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by Orest LazarowichA DETAILED TECHNICAL COLUMN INTENDED TO TARGET MANY MAKES AND MODELS OF POST-WAR CARS AND PICK-UP TRUCKS

The Modern Collectible

“Rides like a lumber wagon.” I am sureyou have heard that phrase, and maybe you haveused it yourself. A lumber wagon is a loadingplatform set on two axles without any type of sus-pension. If you own a military Jeep, or a Jeep CJ-2A, CJ-3A or CJ-3B, you may believe that youare riding in a lumber wagon. There is very littlecomfort in these vehicles. They are built on an 80inch wheelbase which compresses the drivingcompartment and makes long distance drivinguncomfortable. The seat cushions have very littlepadding, and there is no seat adjustment. Theshort wheelbase and stiff suspension result in achoppy ride. The rear bench seat is a real ‘piledriver’ because it sits over the rear axle. Manywar photographs show the Generals riding in thefront passenger seat. Did you ever wonder why?The high center of gravity can cause a problem incorners, if the speed is excessive. There is verylittle protection in bad weather. Still, these aregreat vehicles for regular off-roading and shortdistance travel. The ride quality on what is calledthe compact style SUV didn't get much better

Four Wheel Drive Suspension and Steering

until the mid 1960s when the wheel base wasincreased and coil-spring front suspension wasintroduced on the Ford Bronco.

Suspension

The suspension on many early four wheeldrive vehicles consists of four semi-elliptical leafsprings made of tempered steel and mounted ateach corner. The longest leaf is called the mainleaf and is rolled at each end to form eyes. Theseeyes with bushings installed are used to mountthe spring to the frame. A second leaf rolledaround the eyes of the main leaf as a reinforce-ment is called the wrap leaf. The leaves slideagainst each other as the spring rebounds.Rebound clips prevent the leaves from separatingwhen the spring rebounds upward. Driving thrustis transferred through the front half of the springto the front shackles.

A telescopic or lever-arm (very earlymodels) shock absorber is fitted vertically aboveeach wheel. It is attached to the frame and thespring anchor plate. The axles are mounted abovethe springs, located on spring saddles welded to

JULY 2011 - PAGE 18

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the underside of the axle housing. The springs areheld in position through U-bolts using the centerspring bolt inserted in the spring saddle to pre-vent the shifting of the axle. A rubber bumpermounted on the frame above the axle housinglimits spring movement.

The springs are anchored to the frame byplain or screw type bushings fitted into the springeye with a U-shaped shackle bolt or shackle barsand pins fitted through both the bushing and thespring bracket. This U-shaped bolt allows aswinging shackle at the forward end of each frontspring and at the rear of each rear spring. Theother end of the spring has a bronze bushing andis pivoted on a pivot bolt in the bracket on theframe. On Willys vehicles above chassis number146774, and on all Ford GPWs, the front left-hand spring has an additional torque-reactionspring mounted between the axle and the rearshackle. This was necessary to prevent the leftside of the vehicle from ‘diving’ to the left andinto traffic on hard braking. This problem iscaused because of the location of the bell crank.On heavy braking, the axle wants to twist in ananti-clockwise rotation and pull the vehicle to theleft. Consider equipping your vehicle with atorque-reaction spring, if it does not have one.

Spring and Frame Inspection

Power wash the four springs and theframe rails, and inspect the frame for damage.Check for cracks and rust damage around theattachment points, spring mounts, shock absorbermounts, engine and transmission. Body mountsmust be in good condition with the bolts tight.Small cracks can be veed out and welded. Torepair these you have to weld in a vertical direc-tion. Unless you are so talented, have this repairdone by a certified welder. Cracks in previouslywelded frames must be reinforced with a plateover the weld area. This is often called ‘fishplat-ing.’ Do not waste time trying to reweld a crackedweld. Rust damage on body attachment pointsmust be replaced with new material. Paint newand any bare metal with rust resistant paint.

