Real Time/ Emergency Help Needed- Busted Knuckle in Colorado/ Spring Creek Trail (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Dec 11, 2003
Threads
33
Messages
680
Location
Basalt, Colorado
I do periodically check the torque on my steering arm bolts ( I've heard the horror stories) I just apparently don't check them enough! Here I sit at the end of the rock garden on Spring Creek with one severely pigeon toed land cruiser. Four holes on the bottom of the knuckle; two studs are sheared off, one stud pulled it's threads out hanging on for dear life and the other is cross threaded ( thanks to my failed trail repair). I'm not fixing this knuckle here. I am sending my son ( Infidel) home and him and milatruse are pulling his D side knuckle off the LX450 and bringing it up here tomorrow morning. Rather than try to fix mine or have somebody get me a used knuckle on a Sunday. I'm sleeping in my 80 tonight on the side of the trail or at least trying to sleep. After their two 80's and our friend in his 62 left me here they headed out towards Georgetown via Saxton Road. Not sure if anyone else knows but we've had lots of rain lately around here. There's a substantial rock slide blocking the road after passing down the very washed out shelf road. IOW they figured out how to do a u turn on a shelf road. So in another hour they pass back by my general location and start towards the Idaho Springs route out. I over hear them on the cb, " Wait, John just lost his steering!" The 62 lost the bolt that retains the tie rod connecting his pitman arm to the rest of the steering bits. I thought maybe he had sheared some knuckle bolts too. Geez. Anyway they all just got home ( and woke me up to tell me they're home, thanks for that) and now they get to properly repair the 62 in the next few days. Infidel gets to go clean up dog crap and pee at the house where he's dog sitting. He brought the key to the house with him, we've been gone for 15 hours, yuck. About a month ago I went through some mud that plugged my vent tubes and subsequently blew out my axle seals and I haven't had time to change them. After lest weekend's trail ride my 80 started pulling to the left, feels similar to the torque steer on my fast FWD car. I figured it was due to the new found lack of grease in my left knuckle that was allowing it to spin more freely thus pulling in that direction, maybe that was a stupid idea, I didn't think so. Visual inspection just showed a bunch of nasty leaking, greasy, filthy, I need to rebuild my knuckle seals work that I didn't have time to do. I did have time to go wheelin though. Hey, you gotta have your priorities right? Does anyone have a spare D side knuckle housing they'd be willing to part with? Those guys are starting on the disassembly at 7:30-8:00 this morning. If we can't find one before then I will take his but I've gotta stick a good knuckle back on one of these two trucks. I'll send pics when the sun reappears. This is the first time I've had enough coverage to post...
 
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I posted this on the local club site where more local folks will see it. The way I have seen this get repaired is to drill out the broken studs and replace them. If I had spare studs, I would figure out how to get them to you, but they went with the 80 and all the other 80 specific spare parts I carried.

Might be worthwhile to post up your number (and delete it later) on the local site in case someone is trying to get to you

http://www.risingsun4x4club.org/forum2/showthread.php?p=239737#post239737
 
If I had the parts I would be on my way, but I don't. Thinking others will.
 
BTW - if you haven't already, I would get the vehicle jacked up, put the tire underneath for safety, Try and remove the old knuckle bolts best you can. If you cane get them out with the knuckle still on, the repair will go much faster.

Post up what you need here and the club thread

Knuckle bolts, cone washers, nuts - qty 4

If you cant get them out, a reverse drill bit might work, if someone had that. If you can't get them out, then you will also need some of the front axle stuff and grease
 
I've got one I'll be back to Denver late afternoon evening just knuckle and spindle you'll have to use your steering arms and shims 9709015443 ryan
 
Nice Ajax! Pm me your info and I'll call you or reverse that, either way.

Romer, it's all disassembled and just waiting for my son and millatruse to get here. The safe way would be for them to come in through ID SPGS but I bet he'll run the trail again. Just for grins. :)
 
I have spare old studs, nuts and cones in NW Denver.
My phone number is [DELETED]
 
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Alright, we got it home without issue (other than a fussy alternator) and I will call all of you guys that have pm'd me.

Now it looks like the top brake caliper mounting threads are stripped on the knuckle off of the LX. That one is going back on the LX as soon as I replace my knuckle on my '93.

Thanks for all of your help!
 
Alright, we got it home without issue (other than a fussy alternator) and I will call all of you guys that have pm'd me.

Now it looks like the top brake caliper mounting threads are stripped on the knuckle off of the LX. That one is going back on the LX as soon as I replace my knuckle on my '93.

Thanks for all of your help!

:clap: No call needed. Glad it worked out
 
Glad you made it home. Tell us how you got it back on the road, replacement knuckle or replaced the studs?
 
Infidel and milatruse were back up at about 10:30 with the D side knuckle off of infidel's LX. I had everything disassembled in the style of leaving the whole spindle assembly intact and my guys showed up with the knuckle only. That required a complete disassembly of all the parts I was trying to keep together so it took a little bit longer than I thought it would because of my lack of communication with these two great guys. We went through about 5 cans of brake parts cleaner, a bunch of gloves, innumerable rags/paper towels and rather than clean and repack the birfield we put my spare in. It drove home just great.
 
Monday I'll get to cleaning up the knuckle with the broken studs in it and see if I'd rather spend the time repairing it or just replace it.

Again, thanks to them mudders that've offered help, etc.
 
enjoy your own bed :cheers:
 
enjoy your own bed :cheers:

So true after an ordeal such as this. In a few weeks it will seem like it was a cool adventure. Glad you made it home. Cheers.
 
Here's a pic of where it ended up after a bit of "stick" steering the D side wheel. I spent the night in it there...

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My knuckle is wasted.

Not a big surprise but I was being hopeful. If you look at the threads after the dark section there's a shiny ledge. This one is stripped to that point and that point is half way into the hole.

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This one looks cross threaded and stripped...

image-1922057423.jpg

When I first pulled it off I thought only one set of threads was damaged and I was willing too accept that. Tapping it out and using copious amounts of Loctite for one stud, maybe, but two? No way. Especially the one that's stripped out half way in because there's no material to tap.

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