Upgrade: Rocky Road Stage 2 I recently installed the Rocky Road Over The Top Stage 1. Right away I noticed that the stock tie rod was still below my leaf springs and way too wobbly for my liking. This was the perfect time to upgrade to the Stage 2, which would put that tie rod up where it belongs and tighten the steering once and for all. After explaining all this to my accountant/wife I was on the phone with Rocky Road again. A week or so later I was back in the garage for Stage 2.
Having just done the drag link install I could see all the steps in my mind and knew this was going to be quick and easy. I collected the few simple tools I would need and got to work. After making sure the wheels were pointed straight ahead I jacked the Samurai up and blocked the axle with a pair of 6x6’s to make sure it was stable while I worked on it. I removed the driver’s side wheel. Then using a 17mm socket I removed the brake caliper and rotor. By twisting the caliper up and around I could rest it up on the shock mount out of the way. The rotor I set aside. The next step was to remove the four 12mm bolts holding the kingpin and then the kingpin. After pumping a bunch of high quality grease down the kingpin hole I was ready to install the new steering arm. | |||||
It drives great! One of the main concerns I had about the Stage 2 install was that I had a full-sized steering damper in place between my stock tie rod and the axle. It was not immediately obvious where I was going to mount that damper on the new arm. But after just a short drive I could tell that I would not need to put it back on at all. The steering is solid and does not shudder - ever. The action is smooth and if you have any forward momentum at all it is almost easy to turn the wheel, and that is not usually the case with 33x13.50 tires. If you are ready to go with over the top steering I highly recommend the Rocky Road Solution. |