If the frame is okay, check the curbheight. Measure the distance from the four cor-ners of the vehicle to the floor with the spare tirein place and the gas tank full. This measurementwill show whether the springs are sagging(weak). Springs will lose their temper over time

and fail from fatigue caused by the repeated flex-ing of the spring. An eyeball check will reveal abroken spring leaf. Spring breakage at the centerbolt can be caused by loose U-bolts, missingrebound clips or a worn spring saddle. If the mainleaf is broken at the ends, there was a lack oflubrication at the bushing. Check for signs of rustalong the side of the spring leaves. Rust will pre-vent proper spring action. Spring assemblyshould be removed, disassembled, painted, lubri-cated with powdered graphite and reinstalled.Use a new center bolt. Update: use Teflon padsbetween the leaves. Get a pry bar in between theframe and the shackle, and check the bushingsand pins for wear by moving thebar up and down. Worn bushingsand shackle pins may cause thefront wheels to shimmy. Replacebushings and spring shackle U-bolt/pins if they are worn.

Spring Repair

Locate the spring that needs repair.Loosen the lug nuts. Raise the vehicle so the tireis just off the floor. Place a safety stand under theframe in front of the spring hanger and one underthe axle tube. Keep the floor jack in place underthe axle assembly. The spring should be fullyextended. Remove the wheel and tire. Wire brushthe threads on the U-bolts. Check the ends of theU-bolts for road damage, and round the ends offwith a file or grinder if they are damaged. Spraywith rust buster. Examine the damage to thespring. If only one leaf is broken, replace thisleaf. If more than one leaf is broken and the repairis going to cost more than half the cost of a com-plete spring, replace the entire spring. The frontsprings on a Jeep appear identical, but they aredifferent in load carrying capacity because theengine sits slightly to the left in the frame. Makesure you are ordering the correct leaf or spring.

Check the shocks for signs of fluid leak-age. Check the rubber bushings’ condition. If thebushing is worn, the shock will rattle and poundand provide poor spring control. Raise the axleassembly, and disconnect the shock absorber.Detach the axle assembly from the springs byremoving the U-bolt nuts and the spring anchorplate. Remove the threaded bushings from thespring shackle. The left-hand threaded bushingshave a groove around the head. They are used atthe front end of the left front spring and the rear

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Teflon springpads helpreduce friction.

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end of the right rear spring. The other threadedbushings have a right hand thread. To free thespring, remove the attaching bolt from the framebracket. The spring is heavy so get a good holdon it.

Check the shock absorber, if it is of thetelescopic type. Mount it upside down and verti-cal in a vise. Remove the air by pumping theshock absorber up and down a couple of times.Now place the anchor end in the vise. Work theshock through its full length of travel severaltimes. Resistance should be smooth and even inboth directions. Work the shock back and forth atthe mid-point in its travel. There should be no"free-play" or time lag in the resistance. Lowpulling resistance or time lag when reversing,damage or leakage means the shock must bereplaced. Replace both shocks front or rear evenif only one is suspect. Update: order gas chargedshocks to improve the ride, and paint them olive-drab before installing.

Spring Disassembly

Undo the rebound clips. Attach two largeC-clamps to either side of the center bolt to con-tain the spring energy. Tighten the center bolt tobreak it off, butdon't waste timeundoing it; thebolt has to bereplaced. Cleanthe leaves of allrust and examinefor fatigue cracksrunning across theleaf width near theU-bolts. Replaceany leaves thatshow signs offatigue cracks.Order the neces-sary leaf or a com-plete springassembly. Order agrade 8 center boltand pivot bushingwith attachingbolt, shackle U-bolt and shacklebushings, ifrequired. Specifyright or left side.

Update: shackle bars, pins and rubber bushings.Assemble leaves on the center bolt, and use pow-dered graphite or Teflon strips between the leavesas a lubricant. Do not use the center bolt to com-press the leaves, use the C-clamps. Torque the nut38-44 foot pounds. Replacement is the reverse ofremoval. Install the shock absorbers. The springshackle grease seals fit over the threaded ends ofthe shackle up to the shoulder, if you are usingoriginal type U-bolt shackles. Lubricate the pivotpin and shackles.

Steering

The steering system provides a means ofturning the front wheels of the vehicle at differentangles to steer around turns and along the road.The steering on the military Jeep and Jeep CJseries is controlled by a Ross type cam and twin-pin steering box turned by a 17" diameter steeringwheel. A short ball and socket type drag link isconnected to the Pitman arm and the steering bellcrank mounted on the front axle. The front of thebell crank connects to two tie rods with anadjustable ball joint at each end. On CJ series thebell crank connects to only one tie rod. The tie rodscarry the steering motion to the steering knuckleswhich pivot on two tapered roller bearings.

