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with Bill Johnston SPOA! The famous SPring
Over Axle
conversion. This is probably the most common upgrade done to a Samurai that will net the
most benefits. A problem comes up when deciding how to deal with the bump steer that comes
along with the typical "bent and gusseted" steering link. Don't get me wrong,
there are a few companies that provide excellent "bent" links that are gusseted
and warranted. But wouldn't it be great if you could restore the geometry of the original
steering design - and beef up the components at the same time? Higher Heights Off Road to
the rescue!
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Next I went to work on the
pitman arm/steering wheel alignment. First I verified that the steering wheel was straight
by turning it all the way to the left, then counting the revolutions as I turned it to the
right until it stopped. Turning the steering wheel back exactly half of the revolutions
will put your steering box at the center point. I used a bungee cord from the steering
wheel, around the seat legs and back to the steering wheel to keep it in place. Next I
went back to the pitman arm to make sure that it pointed straight back, parallel to the
frame rails. If you have re-indexed your pitman arm to conform to other changes you may
have made in the past, this is the time to correct it by removing it and reinstalling it
in the correct position.
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Once the pitman arm
position has been verified, install your new drag link with the jam nuts loosened. I
started with the drag link because there is not much room to fit a large socket/ratchet
combination in between the new arm and the tie rod once the tie rod is installed. The new
tie rod installs next from below, so there is plenty of room. Don't forget to
install the cotter pins in all of the tie rod ends. This is a critical step that a
friend of mine forgot on his FJ40, causing the total destruction of his rig during a
spinning flip from a sand dune when his steering wheel turned and the wheels didn't. He
was lucky to escape with his life. Make sure the tie rod ends are screwed in all the way
(loosely) so that they will adjust with the same amount of thread showing on each end. I
measured the distance between the forward edges of the brake rotor dust shields again to
find out how much I had to adjust the tie rod. Because the tie rod ends were loose the rod
turned easily by hand, spreading the tie rod ends to the correct distance. When you hit
the right distance, tighten up the jam nuts and use Locktite® to make sure it doesn't
re-adjust on it's own. |
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Then I put the wheels back on
the front end and adjusted the drag link until the front tires pointed straight ahead,
lining up the front tire with the back tire. You need to get this as
  close as possible so that your steering wheel will be
straight. Again, when you hit the right distance, tighten up the jam nuts and use Locktite® to make sure it doesn't
re-adjust on it's own. The Drag link should be as parallel as possible with the tie rod.
The more angle present - the more bump steer you will experiance. The last step is to take
your rig down to a local alignment shop to make sure all of the settings are correct.
Remember, Safety First.
The Product
You can get more information about this system and other Higher
Heights Off Road components by checking out their web site link below. Complete
installation instructions can be found at either the Online Insruction Area here on IZook,
or at the the Higher Heights Off Road web site.
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