need advise building axles

[M1A1TankerTom]

alright guys so I got my axles dropped off at my buddies shop and now I just got to let him know what I want him to do to them. Thats where you guys come in, I need some help pointing me in the right direction of a good set up.

 

So I got a dana 44 rear out of a comanche that currently has 3.07 gears and a dana 30 front out of a 93 cherokee with 3.55's. I know that I want to run 4.56 gears and some kind of locker in both front and rear but I don't know what kind of locker exactly. I was thinking about running an Aussie locker in both front and rear but then I'm gonna have to change carriers because of the 4.56's. The other option is to run detroits in both front and rear which then I won't have to find new carriers but the price is a bit more. Selectable lockers a more than I want to spend.

 

also is there anything else that I should look into? I don't think that I really need to upgrade the axles...the truck is only running 32's and will only see mild to medium wheeling conditions, nothing super crazy (mostly hillsides, steep inclines, creek beds....no rocks climbing). Also I am planning to have a rebuild kit installed in both front and rear so they should be fresh axles.

 

So feel free to throw out your suggestions. What locker would you run? Am I missing anything? Would you add something else? I'm a newbie so any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[cracker]

Put in alloy shafts with the full circle clips as well.

 

You will get lots of opinions on what locker to get.

 

I am all for detroits front and rear :thumbsup:

[mkbruin]

Get a set of front shafts with 297 joints... and a few as spares.

 

Is this mostly trail or street? DD? How its going to be used will depend on the type of locker used. I have no problem recommendign someone use a detroit in the rear, but a detroit up front on a street rig is going to be painfull.

 

If you are wheeling hard enough to lock, you may want to truss both axles while you have them out. It doesn't have to be pretty, just strong.

[M1A1TankerTom]

the truck is used as a daily driver and a weekend warrior for off-roading

[cracker]

Get a set of front shafts with 297 joints... and a few as spares.

 

If he gets alloys (and stays on 32s) with full cirle clips, he doesn't need to load his vehicle down with more weight with spares.

 

Lighter vehicles break less often ;)

[mkbruin]

Get a set of front shafts with 297 joints... and a few as spares.

 

If he gets alloys (and stays on 32s) with full cirle clips, he doesn't need to load his vehicle down with more weight with spares.

 

Lighter vehicles break less often ;)

 

A locked 30 front WILL grenade. If you overbuild the shafts, you start snapping R&P's like twigs. I personally would rather carry a few cheap and plentyful later model stock parts that are easy to swap on the trail than risk something more catastrophic or expensive.

 

I would be leary of running a full detroit on the front axle of a DD. I would go full locker in the rear, and try to find a selectable for the front.

[cracker]

Get a set of front shafts with 297 joints... and a few as spares.

 

If he gets alloys (and stays on 32s) with full cirle clips, he doesn't need to load his vehicle down with more weight with spares.

 

Lighter vehicles break less often ;)

 

A locked 30 front WILL grenade. If you overbuild the shafts, you start snapping R&P's like twigs. I personally would rather carry a few cheap and plentyful later model stock parts that are easy to swap on the trail than risk something more catastrophic or expensive.

 

This is not an issue on 32s locked with a competant driver.

 

Locked 30 on 32s with alloys and full circle clips and Spicer U-Joints will work perfect.

 

A shaft is not a 'fuse' for protecting a ring gear. I have seen plenty of ring gears broken with the stock shafts intact and 'ok'.

 

BTW, the Spicer 297 U-joints were replaced many years ago by the 5-760x.

[M1A1TankerTom]

any other suggestions?

[comanche12]

:typing:

 

http://www.jpmagazine.com/shop4parts/15 ... index.html

 

there reviews on different lockers that you would like to see. sound like arb locker is winner but yea $$$. :smart:

 

its all up to you :dunno:

[mvusse]

Get a set of front shafts with 297 joints... and a few as spares.

 

If he gets alloys (and stays on 32s) with full cirle clips, he doesn't need to load his vehicle down with more weight with spares.

 

Lighter vehicles break less often ;)

 

A locked 30 front WILL grenade. If you overbuild the shafts, you start snapping R&P's like twigs. I personally would rather carry a few cheap and plentyful later model stock parts that are easy to swap on the trail than risk something more catastrophic or expensive.

 

I would be leary of running a full detroit on the front axle of a DD. I would go full locker in the rear, and try to find a selectable for the front.

 

And this is based on what research/experience?

 

I run an Aussie locker in a stock high pinion D30 with 5-760x u joints (stronger replacements for the 5-297x) with 35" tires. Had the front axle bouncing numerous times. An exceptionally high bounce (2+ feet, but the truck was pointed uphill at steeper than 45 degrees!) at WOT/low range did elongate one of the ears on the driver side outer shaft causing it to spit out the snap ring and started pushing the cap out. Pushed the cap back into place and put in a new snap ring, 1/4 mile later the new ring had been spit out and the cap was half way out again.