JULY 2011 - PAGE 20

Parts diagragm copyright by 4X4XPlor.com

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A certain amount of free play is desirablein the steering system to provide easy steering.When it becomes excessive due to wear the vehi-cle starts to wander and is difficult to keep on theroad. Inspect the steering system at regular inter-vals for excessive free play. Start at the steeringwheel. Pull up and push down on the steeringwheel. There should be no clearance here. If thereis, the steering gear has to be adjusted or removedfor service. Backlash at the steering wheel shouldbe zero. The steering wheel should turn freelyand not bind from turn to turn. Make sure thesteering gear is bolted tight to the frame (3 bolts).Check the lubricant level. If the steering wheelmoves without the corresponding movement ofthe front wheels, there is excessive wear in thesteering system. This could be due to improperadjustment of the steering gear or drag link, worntie rod ends, worn steering bell crank pin andbearings, worn steering knuckle bearings or loosefront wheel bearings.

Raise the front of the vehicle on safetystands. Grasp bothfront wheels andpush out on both atthe same time, andthen pull in on bothat the same time.Excessive move-ment here indicatesthe tie rod balljoints are worn.They must bereplaced. Wornsteering knuckle bearings can be detected bymoving the wheel up and down. If the wheelbearings are adjusted properly, any movementyou feel will be at the steering knuckle bearings.Adjust or replace the bearings. Spin the wheel tocheck the wheel bearings. The wheel should spinfreely without any bearing noise. Check for bentrims. If there is bearing noise, remove the wheeland brake drum to check the bearings. Slideunder the vehicle, and check the steering bellcrank pin and bearings for wear by trying to tiltthe bell crank diagonally side to side. The bellcrank must only move horizontally, and if thebearings and pin are worn, install a bell crankrepair kit. Kits are different for military and CJstyle Jeeps. If the bell crank is bent, replace it. Donot attempt to straighten either hot or cold. Slidein further and check the drag link. You should notbe able to move it back and forth. If there is

movement, remove the drag link, and check it forwear. Install a drag link repair kit, if necessary,and then adjust it.

Replacing Tie Rod Ends

The tie rods are of ball joint constructionand are threaded into the tie rod and locked withclamps around each tie rod. Right and left handthreads on tie rod end assemblies provide for toe-in adjustment without removing the tie ends fromthe steering arms. There are two tie rod ends oneach tie rod. When the tie rod end is worn out itmust be replaced. To remove the old tie rod endremove the cotter pin and the nut. Loosen theclamp. Insert a pickle fork between the tie rodend and the bell crank or steering arm. Hit thepickle fork end with a heavy hammer. One blowshould separate them. Remove the worn tie rodend, and fit the new one. The length of the lefthand tie rod center to center is 18 1/16", the righthand tie rod is 23 9/16" center to center. Clean thetapered hole in the steering arm, and wipe the tierod ball stud with a thin coat of oil. Insert thestud, and torque the nut to specifications. (70-85ft.lbs.) so the cotter pin hole lines up. Insert thecotter pin, bend ends open around the nut.Position the clamp with the nut facing up, andtighten the bolts snug. Lubricate all the tie rodends.

Removing Drag Link

The drag link is of the ball and sockettype, and it connects the steering gear to thesteering linkage. Because it is not completelysealed, water and road dirt can enter the openingsand corrode/wear the parts. Apply grease to thegrease fittings regularly to force out the road dirt.Mark the front of the drag link. Remove the draglink to inspect it. Clean the dirt from the linkends, and spray the adjusting plugs with rustbuster. Remove the cotter pins, and use a screw-driver with a large thick tip to unscrew the adjust-ing plugs. Remove the drag link, and wash all theparts. Keep the front and rear parts separate.Check the condition of the springs and ballplates. Replace them with a rebuild kit if they arecracked or broken. Examine the drag link. It mustbe straight (MB/GPW) not twisted, and the sizeof the keyholes must not be worn. Replace thedrag link, if it is worn. Measure the balls on thePitman arm and the steering bell crank for beingout-of-round (oval) or having flat spots. They

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Excessive steering wheel playmay be due to improper draglink adjustment.

