What you need to realize is that the strength behind the jam nut is the tension in the threads. As long as the nut maintains that you are good.

 

Yes and more linear pressure on the face of the nut (ie even distribution) is what you want to spread the load AND the most friction to maintain that torque on that nut which is applying the "thread tension".

The way it sits now, it's only about 25% contact out of the 100% that it should be. That's probably the difference between needing locktite and not!

I'm not sweating it (as I've already mentioned) but it is still a fact that the CA wasn't drilled and threaded square to the arm, and for best "thread tension" it should be.

 

I totally agree

 

I found it worth while to have a buddy who works at a shop get permission to get the jeep up in the air. The arms above were much easier to get tourqed down this way! ....using a crows foot about 3 feet long. I used the vice to set them... then the jeep in the air to final adjust them to length. I noticed that for me the arms have never loosened in about 9 months. Not one bit. I did get them set perfect first, then a couple drops of locktight and cranked them down in postion. Not one of the 8 arms has moved...

good enough for me!

 

I know this thread is old. I have my LCA aligned and the jam nut snugged up really tight but not to torque. I have a brand new vise that I bolted down to my garage floor. But trying to torque the jam nut down tighter with a 25" crows foot and the controller arm slips in the vise. And I've got the vise VERY tight!! Thinking of mounting them backwards on the Jeep so I can access the jam nut easily and torquing the jam nut down that way. Any thoughts?

 

Clock the joint opposite the direction it wants to turn (while on the vehicle). I did that and then put stupid torque on it and it ended up rotating the joint to the right spot once I let off the wrench.


The other common way that works pretty well is to stack metal between the joint and the side of the bracket where it's trying to rotate. You end up with the joint not being able to budge while you get to torquing. Watch your eyes when you let loose on the torque, the washers or scrap metal drops pretty quickly.

 

How i held mine

 

Same way that kjeeper10 did his, or you can use 1 vise and a long screw driver in the opposite end have have someone hold it straight, then rotate it and do the same if it is a krawler joint to krawler joint!

 

why don't you machine a couple of flats in the tubes? seems like it would be easy and make tightening them up so much easier.

 

They've started machining flats on the newer arms. I've got a friend that just did the 2.5" max travel and another with the 3.5" x factor.