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Axles: what should I do?

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torkliftrob

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 13, 2008
Messages
55
Location
Ellensburg
My jeep: M38A1, 350, th350, 205, 4.10, 33" TSLs.
Okay, here's my problem; I have D30 (with a locker) up front that's leaking & has a sloppy pinion bearing. The rear is a FJ 40, welded. I'm not in love with either of them. The FJ40 has no e-brake provision and the D30 is falling apart. I figured I'd get a donor truck for axles and just go full width. It's been a year and very little has happened on the jeep. I'm rarely on the rocks, mostly mud or trails. This set up is kinda nice since its narrow and has so-so gears (4.10) and the FJ40 is trussed and linked.
Now, what would you do? My budget is super tight, so don't tell me to get Rocks or 60s.
This Sunday is the Enumclaw swap meet and I'm thinking about betting better axles for the D30.
 
picking up a D60 rear is cheap and you can find them with 4.10's 100-150 bones.

the front find a D44 again you can get 4.10's and 8 lung out of a pick and pull for not to much money.
 
torkliftrob said:
My jeep: M38A1, 350, th350, 205, 4.10, 33" TSLs.
I'm rarely on the rocks, mostly mud or trails. This set up is kinda nice since its narrow and has so-so gears (4.10) and the FJ40 is trussed and linked. This Sunday is the Enumclaw swap meet and I'm thinking about betting better axles for the D30.
Click to expand...

Why not find a take out Dana 30/AMC 20 from a later Jeep. Nobody wants them so they are cheap, they will stand up to what you do and fit easily. If you want a little wider, a set of waggy axles (have to work harder to find the right rear end) is still narrower than full size.

If you go 60 with 33" tires, you will lose ground clearance, and gain weight. Neither is a good thing. It doesn't sound like you break stuff now, so why make things harder.
 
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How about leaving the rear axle, converting to disk brakes with e-brake calipers, and swapping in a Waggy 44 in the front? Those drums (assuming you still have the drums) suck anyway.

You probably need some spacers on the rear to match the width, but the bolt pattern would be the same and you wouldn't have to re-do the links.

Does your rear driveshaft just run crooked to the offset diff?
 
i got a jeep project that i been slowly woring on and want to do the wagoneer thing to it what year waggy would i be looking for to rob axles out of! from what i have seen it is a pretty east swap
 
Hi All:

I vote for a set of Toyota axles from a 1979-85 4wd mini-truck.

Strip the tubes down, truss 'em, swap in thirds' with whatever ratio and locker you want. Upgrade the front brakes to Land Cruiser vented rotors and V-6 4Runner calipers, and do a disc brake swap on the rear axle.

If you really want to go hog-wild install some "six shooter" steering arms on the front knuckles!

Good luck!

Alan

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torkliftrob said:
My jeep: M38A1, 350, th350, 205, 4.10, 33" TSLs.
Okay, here's my problem; I have D30 (with a locker) up front that's leaking & has a sloppy pinion bearing. The rear is a FJ 40, welded. I'm not in love with either of them. The FJ40 has no e-brake provision and the D30 is falling apart. I figured I'd get a donor truck for axles and just go full width. It's been a year and very little has happened on the jeep. I'm rarely on the rocks, mostly mud or trails. This set up is kinda nice since its narrow and has so-so gears (4.10) and the FJ40 is trussed and linked.
Now, what would you do? My budget is super tight, so don't tell me to get Rocks or 60s.
This Sunday is the Enumclaw swap meet and I'm thinking about betting better axles for the D30.
Click to expand...
 
Super tight???

Super tight budget(how much are you working with here), and I want different axles don't work out together, Save money till you can get something worth switching to, if your staying with 33 inch tires, the 30 will do if you drive with some style the rear should be fine as well
 
Go waggy's (75 and up have front discs,front passenger drop up until around 79ish...hardest part is outboarding the front springs---and it's not rocket science either....);:awesomework: you will likely need to regear them, unless someone's already done it...Sounds like you have the FJ rear due to offset rear output on the TC, the offset rear 44's can be found...
 
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You have lots of options if you just look a little outside the box.

You can find a Suburban / K5 Blazer / Chevy PU and scavange both the front and rear axles. A complete rig can be found on Craigslist (or occasionally the Little Nickel want ads) for $500 or under. I've often found old cars like this that don't run, gone and looked at 'em, then passed. Weeks later I've called and been able to pick them up for free. The GM 10 bolt fronts are as strong as a Dana 44, so either will work for a cheap rig. And GM used both D44s up front and 10 bolts. Since you are leaf spring (and probably sprung under), you can scavange the 10 bolt front / 12 bolt rear and get matching axle ratios, probably a Gov-Loc rear diff for pretty cheap.

Or you could find a Dodge,
Or you could find a Ford.....

You just gotta look. There are all kinds of cheap solutions. Jeep Waggies, full size Cherokees, IH Scouts, etc

(just make sure the front diff's on the correct side)
 
Ive got an 8 lug ten bolt with brand new 4:11 gears and warn hubs and a matching 8 lug 60 rear. have a dodge 44 front with flast top knuckles on both sides let me know if interested.
 
Well, I didn't buy much at the swap meet. Thanx to everyone for their input. I still don't know what to do. Since I have lots of room to hack up a rig, it makes sense to buy a complete truck and rob what I need (and have a spare engine, trans, etc). On the other hand, I'll likely have to re-gear anything I can find under $500. I'm not excited about trussing 2 more axles (and building rear brackets for my 3-link and the 4-link the front will be getting).
I know where there are a couple waggy corpses, but I think they may be 80 or later.
How much stress can a D30 and FJ40 take? I'm only running 33s, but once I link the front & get the injection on, I can imagine being a little heavier on the skinny peddle.
 
torkliftrob said:
How much stress can a D30 and FJ40 take? I'm only running 33s, but once I link the front & get the injection on, I can imagine being a little heavier on the skinny peddle.
Click to expand...


You would be hard pressed to break that FJ rear with 33s. Anything's possible, but I've maybe heard of a couple -ever- that have broken with anything smaller than 35s. Plenty of people run them stock with 38s with no issues.
 
Well, if I keep 'em. I have another problem. I have no parking brake. It wasn't a big deal when I had the 3-spd, but the auto makes me nervous. I don't have enough drive shaft to sacrifice room for a driveline brake. I guess my only other option is some kind of line-lock. Has anyone done this before or heard of it being done. Does it work?
 
Yes, my sami's set up with a hydraulic line lock (Mico Lock)....it works awesome---but I would not trust it for extended periods of time (days with it engaged)...for stuff like stopping for lunch, or using it to keep the vehicle stopped on an obstacle, sure...
 

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