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must also be vertical to the arms. Check the bot-tom of the balls for undercut, if the drag link key-holes are worn. Replace the Pitman arm and bellcrank, if they are damaged.

The bell crank swivels on two Torrington-style needle bearings. When side play is evidentat the bell crank install a bell crank repair kit.Disconnect the tie rods from the bell crank. Undothe pivot pin nut after removing the cotter key.Remove the bell crank. Drive the old bearings outand the new ones in far enough to fit the seals.Remove the old pivot pin, and replace it with thenew one. Grease the fitting on the bell crank. Ifthe fitting will not take grease, replace the fitting.Fit the thrust washers top and bottom, and slidethe bell crank in place. Tighten the nut to removeany endplay, and insert the cotter pin. Connectthe tie rods to the bell crank.

Adjusting Steering Gear

The drag link must be disconnected.Loosen the instrument panel bracket and thesteering gear frame bolts to allow the steeringpost to align itself. The steering wheel shouldturn freely without any end movement. Toincrease the drag on the steering wheel there areshims (0.002", 0.003", and 0.010") under thehousing cover that can be removed. Loosen thehousing side cover adjusting screw before adjust-ing the thrust bearings. Remove the four housingcover bolts. Cut a diagonal slit at the top of oneof the shims, and remove it. Replace the housingcover, and if there is a very slight drag, thisadjustment is okay. Readjust if necessary. If youremove all the shims and the steering wheel free-wheels or you can move it up and down, thesteering gear needs rebuilding.

When new the backlash at the steeringwheel is zero and can be up to ½" at the rim of thesteering wheel. Any more than this and youshould adjust the steering backlash. Check theposition of the side adjusting screw. If it is justbarely above the lock nut, do not attempt anyadjustments. The steering gear must be removedfrom the frame and rebuilt. If the backlash can beadjusted, turn the front wheels to straight aheadposition. Loosen the locking nut, and turn theadjusting screw in so that a very slight drag is feltthrough the mid position when turning the steer-ing wheel slowly from right to left and left toright. Hold the adjustment screw in place, and

tighten the lock nut. When the steering gear isadjusted, tighten the steering gear to the frameand the panel bracket to the instrument panel. Ifthe lever shaft endplay does not decrease afteradjustment, the steering gear needs rebuilding.

To assemble the drag link at the front axleend, the spring and spacer are between the bot-tom end of the socket and the ball seat. At thesteering gear end, the spring and the spacer arebetween the ball seat and the end plug. Fit thedrag link to the Pitman arm and the bell crank. Toadjust the drag link at the bell crank end, screwthe adjusting plug in firmly against the ball on thebell crank, then back off one half turn and inserta new cotter pin through the hole in the tube andslot in the adjusting plug. To adjust at the Pitmanarm end, screw the adjusting plug in firmlytoward the ball, and then back off one full turn,and lock with a new cotter pin. This will giveproper spring tension and avoid any tightnesswhen swinging the wheels from full maximumleft to right.

Adjusting Front Tire Toe-in

Make sure all four wheels are balanced.Check the tire pressure in all four tires, andadjust it if needed (30 psi). Toe-in is the differ-ence in distance between the front edge of thefront tire and the rear of the front tire. It results inbetter directional stability. Park on a level surfacewith the front wheels facing straight ahead. Setthe tie rod end of the bell crank at right angleswith the front axle. Mark the center of the frontand rear tire tread at about axle height with chalkor thumb tacks. Use a 1" wide push/pull tape, andmeasure the distance between the marks front andrear. About 1/16" toe-in is manageable. Shortenor lengthen each tie rod the same distance.Tighten the tie rod clamps. Make sure you lubri-cate all the grease fittings. Check your work: allcotter pins in place, all bolts tight. Your safetyand the safety of your family depends on yourworkmanship. Road test. Happy motoring.

Next: Rebuild Ross Cam and Lever Steering

S.K.

JULY 2011 - PAGE 22

Please remember, if rebuilding your steering istoo much of a job for you, the LaresCorporation can help. See their ad on page 41.

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Originally printed in Skinned Knuckles magazine, and copyrighted by SK Publishing/Skinned Knuckles Magazine. Reprinting of any portion prohibited without written permission of SK Publishing, PO Box 6983, Huntington Beach, CA 92615.

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