Lift going through front boots - Time for MWE?

[Crazyeights]

I bought my 83 GL Wagon back a short time ago with an SRJ Prototype lift kit installed and 15" 8 spoke Pugs. I think it's a 3" lift but I am not sure. I put a new LF Axle (DTA8606) in when I got it back because the old one was shredded. The boots on both side front axles are bad already and I'm just using it for a daily driver so far. I has a heavily modified EA81, Modified RX FT 4WD 3.9 trans, and a rear LSD.

 

Is it time for MWE axles or is the angle wrong because of the lift? Can anything be done to make them last? Here are a couple pics of the underside of it.

 

Front

 

Rear

 

I am also trying to chase down some clunks and rattles from the rear of the car that have always been there over bumps (both before and after the lift) let me know if you see anything obvious.

 

Thanks for looking

[NoahDL88]

your issue is the angles, and not the quality of the boots, the MWE will rip boots as well, either dial down the front suspension or drop the center a little bit and you'll save yourself a lot of grief.

[Scott in Bellingham]

rear looks fine, are the front struts cranked up? if so let them down

[()__1337_CRAYOLA__()>]

you haven't put the rear disc's on yet , and i don't think the struts on this wagon had adjusters if i remember right from when i owned it

[idosubaru]

boots close to exhaust will cause those to deteriorate quicker too. looks like you have some custom exhaust which means new routing and probably all the heat shields are gone.

 

what size lift? i have a 2" lift on an XT6 which already has a high stance and with boots of any age (even some new ones that were only used a tiny bit but a couple years old), they crack. when i installed brand new boots on mine they've been fine now. i have MWE axles. they are strained at 2", i would guess any more than that is going to cause them to tear significantly more. but yours being what it is will differ a bit.

[Crazyeights]

The front "Y" pipe is stock and the heat shields are still there. I think the lift is a 3" although I didn't put it in.

 

 

The front struts are down all the way already. Scott what do I need new to fix this, new front cross-member blocks ? Do you have a link to what I should get? The strut spacers are the cast aluminum "SJR" ones.

 

Thanks,

-Jeff

Edited September 14, 2010 by Crazyeights

[Scott in Bellingham]

need 4" crossmember drop

[Crazyeights]

OK, I can order that from your site right? Will that affect the current steering shaft length?

 

Thanks

[jboymechanic]

Yup, your axle angle is a bid extreme. These cars are know for going through axles rather quickly so if you add any lift it decreases the axle life even more. You need to lower the cross members which will bring the axle angles back to stock, but you will have to add length to your steering knuckle assembly.

[michael appel]

You will need a steering extension from a legacy

[Crazyeights]

Cool, that was one of the details I needed.

 

Thanks!

[jboymechanic]

I need to do the same thing in my car, and I just pulled a steering knuckle from a Legacy to try on mine (they look to use the same spline as the EA cars but I wasn't absolutely positive). Good to hear that some one else already made that discovery for me. I'm going to wait until I pull the motor for my EJ swap to lower the cross members and install the new steering linkage.

[hastifc]

looks like theres already a 4" crossmember drop on it, and one of your clunks is the mustache bar bushings are gone