reduction spacer will be on the top side of the heim joint. Locate the bolt and place it through the tie rod, and lastly the knuckle. Torque the 0.750" x 3.5" bolts at both knuckles to 180ft lbs. 39) At this point all bolts mounting hardware should be torqued to spec. Adjust the wheel to wheel tie-rod to the measurement that sets the toe. (Place the tape in the middle of the bolts to achieve the same point of a zerk fitting when measuring.) Once adjusted to the correct length, the jam nuts on the tie rod should be tightened to lock the heims down. Add loc-tite before tightening the jam nuts as this will prevent the jam nuts from loosening. 40) With the toe set, the draglink can now be adjusted to the correct length. (The draglink will adjust the steering wheel, so adjust the link until the steering wheel is centered.) Once adjusted add red loc-tite to threads and tighten jam nuts at each end. 41) The sway bar link mounts can now be located. They are labeled passenger and driver side. Mount your existing sway bar link or sway bar disconnect on the inside of the new weld-on link mounts. This will put the weld-on mounts on the outside and the sway bar links toward the center of the axle. Locate the straight ends of the weld on link mounts to the inside of the inner C above the axle joint. Once located in place, grind any paint or rust, to prep for welding. Once the areas have been cleaned, locate the link mounts back in place. Ensure that the link mount comes well above the drag link on the passenger s side. A minimum of 2 is needed to sufficiently clear the drag link.
42) With the correct clearance set on the passenger side, tack the link mount in place. Use an angle finder on the passenger side link mount to identify the angle and transfer this angle to the driver side to ensure that both brackets are at the same angle and height. Tack in place on the driver side and measure the distance from the axle tube to the further ensure the left and right side link mounts are in the same location. 43) Weld the upper and lower sides of the link mounts. Rusty s Off-Road recommends using.035 wire with a amp range of 150-200 amps. Fully weld each side, let cool. Paint all exposed areas once cooled. Allow time for paint to dry. The sway bar links or disconnects can now be bolted in place. **Note During this step the sway bar links or disconnects may have to be shortened. The new link mounts raise the mounting location and the sway bar links or disconnects will vary in length and adjustability. All manufactures links may have to be shortened. This will vary for each brand of disconnect, most can be cut at the lower end, shortened, and welded back. ** 44) Intall the steering stabilizer (for on-road driven vehicles.) Locate the bolt at the frame mount that mounts the adjustable trac bar. Locate the steering stabilizer 1 ½ inches above the track bar bolt, place the stabilizer and mark the hole for drilling. This hole should be drilled to ½". Mount the stabilizer to the frame mount and tighten. 45) Make sure the tires/wheels are pointed straight ahead and steering is straight. Locate the steering stabilizer mount plate and u-bolt that will be mounted on the drag link. The plate will sit on the back side of the tube and should be positioned close to vertical. This would put the gold u-bolt clamps on the outside of the tube. The steering stabilizer positioned at half stroke, then begin to set to tighten the clamps. The bracket may have to be rotated slightly out of the vertical level to tighten your clamps. 46) Install the tires and wheels and torque to manufacture specs. Raise the vehicle, remove the jack stands, and lower the vehicle to the floor. 47) We recommend going back to all mounting points, bolts, and clamps to check for proper torque and clearance. Once checked, have an assistant turn the vehicle left and right to check clearance on the steering stabilizer; it should not hit anything. If it does hit at any point you may have to rotate the steering stabilizer plate in the opposing direction of contact. Cycle the steering lock-to-lock and visually inspect all other components for proper clearance. It is the owners responsibility to inspect all Rusty s products for proper torque specs to prevent loosening of components. Seat belts and shoulder harnesses should be worn at all times. Re-check all bolts and nuts after the first 300 miles and after any off-road usage during the first 300 miles. Although all of our products are made from the highest quality materials possible, they are not a substitute for Safe and Careful driving. In other words, have good safe on-road / off-road sense. Know the terrain, the speed limitations, and any obstacles that may lie ahead. Please remember to preserve our right to enjoy public land through the proper use of off-road vehicles. Thank you for choosing Rusty s Off Road Products.
For questions or suggestions, contact our Tech Department 7161 Steele Station Road Rainbow City, Al 35906 256-442-0607