Grand Adjustment
I found yet another use for the versatile Hi-lift jack! I wheel a Jeep Grand Cherokee because it has a long wheel base, has coil springs at each corner like the TJ and rides on solid axles. The extra room of a long wheel base is almost a must for my business. And to top it all off, the early Grand Cherokees are becoming very reasonably priced. There is a draw back. The Grand Cherokee has a uni-body substructure. As much as I try to avoid a hard smack mid section of the under carriage, it does happen. The uni-body is not as strong or ridged as a ladder frame. The hard pounding on the mid section has the effect of pushing the B-pillars up and bowing them.
Here is some information for those of you who also use a Grand Cherokee off-road and might need this solution. Over time the doors no longer seal tightly as they are held away from the frame by the bow in the B-Pillar. Using the hi-lift and a 20 foot strap, I flexed the B-pillar inward slightly. The result is a nice tight fit on the doors. With all four doors open and the front seats pulled forward, a 20' strap can circle the two B-pillars twice. The backs of the seats end up inside the loop but out of the way. By positioning the strap just above the top hinges of the rear doors, the loops on both ends will be just behind the front seats near the outside edge. If you remove the Hi-lift stand, it will fit length wise between the back doors just above the back seat. I needed a D ring to connect to the top end but was able to slide the other loop on the tongue of the jack. With the jack angled so the handle cleared the top of the back seat, I was able to tighten the strap until I had adjusted the pillars sufficient for the doors to close tightly. (The doors closed over the strap, so I could check after each ratchet of the jack without over doing it.)
I suspect there is only so much adjust that can be made and that too aggressive an approach may collapse the pillars. But for now, I can wash the vehicle again with out having to wipe up water on the inside!
Here is some information for those of you who also use a Grand Cherokee off-road and might need this solution. Over time the doors no longer seal tightly as they are held away from the frame by the bow in the B-Pillar. Using the hi-lift and a 20 foot strap, I flexed the B-pillar inward slightly. The result is a nice tight fit on the doors. With all four doors open and the front seats pulled forward, a 20' strap can circle the two B-pillars twice. The backs of the seats end up inside the loop but out of the way. By positioning the strap just above the top hinges of the rear doors, the loops on both ends will be just behind the front seats near the outside edge. If you remove the Hi-lift stand, it will fit length wise between the back doors just above the back seat. I needed a D ring to connect to the top end but was able to slide the other loop on the tongue of the jack. With the jack angled so the handle cleared the top of the back seat, I was able to tighten the strap until I had adjusted the pillars sufficient for the doors to close tightly. (The doors closed over the strap, so I could check after each ratchet of the jack without over doing it.)
I suspect there is only so much adjust that can be made and that too aggressive an approach may collapse the pillars. But for now, I can wash the vehicle again with out having to wipe up water on the inside!
posted by Tom Severin at 1:11 PM
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