Bad tierod - upgrade time; how to determine axle year - HELP!

[EvilMJ]

So, noticed a shake every now and again, so I decided to check and grease the front suspension.  When I went to grease the pass side tie rod end, the joint moved!!  So... Time to replace and/or upgrade.

 

The problem: what year is my axle?  Truck is an 89, but everything was changed on it before I bought it..  D30, non-disconnect, hi pin, 27spline... All seems correct, but when I go for upgraded tie rods, I come up against 84-90 or 91+.  WTF is the difference?!? More importantly, how do I determine difference?

 

HELP...

[ghetdjc320]

Just grab the fitting you need from a ZJ with a V8 (don’t think the V8 makes a difference). It will fit your pre 90 Dana 30 or the 90+ axles. The biggest difference on those pre 90 Dana 30’s is the knuckles. They had a different style caliper mount (which is a great platform for upgrading brakes). Just run to your local auto store or jump on rock auto and order the drag link, tie rod ends and adjusters from 98 Grand Cherokee. I suggest moog or precision products. You’ll have all new steering that is quite a bit beefier than the stock setup. Now that I think about it, your existing setup may be an inverted t style vs the newer y link. 

[JMO413]

15 hours ago, EvilMJ said:

So, noticed a shake every now and again, so I decided to check and grease the front suspension.  When I went to grease the pass side tie rod end, the joint moved!!  So... Time to replace and/or upgrade.

 

The problem: what year is my axle?  Truck is an 89, but everything was changed on it before I bought it..  D30, non-disconnect, hi pin, 27spline... All seems correct, but when I go for upgraded tie rods, I come up against 84-90 or 91+.  WTF is the difference?!? More importantly, how do I determine difference?

 

HELP...

A picture of your steering setup please.

 

[EvilMJ]

Well, I bit the bullet and ordered the Rough Country HD steering upgrade - the offset clears both style knuckles.  Disaster averted. 

 

Here is the only picture I have of the knuckle. Ghet, what kind of brake upgrades are you taking about?!?

[EvilMJ]

Here's the full front axle setup.

[EvilMJ]

On 5/15/2020 at 11:28 PM, ghetdjc320 said:

Just grab the fitting you need from a ZJ with a V8 (don’t think the V8 makes a difference). It will fit your pre 90 Dana 30 or the 90+ axles. The biggest difference on those pre 90 Dana 30’s is the knuckles. They had a different style caliper mount (which is a great platform for upgrading brakes). Just run to your local auto store or jump on rock auto and order the drag link, tie rod ends and adjusters from 98 Grand Cherokee. I suggest moog or precision products. You’ll have all new steering that is quite a bit beefier than the stock setup. Now that I think about it, your existing setup may be an inverted t style vs the newer y link. 

 

What you talking about Willis?!?  Tell me more about this brake upgrade you speak of...

 

Rough Country set-up came in yesterday... anyone in KY want to help this weekend??? lol

[MJCARENA]

On 5/18/2020 at 6:11 PM, EvilMJ said:

Well, I bit the bullet and ordered the Rough Country HD steering upgrade - the offset clears both style knuckles.  Disaster averted. 

 

Here is the only picture I have of the knuckle. Ghet, what kind of brake upgrades are you taking about?!?

Looks like your ujoint cap is about to free itself from your axle.

[EvilMJ]

1 hour ago, MJCARENA said:

Looks like your ujoint cap is about to free itself from your axle.

 

Oh, it already had in that picture! lol That was March's carnage.  Shouldn't try to pull over a dead 32" elm w/ stock axles     I had cut all the way around it, but it was much stronger in the middle than expected!

[ghetdjc320]

3 hours ago, EvilMJ said:

 

What you talking about Willis?!?  Tell me more about this brake upgrade you speak of...

 

Rough Country set-up came in yesterday... anyone in KY want to help this weekend??? lol

http://jeepm62superchargerkit.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html?m=1

 

Wilwood also makes a bolt in kit. The design of the pre 90 knuckles used large caliper mounting points and no brake pad “wings” like the newer ones do. This allows for a lite of possibilities for big brakes.

[EvilMJ]

Well, it's all installed.  Went relatively well.  Can't stress enough to buy a NEW 5/8" drill bit (or two) - broke one (my best one) on the first knuckle.  Otherwise pretty painless, but drilling the pitman arm was a bit of a chore. Put it back together and aligned to the same width with a tape measure.  Tracks good, tierod rattle is gone, and all feels tighter.  Happy!

[ghetdjc320]

For future reference, you can use a reamer to drill out the taper in the knuckles and pitman arm

[JustEmptyEveryPocket]

44 minutes ago, ghetdjc320 said:

reamer

These are awesome tools. Well worth the investment, even for just a few holes. I use them when putting together some red iron buildings (dang engineers and their incorrect hole placements! ), but same difference.

[ghetdjc320]

1 hour ago, JustEmptyEveryPocket said:

These are awesome tools. Well worth the investment, even for just a few holes. I use them when putting together some red iron buildings (dang engineers and their incorrect hole placements! ), but same difference.

No kidding, so much easier to use than drill bits and they are self centering 

[BeatCJ]

FWIW, all Dana axles have a Bill of Materials (BOM) number stamped into the tube. As I remember it to the right of the differential, as you face the cover. I don't have a link or diagram on this tablet, but I'll find it and post. It won't tell you year, but a group of years where they were all the same.

[EvilMJ]

I had a 7 degree reamer that I purchased as well.  Instructions said to take the hole from 1/2 to 5/8 then ream up to 3/4 on the bottom using reamer.  I assume the drilling was to make less work for the reamer.  I was relatively painless except the 1st bit broke and the others I had were worn, so they were slow go.

[EvilMJ]

21 hours ago, BeatCJ said:

FWIW, all Dana axles have a Bill of Materials (BOM) number stamped into the tube. As I remember it to the right of the differential, as you face the cover. I don't have a link or diagram on this tablet, but I'll find it and post. It won't tell you year, but a group of years where they were all the same.

 

Good information! Put it on my list of things to do.

[BeatCJ]

I have a couple of Dana 30s laying on the ground, I'll have to find the numbers and take photos.

 

Completely different subject: I see you have 4:10 gears and 35s. Do you think 4.10s are low enough?

[EvilMJ]

1 hour ago, BeatCJ said:

I have a couple of Dana 30s laying on the ground, I'll have to find the numbers and take photos.

 

Completely different subject: I see you have 4:10 gears and 35s. Do you think 4.10s are low enough?

 

I think its a good compromise.  I can run 70-75 on highway, but it crawls around pretty good in low.  It's probably not optimal for a rock crawler, but its 80% driver, so I can't complain.  I will say that on big interstate hills I will have to shift down to 4th, but most times it cruises around 2000-2500 in 5th.