Vehicle: 1982 BJ42 LX imported from Australia to USA.
Bought my knuckle rebuild parts kit from Cruiser Dan.
Upon disassembly I discovered both knuckles have a tapered shim - a large tapered ring - between the spindle and knuckle housing. The shims appear to be an effort to add camber (tilt-in) to the wheels.
These shims are interfering with the fit of the spindle in the knuckle. I have about 0.5mm lateral movement when the spindle is resting in the knuckle with the shim in place. As you can imaging, I can't center the birfield in the knuckle (I have the SST) with this sloppy spindle (Note: the spindle isn't loose when everything is torqued down. But the spindle is able to move around while tightening the bolts resulting in a unpredictable measurements/install).
Anyone ever see shims like this before?
I didn't find any referece to these type of shims in any of the FAQs or web pages I've read (Coolerman's knuckle rebuild page, for instance).
Is this a factory situation or something that was added aftermarket?
I can understand the need to correct camber. But when it comes at the expense of axle/knuckle alignment that's a pretty nasty trade-off.
At this point I'm planning to reinstall everything without these shims and see what happens. At least that way I'm confident I'll have correct axle/knuckle alignment.
Thoughts?
I'm headed out the door now. I'll try to post some pics later in the day.
Bought my knuckle rebuild parts kit from Cruiser Dan.
Upon disassembly I discovered both knuckles have a tapered shim - a large tapered ring - between the spindle and knuckle housing. The shims appear to be an effort to add camber (tilt-in) to the wheels.
These shims are interfering with the fit of the spindle in the knuckle. I have about 0.5mm lateral movement when the spindle is resting in the knuckle with the shim in place. As you can imaging, I can't center the birfield in the knuckle (I have the SST) with this sloppy spindle (Note: the spindle isn't loose when everything is torqued down. But the spindle is able to move around while tightening the bolts resulting in a unpredictable measurements/install).
Anyone ever see shims like this before?
I didn't find any referece to these type of shims in any of the FAQs or web pages I've read (Coolerman's knuckle rebuild page, for instance).
Is this a factory situation or something that was added aftermarket?
I can understand the need to correct camber. But when it comes at the expense of axle/knuckle alignment that's a pretty nasty trade-off.
At this point I'm planning to reinstall everything without these shims and see what happens. At least that way I'm confident I'll have correct axle/knuckle alignment.
Thoughts?
I'm headed out the door now. I'll try to post some pics later in the day.
