i gave it a nice try at getting a ball joint press with no luck. funny thing is that i was at the auto place 2 days ago and seen 6 units sitting on the shelf now they are discontinued, and sold for cheap just a couple days later. i can order one from another store, but it would be a huge pain in the arse. im just taking it to the mechanic and let him press the buggers in and be done with it.

I cant imagine how much money you have in all of this because it all looks brand new! either that or you take way to much time to clean stuff up. lol

autozone, advanced auto and others all rent hte tool, do you have any of those?

lol i take my time but it aint cheap either lol the front is becoming really expensive and i just want it done, im out to do my best job i can. i dont got any of those places here its 'princess auto' for cheapo auto tools around here..

here is what i got for a measurement from on top of the inner c, with the pinion 90 deg back the caster is 6-7 deg which gives me 3 deg to put into the pinion angle. what do you think? enough?

plenty! i would set the caster an not even focus on the pinion angle at the height you are looking for.

btw another cool thing about a proper linked suspension over others is the caster and pinion angle does not change at all throughout travel. :)

Based on Zach's advice, I beat the bejesus out of it with the BFH. Once it was mostly flat I drilled the holes for the tubing and plated it.

plate the frame on both sides after beating it flat, then be sure to sleeve the bolt holes so it does not pinch or collapse the frame. that is what it did to me and now i have a new front frame. lol

thats exactly what i had in mind to do, thanks. i just wasnt sure if its a wise idea to beat the frame, could i still use a little heat to help?

with the way its adding up now links are out of the question, sadly. but im not worried about the springs with it, they should do everything i need.

I didn't use any heat. The frame is actually pretty thin right there and the sledge hammer makes pretty quick work out of it, but i suppose it wouldn't hurt to use heat.

the back side of the frame looks like a SOB to flatten, with everything hooked up

just make it flat enough to eliminate the gap around the 1/4" plate you are using to make it a good strong weld.

the inside of the frame actually curves in if i remember correctly. just leave it and make it easy for the 1/4" plate to weld on.

again dont forget to sleeve the bolt holes!

on mine the inside rail is outward, i took a pretty good look at my lunch break today. it all buldges up around the body mount. unless it was an illusion lol. which wouldnt surprise me..

well heres the brutal truth on the tera flex knuckle kit, the knuckle alone is going to be $700, or i can get the knuckle, pre made tie rod and drag link for a cherokee for $1000. the full kit would be my best bet, the drag link would need to be extended for the ranger, but for a little extra i might as well get the premade tierod... ill need to think some more before i pick this one up, any other ideas? ive considered modifying the knuckle i have but i just dont think i can trust something that custom for my steering, just to risky to make work as far as im concerned.

I thought the knuckle was all you really needed? What comes in the 'kit' for 700?

well its all i needed to complete the core axle assembly, steering and springs are are still to configure lol. as far as the $700 kit, it comes with just the knuckle and tapered inserts.

tomorrow im gonna play around and see if i can get my TRW lowers and XRF upper ball joints in place, they seem like they are going to be a tough instal without the right tool..

wow i really thought it was more like 450...

there is another company that i found that makes a bolt on kit... let me see if i can find it.

what about this
9923 Bracket-P/S Knuckle 87-95 YJ

btw... not sure where you got your prices! 380!

Hi-Steer Knuckle by Teraflex and Other Jeep Parts and Jeep Accessories by 4 Wheel Drive Hardware

This is the one I was considering.

JB4x4, LLC Store - JB Raised Steering Bracket

canadian exchange plus all the shipping and second hand fees to get it here, everything ive wanted is almost double what i see on the internet lol. that bracket looks pretty good to, like the btf piece with the heim, im not sure about using a heim for steering yet though..

this bracket really caught my eye, i wish there was a little more info on it. im wondering if it would clear my 7 leaf spring?

Here's a couple pics of it installed.

Attachment 117174
Attachment 117175
Attachment 117176

a 7 leaf would put me on the edge with that bracket, it barely clears the plate with the 4 leaf, it might work but im not sure.

why? heims are stronger than TREs only difference is wear, i jsut spray mine with wd40 every once and a while and they hold up great. (assuming you buy the good ones)

I hate TREs now that I have ran heims.

wear? as in heims wear less, or wear worse than a tre? if heims are prone to fail dramatically i dont want that, and i really dont want to drill and remove anymore material from my knuckle preferrably. its all going to come down to the tera flex, i can just imagine.

heres a couple updates from today, ball joints are in and im done with that finally lol.