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Jeepskate:
Suspension
Steering
Drivetrain
Body/Interior

Jeepskate II/XL:
Suspension
Steering
Drivetrain
Body/Interior

1 Last 7:
Suspension
Steering
Drivetrain
Body/Interior

 

Steering System Upgrades

Borgeson Steering Shaft: I got a good deal on a new Borgeson steering shaft for '1 Last 7', so when I saw a slightly used one for a YJ pop up in the for sale forum on JeepsUnlimited, I grabbed it. I probably didn't really *need* it given that the stock YJ shaft is already an improvement over the CJ shaft, but I figured it couldn't hurt given the body lift and flexibility of this Jeep and the price. This is a simple bolt-in item and I'm retaining the stock YJ power steering box for the time being.

Parts Mike Hi-Steer: I had originally purchased a set of arms several years ago to use on Jeepskate. This has become a more popular mod since then and the construction and tuning of the designs have made some progress since my initial purchase. Parts Mike now has a standard duty and super duty set of arms that are machined and compensate for tie-rod ends. My original flame-cut arms pale in comparison. I contacted Parts Mike and he graciously offered me an even exchange of my old arms for the new...I then kicked in the extra and got the super duty arms which are 1/2" taller (I had noticed the potential for interference with the spring clips with standard arms). Since I couldn't locate a local machine shop to machine my Dana 44 flat-top knuckles (normally you only need to machine the passenger side, but my driver side knuckle still had the remains of the studs stuck in the bosses which would've required drilling out) and couldn't have the Scrambler completely immobile in the middle of the garage while shipping them out and waiting for them to come back, I picked up another driver side knuckle off of Ebay and got in on an overstock sale at Specialty Parts for a brand new passenger side knuckle with new ball joints and had them get it machined before shipping it to me. So, the install will essentially just be a knuckle swap. I had gotten the factory GM studs, conical split-washers and nuts from Parts Mike with the original arm order. I got stock Wagoneer steering linkage and a reamed stock pitman arm from Tom Hallberg aka Tom85CJ.

Bracing: I re-used the original Currie steering box brace from Jeepskate. Since I'll be running 36" Super Swampers and possibly hydraulic assist, I figured it would be a good idea to replace the weak, failure-prone steering box mounting brackets with a heavy duty unit. I stumbled across a group buy on Jeep-L that was put together by Four X Doctor for a Ruff Stuff Industries heavy duty steering box bracket, so I took advantage of it. There are several others on the market now like Sam's and Big Daddy's (I think the M.O.R.E bracket is a rebadged Ruff Stuff) and Ruff Stuff now offers a bracket that will also relocate the steering box 1.5" forward if you're moving your front axle further forward or setting up a custom steering system. They offer the option of adding a third mounting hole through the top of the front crossmember (requires drilling the crossmember, the tapped hole is already in the bracket and the additional hardware is supplied) which I did.


Shafted...
Slightly used Borgeson heavy duty YJ steering shaft.


Knuckle buster...
Replacement Dana 44 flat-top knuckles w/Parts Mike Super Hi-Steer arms.


Positioning...
Marking the spot for drilling the optional 3rd mounting hole in the front crossmember.


Heavy Duty...
Ruff Stuff steering bracket installed.