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I bought an after market drag link made by Crown, part # 646619. It is shorter by about 3/8 on both ends when I hold it up to my old one, and that includes where the ball links would sit. Should I be concerned or is there enough adjustment room elsewhere to make it work? Also with this, I don't know why but they include all the hardware with it but no dust seals. They don't look too hard to make but you'd think they would include that with the whole thing.
Do you think a small bit of formed sheet metal and some rubber from a blown bike tire would work?
Thanks,
Brett

The shorter length will pull the bellcrank back and use up some rod end adjustment range. More importantly the throw will result in a shortened front wheel travel.

Does someone know the measurement end to end of what it should be? Maybe the one I had on was bent out making it longer.

Mine is 25-3/4" end-to-end (overall length), measured point to point, not along the three straight sections. It looks like about 22-1/2" ball to ball, measured the same way.

THanks Jim, I will measure my old and new one when I get home after work.

Got to looking around and it seems that there are a few different part #s for the link. 646618, 646619, 646620. The ORD 9 SNL G740 shows the link as being part # 646620. Most vendors show however that part # 646619 being the link for all vehicle flavors.

646620 is the basic m38/M38A1 drag link without the ball sockets, dust shields, springs, ball nuts and grease fittings. This is the same bare rod used on CJ2A after serial 199079 and CJ3A.

801264 is the link with all the parts except the grease fittings.

800868 is the link assy with all parts including the grease fittings.

646618 is the rod assy for CJ2A after serial 199079 and CJ3A

The bold underlined part numbers are correct for the M38 and M38A1 and M170.

The CJ drag link uses different hardware from the M38/M38A1 draglink. Since basic links are the same you should be able to make the 646618 work in the M38/M38A1/M170.

I could not find any references to your 646619 number.

My old one measures in at 25 7/8"
New one right at 25"