Mopar LCA swap

[stumblinhorse]

I'm faster than a speeding bullet, can leap buildings in a single bound, and wear my undies outside my pants. It was hard. Lucky for me, working on my RV has caused me to build up a selection of breaker bars and heavy duty rachet stuff. Tools make the man.

A found that no combination of breaker bars made any difference since there is only about 4 inches of room under there. I have farm implements and they have fasteners that have torque specs of 400-600 ft./lbs. None were as difficult as the LCA swap. I have 3/4“ and 1” drive sockets sets and a 900 ft/lbs impact gun…. And I still feel that very few DIY’ers get the torque correct.

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[andy29847]

A found that no combination of breaker bars made any difference since there is only about 4 inches of room under there. I have farm implements and they have fasteners that have torque specs of 400-600 ft./lbs. None were as difficult as the LCA swap. I have 3/4“ and 1” drive sockets sets and a 900 ft/lbs impact gun…. And I still feel that very few DIY’ers get the torque correct.

You probably need some Crocs.

 

[jav_eee]

You could put front and rear axles on jack stands. That would give you some clearance.

Edit: Or just front to break them loose, then set it back on the ground.

Lifted it about 4” and that was all I needed. Breaker bar got it done. Took it to a local shop to get them torqued for $10.

 

[Jtphoto]

The right tools always help. I’ve had mine off 3 or 4 times now. Just need a heavier impact, short sockets, deep sockets, an impact wobbler, extension and a couple wrenches. It’s a pain to change on the ground but doable. I also put Geometry Correction brackets on the same way.

 

[Bzinsky]

I tried doing this swap yesterday and I swear that first but I tried to break loose must be at 400lb. My Milwaukee impact could not budge it. Bummed because I read so many posts saying it was easy with an electric impact.

Damnit

Was hoping for a 10 minute job with an impact. F that

I have a 1/2” rigid impact rated for 1100 chinese ft lbs. Probably like 250ft lbs.

 

[jav_eee]

I

Damnit

Was hoping for a 10 minute job with an impact. F that

It was a 30 minute job with the front tires 4” off the ground and an $18 breaker bar from harbor freight haha it wasn’t that bad.

 

[blnewt]

I

It was a 30 minute job with the front tires 4” off the ground and an $18 breaker bar from harbor freight haha it wasn’t that bad.

x2, on ramps w/ a breaker bar, and you can always use the pole handle from your floor jack for a cheater pipe on the end of the breaker bar. Didn't seem too bad IMO going that route. Trying to break free catalytic convertor bolts on my Infiniti was tougher for sure!

 

[Bzinsky]

I

It was a 30 minute job with the front tires 4” off the ground and an $18 breaker bar from harbor freight haha it wasn’t that bad.

Yeah i stopped wrenching awhile ago, it means I have to find my tools. I know where my impact gun is and my metric sockets are. Each tool beyond that adds 20 minutes.

 

[stumblinhorse]

As I said, ramps or drive on lift. I would not recommend jack stands, the amount of force applied makes it a little sketchy under there.

Since I never worked at a dealer service department, I don’t just use the impact on full blast off then back on. I think if you remove them with an impact, you should buy new bolts…. At least that‘s what I would do…

 

[nU7OuxIx]

Not to change the subject about torque wrenches...

My JLUR always drove a bit wonky. As suggested, I went in to get an alignment and my toe was off and into the red. They got it into the green, and while it's in degrees, my guess is that it's an 1/8" toe out. I will say that it drives better, but still not 100%.

My caster is about a 5.5* driver side and 5.7* passenger. Is the LCA swap going to add too much caster, or we really don't know until I do it and try it.

 

[blnewt]

Not to change the subject about torque wrenches...

My JLUR always drove a bit wonky. As suggested, I went in to get an alignment and my toe was off and into the red. They got it into the green, and while it's in degrees, my guess is that it's an 1/8" toe out. I will say that it drives better, but still not 100%.

My caster is about a 5.5* driver side and 5.7* passenger. Is the LCA swap going to add too much caster, or we really don't know until I do it and try it.

It might get you another degree, and maybe as much as 1.5 degrees, so you'll be pushing 7 degrees, although your current 5.5/5.7 is very high for a stock JLUR, you have the original stock LCAs?? 7 seems to be ok from all I've read but you're getting close to having pinion angle issues IIRC, maybe @Roky can chime in.

 

[nU7OuxIx]

It might get you another degree, and maybe as much as 1.5 degrees, so you'll be pushing 7 degrees, although your current 5.5/5.7 is very high for a stock JLUR, you have the original stock LCAs?? 7 seems to be ok from all I've read but you're getting close to having pinion angle issues IIRC, maybe @Roky can chime in.

Yup, I'm as surprised as you are about the caster. It's an all stock JLUR but I have the steel bumper group and a warn evo 10s winch. I think I'm one of the few that, for reasons unknown, I have a higher than average caster from the factory.

 

[Roky]

Yup, I'm as surprised as you are about the caster. It's an all stock JLUR but I have the steel bumper group and a warn evo 10s winch. I think I'm one of the few that, for reasons unknown, I have a higher than average caster from the factory.

Did you have the winch on when you got your caster reading ?

 

[Jtphoto]

Yup, I'm as surprised as you are about the caster. It's an all stock JLUR but I have the steel bumper group and a warn evo 10s winch. I think I'm one of the few that, for reasons unknown, I have a higher than average caster from the factory.

You have nothing new there. Mine was the same. The more weight on the front, the more the front drops, the lower it sits, and the higher the caster number goes. The more lift you get the lower the caster goes. The reason Geometry Correction Brackets were invented.
Mine was the same after installing a bumper and winch. Caster went up. Then I put in 2.5” springs lost caster again. I have since put a heavier front bumper and caster has increased again. I’ll be installing MC Geometry Correction Brackets soon to dial in the front.

 

[nU7OuxIx]

Did you have the winch on when you got your caster reading ?

Yes I did. The Jeep is about 2 years old and came from the factory with steel bumpers. I put the winch on shortly after I got it so everything should be settled now.

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