 

Some more abuse afterwards and the ring and pinion are still good, and more surprisingly the tubes are still straight.

 

I did end up building a new axle because I needed 3 new oil seals as well as new pinion bearings due to front drive shaft u joint problems. It was easier to build a new axle on the tailgate and then swap axles than to rebuild the old one under the truck. The old one will be rebuilt with 4.10 gears to eventually end up in Sparkles. The new one (still with 3.55 gears) will go under Booger when I upgrade to a somewhat custom, probably shortened 78/79 Ford F250 high pinion 44. Planning to use Chevy flat top knuckles, Ford F150 brakes and hubs, Waggy shafts, stock Comanche suspension mount points from Ballistic Fab. I could also use a 77-79 F150 Super Cab axle, which is the same axle but already has 5 lug outers. 76-77 F150 is also a possibility.

 

This hill:

 

but turning onto it and going straight up instead of lining up first. Hit a steeper part off to the left when facing it, or right in the video and bounced 5 times instead of the 2 small bounces shown here.

[M1A1TankerTom]

well I know its gonna be more money than I originally planned but I have decided to go with OX lockers in both front and rear. So OX lockers, 4.56 gears...now I just have to decide on axle shafts, U Joints and all the other little things.

[Incommando]

Aweome combo...If I had the cash I'd go that route.

 

If you have the $$$, I would start with something like this:http://www.ironrockoffroad.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=IROR&Product_Code=IR-XDAXL for the front or go alloy. The rear you have a bunch of options. I always ran Moser axles in drag cars, but I haven't bought a set in 15 years so I am not sure if the are still a cool company to go with.

 

Trusses work wonders, too. A common reason for r&p failure is the axle physically flexing.

[Garvin]

I used to run an OX and ARB in the Dana 44's in my old Cherokee. I prefered the ARB for ease of use as the OX was a pain to adjust correctly, of course I was doing all this install myself and bought it used (bought the whole axle off a guy with a Wrangler).

 

My buddy is running an OX in the Dana 35 his Wrangler and loves it.

 

We were both running Superior axle shafts and could not break them. He's on 34's and I was on 36's.

[cracker]

well I know its gonna be more money than I originally planned but I have decided to go with OX lockers in both front and rear. So OX lockers, 4.56 gears...now I just have to decide on axle shafts, U Joints and all the other little things.

 

I think you'll be pretty happy.

 

You may be surprised but the Spicer 5-760x U-Joints are strong and VERY reliable. With the full circle clips, they could give you quite a long time of success on 32s.

[mvusse]

I have repeatedly been amazed by the 5-760x joints. I have abused them to no end, and have not had one fail yet. They are also very well sealed. Probably 100+ hours submerged in water and they still have clean grease inside. Every other u joint (drive shafts) have had to be regreased or replaced because of going dry more than once. Grease probably washed out by water. This includes Duralast, Duralast Gold, Neapco and Neapco Brute Force, some of which were greasable, some of which were supposedly sealed.

[Garvin]

I have repeatedly been amazed by the 5-760x joints. I have abused them to no end, and have not had one fail yet. They are also very well sealed. Probably 100+ hours submerged in water and they still have clean grease inside. Every other u joint (drive shafts) have had to be regreased or replaced because of going dry more than once. Grease probably washed out by water. This includes Duralast, Duralast Gold, Neapco and Neapco Brute Force, some of which were greasable, some of which were supposedly sealed.

 

The Brute Force ones are junk, I ended up going through atleast one u-joint a month with those things, that's with checking and regreasing after every trip. I only did about two trips a month to the pines then, too!

 

I always ran the TRW ones from Advance (not sure if they carry them anymore, been about a year since my Cherokee got totaled). I would replace maybe two or three a year of them. It seems like the cheaper ones last longer that the, so called, high end ones.

[M1A1TankerTom]

so all my buddies are telling me that I should not worry about upgrading the axle shafts in the D44 because my truck on 32's will not break them. Is this true? What do you guys think about this? If its truely not needed I'm all about saving the money...but if I'm gonna do something I'm all about doing it right the first time as well.

[Pete M]

44 shafts will be fine with 32s. :thumbsup:

[Darren]

Get pneumatic actuators for the OX lockers or go with an ARB. Everyone I've talked to has cable issues with the OX.

[cracker]

44 shafts will be fine with 32s. :thumbsup:

 

I concur.

 

I would even say that the OEM shafts will work pretty good up to 35s.