RE: [ihc] Scout II front end question

["John M. Adams" <jma@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-ihc@domain.elided [mailto:owner-ihc@domain.elided]On Behalf Of
> John Hofstetter
> Sent: Sunday, October 31, 2004 2:41 PM
> To: ihc-digest
> Subject: Re: [ihc] Scout II front end question
>
> Until Howard and others "straightened" me out, for 30 years I called
> that bar the tie rod protector. In my case it seemed to serve that
> purpose.

That actually makes more sense (to me) than its apparent actual purpose. And
in my case, with the flat stock having been replaced with angle iron, that's
probably all it's good for! Protect the tie rod, and eventually break the
upper shackle mounts, or something else...

> I have home-made extended shackles on my Terra and no sway bar anymore.
> There are some who believe that the bar diminishes articulation
> off-road. Looking at the bar, that kind of made sense to me.
>
> John

That makes sense to me, also. I'm going to remove the angle iron before I
get this truck back on the road, and see how it handles. (So far, I've only
driven it at the end of a tow strap, a short trip across town.) Do you think
leaving the brackets in place as the inside shackle halves will allow for a
fair test of drivability? If there's no appreciable "shimmy", I'll likely go
with an aftermarket set, and leave the bar off completely. What's the
maximum recommended extension before getting into driveline, brake, and
steering modifications?

Thanks,

John A.