Well, my track bar ball joint was shot, so today I installed a Lukes Link. Clever little device, and the install was easy. BUT with only 3/4" of front end travel it will hit the diff housing... Not the diff cover like the instructions say might happen, the top of the cast housing itself. A big dip in the road and it would clearly shear the lukes link right off..... Its like either my track bar bracket is too far rear or my front axle is too far forward.... Its 7:15 PM now, so no sense calling Lukes, so I thought I would post on here.....


Anyone else have this problem???? What did you do???? I am looking at those eccentrics on the front suspension arms as a way to move the housing rearward, but that will also pivot the pinion angle upward.........



KP

 

Call LUKE'S I called him and ordered mine at 10:30 pm at night.

 

That's unusual. I've never heard of it hitting the housing itself. Call them and ask them.

 

I have a Lukes link on the track bar on my 94 and there is definitely no clearance issue with the diff cover......it has been on there 2 years with no issues. It is hard to imagine something being out of alignment that far but I don't know? I would definitely call Lukes link........matbe they have run into this before.

 

Well, apparently Johnnie (lukes link owner) was in the hospital, I talked with another guy there, who was getting ready to go pick him up from the hospital... Don’t know what happened, hopefully no big deal. Anyway, the guy I talked with never saw my clearance problem before either. Perhaps the truck was in a front end collision in its prior life....

So I got under there and I rolled the eccentrics which tilted the top of the pumpkin back a bit which also increased the caster. This gave me a bunch more clearance, but not enough. Interestingly there was almost no noticeable caster at all prior to this adjustment. That doesnt exactly help tracking issues........... So then I ground the lukes link a bit and also the housing a bit. Between all three, its clear now.

Took it for a drive and WOW its like a completely different truck. What a pleasure to drive. NOt sure how much of it was the Lukes Link and how much was the additional caster, but its great now.


Thanks for your help

KP