Symptoms
Steering that wanders or clunks, a steering box that moves when someone turns the wheel with the engine running, or a visible crack in the driver's frame rail near the box. Lifted trucks and trucks on big tires crack more often.
The fix, step by step
- Find the end of the crack and drill a small hole there to stop it spreading.
- Remove the box, clean the rail to bare metal and weld the crack.
- Then add splice plates: one owner cut 1/8-inch plate long enough to extend a few inches past the crack on each side.
- One member's advice is to weld the top and bottom in intermittent beads (about 1 inch of weld, 2 inches of gap) and leave the plate ends unwelded, because welds concentrate stress.
- Several owners say their DIY MIG repairs failed next to the welds and a weld shop's held.
- Add a steering-box brace to tie the box to the opposite rail, and replace any rotted frame sections with weld-in repair pieces.
Tools & part numbers
- Drill and bits
- angle grinder
- welder (or a shop)
- 1/8 in steel plate
- clamps
- torch for normalizing (optional).
Where to buy the parts
Rust Buster front center frame section, 76–86 CJ-5/CJ-7/CJ-8 (weld-in, 11 ga)Quadratec ↗Amazon ↗
Crown J5363231 power steering box, 80–86 CJ (if the box is worn out too)Quadratec (Crown Automotive) ↗Amazon ↗
Steering box brace, CJ-7 (search)Morris 4x4 Center ↗
Hunting a used or discontinued part? Search eBay Motors for Jeep CJ-7 parts →
Rated for a competent home mechanic with a decent tool kit. Confirm torque figures, fluids and procedures against the factory service manual for your VIN, support the truck on stands rather than a jack, and work at your own risk (disclaimer). Some parts links are affiliate links, which pay us a small commission at no cost to you.