Worth it or not ?

[Strokermjcomanche]

Good news :

 

I finally found a Dana HP30 with a 4:10 ratio out of a 98 XJ and it's only a hour away .

 

The not so good part :

 

The axle has 202k on it and he wanted $600 .

 

After telling the guy how much I paid for the rear axle with the same ratio I got him down to $500 ,then $400, and he said that's his bottom dollar . Is the axle worth it if the gears and axle ARE in good shape ? I don't plan on using the 4wd all that much but don't want to buy a boat anchor either .

 

I have new calipers and hub bearings and plan on putting new ujoints in anyways , so those are not a concern to me . Thanks in advance !!

[Automan2164]

Too much. If it was a D44 or AMC20 then I would begrudgingly do it, but I think I would do $250 at the most for an axle that is high miles and you are basically rebuilding anyway.

 

 

Let him sit on it for awhile. No one is buying it at that price. Offer $200 and tell him that's the best you can do.

 

Rob

[TheDude]

^What he said. Don't rush it and overpay for a well worn axle. Tell him $300 cash at most and walk away.

 

 

1989 Jeep Comanche 4.0L 5 Speed 4x4 Long Bed 4.10s LSD

[64 Cheyenne]

Are you 4x4 already? $600 goes a long way towards paying for a regear with a warranty.

[onlyinajeep726]

Two words: Heck no.

I paid $200 for mine with 4:10.  $250 is the highest I'd ever pay for a Dana 30, regardless of what gear ratio is in it. 


 

[Strokermjcomanche]

Are you 4x4 already? $600 goes a long way towards paying for a regear with a warranty.

Yes I'm 4x4 , but 3:07 gear ratio . I already replaced the Dana 35 with an c8.25 that I picked for $75 . I got a quote of $800 for a regear with spicer parts , if all else fails I will do that but I'd rather buy a decent axle as this will not be an off road rig .

[DirtyComanche]

OEM Spicer gearsets are better quality than the standard consumer grade gears, and will have been set up correctly.  I don't think you can easily regear a D30 to 4.10 for less than $400.  Even Yukon gears, install kit, carrier, will be more than that by a fair amount.

 

If you wanted to install a full case locker, I would say it makes no sense, since you would need to do a whole setup anyways...  If you're just looking to stick the axle in and go, while it might not be a bargain, it's still cheaper than other options, and there is minimal hassle.  You also could install all your new wear parts on the axle at your leisure, then install it as a whole fresh assembly.

 

But I'd wait and see if he will come down.  Or if you know somebody local to him, have them swing by (don't tell him you sent them, have them contact themselves) with $200 in nice crisp 20s and see if it makes it happen.

 

One problem is it can be hard to determine if a gearset is any good or not on a pulled axle.  I remember tearing down a D44 that appeared to be in very nice shape, gears looked very good, all the bearings were happy and not scored or pitted...  But one of the slinger rings or shims in it (I don't remember) had come loose and machined the pinion down to about 1/2 thickness, basically just cut a nice thin little groove in it all the way around.  Had the axle actually been stressed it would have very easily snapped, as the pinion was only 3/4" diameter at that point, and since it was cut sharply it was now a major stress riser.  It's rare, but things can go wrong that are not easy to see just by pulling the cover and taking a look.