front axle swap

[SW86]

looking for another dana 30 to do a direct swap with. is there any certian year Xj i have to go for or could i just find one, pop it out, then pop in my MJ. any other tips would be apperciated. thanks

[Pete M]

the axles themselves are directly interchangeable, but there were some subtle brake changes over the years.

 

what specifically are you looking for?

[87Warrior]

It would also be wise to get one with a matching gear ratio. :idea:

[88pioneer]

I would personally go with a newer XJ dana 30. Bigger, stronger u joints. Brakes are a little different, but thats an easy fix

[SW86]

pretty much just looking for one i could build up or one i could just swap in with new, bigger, better parts. plus i just flat out think something is up with mine. can't put my finger on what though.

 

gear ratio was one of the first things i thought about getting right. don't i just count the teeth on the ring?

[Garvin]

If you're swapping it into the rig in your Jeep and it's a stock axle in yours now, then you have 3.55 gears. You will need to find one from another 4.0L with an auto transmission for the same 3.55 gears.

 

Pretty much any year Dana 30 out of an XJ or MJ will fit. You will want 91+ without the CAD but 99- which are HP. The ideal axle would be out of a '97-'99 since that has the larger u-joints. If you still have the CAD setup and use it, you will need to get one out of an 84-90 (some 91 and 92's came with CAD also).

[SW86]

well ive always thought about doing the bypass on the CAD so I'm not worried about that. just any one 97-99 got cha. how many teeth will there be on 3.55 gears? hell if i find 4.10s in there instead, i might just pull the rear end too. which should be a 8.25 if I'm lucky.

[88pioneer]

If the tag is still on the front axle, then it should have the gear ratio stamped on it. Also, an auto 4.0 XJ was 3.55 geared, so finding one should be very easy.

:thumbsup:

[mvusse]

The number of teeth on both the ring and pinion gears are stamped into the outside edge of the ring gear.

[SW86]

good deal! thanks guys

 

now i just have to find one

[mnkyboy]

Any xj with a 242 TC is gonna have a non cad axle regardless of year,also any xj with ABS brakes should have the bigger u joints..

 

I pulled mine from a 94 w/ABS so its a non cad hp30 with big u jounts,but then my 90 xj came stock with a non cad hp 30 with big u joints.

 

So if you know what your looking for you can widen you search to 89or90-99,I would imagine the earlier axles will be easier to find the a 97-99