Well... I have the Rock Krawler Drag Link and Tie Rod, and there is just NO room to rotate the steering stabilizer on top of the Tie Rod since their diameters are much larger. My Woods SS relo bracket wont fit... Here is the RK setup:


Beefy rods!

Here is the rods compressed against each other, and the SS/DL bracket when the wheels are turned full lock to the psgr side. Not much room!


So, I was thinking of fabbing up a bracket off the center of the axle and moving the OEM SS bracket on the TR over to the drivers side instead of the passenger side. This made me think about the Rough Country dual kit, so I wanted to look into it for some inspiration. Looked cool, and wish I could fit one on my setup, although I think it is total overkill.

So, then, I'm thinking how much are these thingss and whats the best deal I could get... Maybe I could just use the drivers side half of it? Checked out ebay, and couldnt believe my eyes, they had exactly what I was looking for... So much for making millions off of my new product idea! They sell the kit for a single SS off of the drivers side, and it is upgradeable to the double too. Bought it immediately and it showed up yesterday.



My beagle even thinks its cool!


So I do a quick parts list check and realize that I am missing a 1/2 x 2 1/2 bolt and nut... and have 4 extra of the 3/8" flanged nuts.


Anyway, I have some 1/2" bolts in the garage and can make due...

So, I have the rig on jack stands under the axle, so the wheels can be turned both directions when need be. I start to mock up the axle bracket, and wonder if its going to work with the beefiness of the RK rods. It is supposed to mount next to the upper control arm bracket like this...


I decide its just too tight on that side when the wheels are turned and I am flexed. So... I decide to slide it over right next to the pumpkin...


Cool, easy enough. Used the supplied U-bolts and made them snug, knowing that I will have to fine-tune its position a little later...


Now on to the tie rod bracket. The instructions give specific placement. Something like 6" away from the adjustment bolts on the OEM tie rod. Well, I dont have the OEM tie rod, and I also moved the axle bracket over. So, I take a guess and put it on, only snug, knowing I will have to adjust it in a little bit. Oh yeah, you have to put on the 1/2" x 2 1/2" bolt that the SS mounts to BEFORE you put the bracket on the TR.


So far, piece of cake, I have both of my brackets mounted up...



I'm still eye-balling everything hoping that it fits into the narrow lane between the rods. Here is a pic looking toward the psgr side...

And a pic looking toward the drvr side...


So they supply you with this pretty little bracket with their name on it. Near as I can tell it is only advertising for them, but it does hide the bolts, and makes it look a little cleaner.


You have to run the 1/2 x 2 1/2" bolt through one hole of the "ad bracket" though the axle bracket and then through the end of the SS. Put on a washer, and a nut and good to go. Now remember, they left this bolt out, and I found a 3" long one to use in its place. Looks like it will fit, as it is still under the bend of the "cool ad-bracket."


Hmm, looks a little too tall in there?



I better cycle the steering and see if it clears. Full turn to the psgr side, no worries...

Full turn to the driver side. Umm, Houston, we have a problem...


So my first thought is to just smash the crap out of the top of that bracket instead of that pretty 45* angle with their logo on it. Then I realized using that damn 3" replacement bolt of mine wouldnt let me smash the "ad-bracket" down far enough. So... now I have to dis-assemble to change that bolt out. I reused a bolt from the TR bracket mount where my old SS was. I might as well not jack with that bracket, and take it out while I take out the longer bolt too... Thats just what I did.


I cycled the steering lock to lock and fine tuned the placement of the TR bracket, making sure it didnt fully compress as I turned to the psgr, and also had enough travel turned full drvr. Tightened that puppy down. Then I rolled the TR all the way up (you know how that can roll on the ball joints...) and made sure that it did not hit the bolts of the axle bracket. Rotated it to give me just barely enough clearance, and tightened that puppy down too.

So there ya have it. The thing rides like a champ. ZERO bump steer. Nice and tight through turns. Wheel still goes back to center after a turn... The diameter of the RC 2.2 shock is much larger than any of the FOUR aftermarket SS shocks I have used in the past. Good stuff. I highly recommend it. I do need to make sure I dont have any clearance issues when articulating, but it looks good. With a stock setup, I wouldnt worry about it at all.

 

Nice write up. Where did you get the RC steering stabilizer? Would it fit in the stock location? Also isn't the stabilizer supposed to have their logo on it?

 

It came as a complete kit from Rough Country's ebay store. I think you can order just the 2.2 steering stabilizer shock, but I dont know for sure. I also cant say if it would fit in the stock location or not. I know I put on a Rancho at one point, and the bushing on the axle bracket side was wider than the bracket. I had to bend it out a little to fit. Since these did not go in the stock location I couldnt say for sure. Also, it is a pretty large diameter. The only thing I have her to compare to is a Procomp steering stabilizer. It is quite a bit larger diam than it, and it is quite a bit larger than the stock. So, I cant answer that for ya.. sorry.

 

Its just a sticker..... leave it off or put it on..

They have replacement SS's that fit in stock locations and also the duals as he mentioned..

 

So they offer three? The stock replacement, the one mentioned in this write up and the dual?

I am thinking about getting the one in this write up. Will it work with no lift?

 

Yep as zacsquatch said... The logo is just a sticker. You can see it early in the write-up. I'm not a big sticker guy, but I might throw it on there to answer questions people might have when they look at it. I just didnt put it on during install because the SS was oily/greasy and I hadnt cleaned it...

 

Yep hellbound, 3. I am pretty sure that this is the same brackets that are on the dual, but you only get 1 tie rod bracket and 1 shock. It does say its upgradeable, so I would guess you would just buy those 2 other pieces if you want to add them. Honestly, I cant imagine why you would need a dual. This is more than enough to smooth out the bumpsteer. It takes some of the stress of the stock SS bracket on the axle, where the track bar also mounts to. Plus, most importantly, it moves it out of harms way...

It was strange, though, I couldnt find ANY information on this anywhere, including Rough Country's site... Only on their online store on ebay...

 

Awesome. This is just what I am looking for, but will it fit on a Jeep without a lift? I know the dual one requires a lift..

Here is the other shock BTW if you wanna upgrade to dual..

http://www.roughcountry.com/jeep_xtras_87318.html

 

Not sure how I missed that on their site! Maybe they just added it... That would make me feel a little better.

Even easier though would be to just use the stock OEM tie rod bracket on one side, and you could even use a different shock on there... But $50 isnt too bad I guess.

I dont know for sure about going on a stock rig, but I am 98% sure it would work. I guarantee I have less room up there with my RK rods. Besides, the relationship between the TR and the axle are the same lifted or not. The only thing that changes is how far apart the drag link and track bar are toward the drivers side (they both meet at the same place on the psgr side on a lifted or not rig...). You might want to ask, but I cant see it being a problem...

 

Thanks, yeah Im going to ask because it says on their site that the dual requires at least a 2" lift, which makes no sense. Why would the dual require a lift and not the single?

Also do you find a big difference in ride over the other SS you have run?