Regearing axles

[87manche]

So, I've got the AX-15 with 31x10.5 tires that came with the truck. %th gear is totally useless unless I'm on the freeway doing 70. Even then I have to downshift to go up a hill. I was thinking about finding a set of automatic axles and yanking the gears. They should be 3.55s which would be a good improvement over my current 3.07s.

The question is, how hard is this?

I've never done any kind of diff or axle work. I have all your basic hand tools, pullers and ratchets. No air tools. Would it be easier to just grab the whole axles and swap them? That way I'd have spare shafts and such for when the d35/30 broke. I'm just looking for some guidance here, venturing into regearing axles is a whole new world for me.

[Pete M]

There are only a few things I still leave to the pros. Rebuilding an automatic (not that I have to worry about that), machine work on my engine, the final welding on safety equipment, tube bending (only because I don't own a bender), and swapping gears. Gears muyst be set up properly and that requires special tools, lots of patience, a little bit of magic, and if you do it wrong, you can destroy much of your axle's innards. Swapping the entire axle is preferable to me. I hunted for quite some time to find Ford axles with the optional 4.10 gears and eventually bought an entire Bronco to get them. Plus then you have spare shafts! Always a good thing with the Dana 35 and the 30 if it still has the small ujoints (upgrading is a good thing here). You will have to weld on new leaf perches if your rear axle comes from a Cherokee.

Jeep on!

--Pete

[Bounty Hunter]

Yes, it's much easier to swap out the entire axle.

 

Consider going to 3.73 from a 2.5L auto, as 3.07 to 3.55 isn't much of a jump to justify the time and money.

[87manche]

yeah, I'll look for one of those. 3.73s are the gears I really want. I think that would get me into the sweet spot with 31s.

[87manche]

just a wuick question, are 3.73s the biggest I can go without changing the carrier? Forgive me if I'm all screwed up, but differentials are scary. I got a guy that does race car axles, he's never worked on a jeep, but he'd do the gears for like $75 an axle. Fair price? I'd just as soon go get the axles out of a yard and pay $150 for the swap. Better than me eating up a ring and pinion because of my newbness.

[DirtyComanche]

$75s beyond fair.

 

 

The D30 carrier split is 3.54 and lower#, 3.73 and higher #. D35 is 3.31 and lower#, 3.55 and higher#. D44 is 3.73 and lower#, 3.92(?) and higher#.

 

 

You're gonna need new carriers. You can get them out of a yard pretty easy(cheap), or consider a LSD(blah), trutrac, detroit, etc.

[Pete M]

Oh, it could take out a lot more than that if the gears fuse together on the freeway. :(

Most shop charge $150-$250 for labor so $75 is a screaming deal if he truly knows what he's doing. Not everyone that says he does gears is allowed to touch my truck. Warrantees are nice. Even the junkyard should have a warrantee on the new axles.

Carrier break for the Dana 35 is 3.31/3.54, Dana 30 is 3.54/3.73

Check out the tech section at ring-pinion.com for more info than you can shake a stick at.

Jeep on!

--Pete

[87manche]

sounds like I'll just grab the whole 3.73 axles then. I was looking at the 3.55's just because I thought that was the break for my axles.

The guy I have does his own gears for dirt track race cars, so I would trust him to know his way around an axle. He's got a lift and such, so it wouldn't be that big of a deal for him to get under there ad swap them out. I may just see if that 4-banger comanche in the yard has decent axles. It has a manual tranny though, so I don't know what ratio those would be. I don't know if it's the 4 or 5 speed. So I'll find that out this saturday when Igo over there. it's a total bummer my master cylinder died. That money was gonna go towards other much needed parts.

[Bounty Hunter]

2.5L manual is generally 4.10 gears, but Jeep often interchanged the 3.73 and 4.10 without much reason.

[87manche]

would 4.10s be too deep for 31s on the highway?

I don't commute far, and it probably won't be the highway trip car, we gots a camry for that. I might like 4.10s too much to keep tires on it.

[attaboybob]

I have a 35 with a Detroit laying in my garage.

I am not sure of the gear size.

brand new breaks too.

too bad your in Ohio.

$#!&, I could've brought it to the PowWow!

 

...BOB

[87manche]

yeah, I plan on making it to the powwow nex year. THis year the tranny/wheelbearings are shot. Looking to rebuild/replace my AX-15, need wheel bearings, and the freakin clutch has been killing me for two weeks. She'll be solid for the summer, I just don't know if I'll get it lifted, but I'm making the powwow next sumer.