Front axle replacement

[talawson42]

i got a 97 jeep xj and im needing a new front axle. it is my daily driver. what to put under it is the question. i was thinkin stock because i drive it everyday to work, but i thought bout upgrading it . give me you opinion or ideas

[NW99XJ]

The High Pinion Dana 30 found in all 97-99 XJ's is a decent axle as-is.
Can easily support 33" and in some cases 35" tires with little to no upgrades.
Parts are readily available, and upgrades are relatively inexpensive. The good thing in YOUR case, is that it would be a direct swap, with no fabrication required. And can be installed in an afternoon. Probably the best solution if this is your DD.
If you decided to "upgrade" the axle, the most common is the Dana 44...but modification and fabrication is going to be involved if your starting from scratch, unless you can find someone thats already done all that and is willing to part with it.
If your axle is salvageable, I might suggest a rebuild.
What happened to lead you to decide to put a new axle under it?

[cantab27]

x2 why do you need tp replace

[talawson42]

its a dana 30 in it but i broke the spider gears and they destroyed the ring and pinion and the inspection plate. then the driver side wheel bearing went out and the wheel fell off goin down the road , that broke the brake caliper mount. the after i got to looking at it the passenger wheel bearing is goin out ,and the axles need new u joints

[bluedragon436]

I'd say look at local P-n-P's and see if you can't pick up a HP D30.... other wise check out local Jeep club sites and see if anyone is selling an already modified D44 as stated above....

[cantab27]

its a dana 30 in it but i broke the spider gears and they destroyed the ring and pinion and the inspection plate. then the driver side wheel bearing went out and the wheel fell off goin down the road , that broke the brake caliper mount. the after i got to looking at it the passenger wheel bearing is goin out ,and the axles need new u joints

dang and i thought i was ruff........;)

[nickxj94]

Checkout Hardline Crawlers forum there is always axles for sale on there and most people are in TN.

[NW99XJ]

Craigslist is another option. I see D30's on there in my area all the time.
...but damn dude...thats one helluva streak of bad luck with that axle.
Good luck with the swap and happy hunting!

[talawson42]

yea it was a rough weekend ,and i was actually takin it easy this time .normally im pretty wild (i climb stuff in reverse all the time).thanks for the input i will probably just put another hp dana 30 back ,but would you put a locker in it or not . if i do it would be an air locker i believe

[4.3LXJ]

If you go ARB, alloy 30 spline axles would be some good insurance.

[NW99XJ]

ARB's ARE Nice, spendy though, and the first gen ones had issues.
I personally run a Spartan in my front, and its my DD...it makes noise around tight turns, but drivability hasn't been at all sacrificed. <-- this gets into the whole what to do in the front axle for traction debate - which should be saved for other threads.
I know they make a "Super 30" kit - for around $700 that includes both inner's and outer's.... and if you're thinking gears and locker...maybe a truss....plus axle...you may be into this thing for 2k or more.... "potentially"
....a really strong d30 isnt cheap, but its also extremely reliable.

[Showtime3492]

http://www.knowwhere2jeep.com/rcv-performance-xj-tj-lj-yj-ultimate-dana-30-cv-front-axle-shafts.html

I know the guy with this shop and from what he has told me no one that has installed these in their 30 has ever broken a shaft. Pricey yes.... but food for thought considered the rubicon 44 is the same as the hp 30 minus the locker and ring an pinion size

[cantab27]

yea it was a rough weekend ,and i was actually takin it easy this time .normally im pretty wild (i climb stuff in reverse all the time).thanks for the input i will probably just put another hp dana 30 back ,but would you put a locker in it or not . if i do it would be an air locker i believe

thats what kills the hp diff...reverse...in the middle of putting a ox locker in my dana 30....i chewed mine to bits and bent the diff housing..am also bracing my housing....

[nickxj94]

I would sleeve it too

[talawson42]

is the same year grand Cherokee front end the same as a regular Cherokee ?

[4.3LXJ]

Yes, as long as it is not the full time version. It has weaker CV axle joints