kind of a stupid question comin from someone who owns (has owned) 3 of these things, but all my FSJs are in another state :(

what year did the front axles have flat top knuckles? someone told me the 70s FSJs did, but i'm wondering about my 85 J10.

thinkin of an SOA and hi steer conversion...

thanks

I don't know the exact years of the trucks (if they are even different from the waggy's) but I know that in 83, the J-truck use std knuckles I would assume that they wouldn't have used the flat tops then stopped, then started again..so, you are probably out of luck on the 85...

Chevy quit using the flat top passenger knuckle in the early 70's, somewhere around '75, maybe earlier, I would assume Jeep stopped around the same time, maybe even earlier since the Jeep axles never used the steering arm on the driver's side like the Chevy. Some older Fords have flat tops on them too, and you can use any of them on your truck, but your knuckles are defineately not flat tops.

jeep wagoneer's used them from 1974-1977.... same for dodge half ton's... about the same for chevy.. dont know exactly.. but it was on the d44.. not the 10 bolts.. so mid 76.. early 77 when they switched over..

Well, my '78 wagoneer has flat tops as does my '84 grand wagoneer. My old '85 grand wagonner and my old'77 cherokee did also. DENNIS

Not sure of your definition of flat tops there OYW, but no eighties jeep came with them.

In my experience, and in everything I've read, Devil dog is correct.

Originally posted by Charly
Not sure of your definition of flat tops there OYW, but no eighties jeep came with them.

In my experience, and in everything I've read, Devil dog is correct.

HINT: With Jeep... NEVER say never. ;)

I've had people describe knuckles to me before that were "flat tops" that really weren't...some people feel the very tiny flat spot on top near the balljoint mount (of the newer knuckles) means it is a "flat top".

http://www.rightcoastcrawler.com/billaVista/Steering/Steering_Research/steeringresearch.htm

Hmmm........ Lemme see flat tops would be the ones with the FLAT TOP wouldn't they? they look just like the chevy lh knuckle only they arent drilled yet? lemme look up inside there....yep there's the casting reinforcements for the studs.... why they look JUST like a mirror image of the lh ones.....well I'll be and here they are right here on my '84...better check.......well I'll be, the diff out of my old '85 has the very same ones on them! That couldn't POSSIBLY be!!! That would mean CHARLY is wrong! ..Hey CHARLY, are you looking at fullsize jeeps? :flipoff2:

I've been wrong before, I'm over it .:D :flipoff2:

But I will say I have looked under many an eighties FSJ and if I was in a big yard or someone looking in online ads for flat tops, these FSJs would not be the ones I would be wasting my time looking at.

The ones you have are either swapped axles, or just an anomaly,....so I don't think that's really helpful.

well ill say this.. i own an 84 wagoneer.. DOES NOT HAVE THEM.. and dismantled an 83 for a friend, who is using its front axle.. DID NOT HAVE THEM... and have seen some 30+ wagoneers.. and they all didnt have them..
my front axle came out of a 78.. DID NOT HAVE THEM.. so i got the knuckles from a 76... but some early production run 78's could have them.. if amc had some left over from '77...
i would not go out expecting to find them in 80's wagoneers..

Well I have four Waggie 44's that are '79 and newer and none of them have flat top knuckles. I've looked at a lot of them in the junkyards too and never seen any '80s with flattops. My '76 has them as well as the Chevy 44's I have, so I do know the difference. I'm another person that would not expect them on any Jeep '79 and newer. From my exerience ($.02 worth) I don't think Charly was too far off making his statements.