74 cj5 rear axle swapout

[old yeller]

I'm looking for some info on replacing the rear axle assembly. I have a Danna 44 and I am would like to know what rear ends are compatible with mine. it's basically stock. 36 inch tires, AMC 304 v8. My off road usage is light to medium so I don't have to upgrade to anything fancy. I would mine replacing it with another Danna 44 but I'm not seeing alot of the used Danna 44 online. any suggestions or help ??

 

[Old Dog]

The cj is unique in the width of the rear axle. You are going to have to fine a replacement from another cj.
What's wrong with the rear you have now?

 

[old yeller]

the inner differential bearing on the passenger side came apart. The rollers are were actually in the bottom of the diff housing. gears look ok. i have one chipped tooth on the ring gear. i believe this would require a rebuild....which is outside my skill level. I know you have to pull the axle and the gear assy to replace that bearing. not how that would effect the shim stack-up. probably need to replace the drivers side as well etc. I know having a shop do the rebuild is pricy and it's hard to find someone with Jeep experience.

 

[IOPort51]

I would have to say your options are Limited and used will have more miles that you do and be of questionable dependability.

If it were me I would be talking to some gear shops. I have had work done at Dallas gear and was not disappointed by the work. They had no Idea what an OX locker was and required a bit of schooling on that.

I would pull the axle myself and even dismantle it myself. I would also find a place to have it hot tanked to be sure that there were no trace of shrapnel in the case.

Axles are a lot of work, axles are expensive, Axles are something you want to do just once.

If it makes you feel some better your axle is most definitely worth rebuilding. I hunted for some time to find one just like it, paid good money for it and then replaced everything but the axles, carrier and the case.



You don't even want to know how much I spent on this axle.

I posted this reply twice, once here and once in introductions.
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[Old Dog]

The shim pack would stay the same with new bearings as long as you didn't change the ring & pinion. All the shop would be doing is pressing the bearings off and on, as long as you took it apart. Not that hard of a job to pull the carrier & ring gear.
If you look for a different axle assembly you will have to look for one with the same gear ratio and than it might need to be rebuilt.

 

[IOPort51]

The chipped tooth is troubling. the clearance is so tight and the pressure so great on the r&p that any speck of high carbon, hardened steel in between teeth can cause damage in a short time.

reusing the R&p would not bother me, After a die pen test, but I would want that housing and carrier to be clean enough to eat out of.

Differential soup anyone??

 

[thiswontbetooexpensive]

The shim pack would stay the same with new bearings as long as you didn't change the ring & pinion. All the shop would be doing is pressing the bearings off and on, as long as you took it apart. Not that hard of a job to pull the carrier & ring gear.
If you look for a different axle assembly you will have to look for one with the same gear ratio and than it might need to be rebuilt.

With that particular problem, its going to be expensive. One might even call it catastrophic failure.

I wouldn't try and cheap out on any repair you choose. It's easy to spend other people's money, but axles aren't cheap. As IO said, you don't what to know what he has spent on that axle.:drool:
The absolute cheapest part to this repair will be the root cause, the bearing. If it takes you some time to collect the funds, I would wait and have it done since you expressed concern for doing it yourself. Getting another and having it re-geared and all will cost WAY MORE than getting yours fixed.

 

[old yeller]

is that Dallas diff and gear on Pollard st ? I will definetly give them a call. If I take the axle assy to them can they do the hot tank or outsource? I might just have them give me an estimate on the whole thing. thanks for the info

 

[old yeller]

ok. that was my main question. a rebuild vs a used rear end. I was leary of getting a used one anyway. I did find a link to some new axles assemblies at east coast gear supply but the CJ fit was $1350 and I wasn't sure about the width. plus they had a disclaimer for off road use only. not sure why. thanks for the info

 

[old yeller]

I think my problems are going to be compounded. with that 1 bearing gone the shaft may have been damaged on the passeneger side. I think all the shaft bearings will have to be replaced. sounds like the axle assy housing will need to be dipped in a tank. I assume the pinion shaft, bearing and assy would have to be removed for this process. what do think a good ball park number is for this type of rebuild? assuming 1 axle replacement, all the bearings and seals and that the ring/pinion, plate and gears are ok. just a rough guess ?

 

[Old Dog]

For good bearings a master kit for the diff is $AMC 150 ish and the axle bearings around $70. A new rear axle could be $100 to 250 depending on what you get. That's parts only.

 

[old yeller]

I found a couple of different shops under Dallas Gear. Did you use Dallas Differential and Gear on Pollard St? I'd like to give them a call tomorrow. I did some more inspection over the weekend and I found a ding on the Pinion gear that matches the one on the ring. when you pull the axles is it best to have the assy stilled attached? I'm worried if the assy has been removed and the axles are stubborn or froze that I won't have anything to pull agianst and the whole thing will slide. this would be my fisrt time pulling axles. thanks in advance

 

[Old Dog]

Yes I would leave it under the jeep while you remove the axles.
I would take the carrier and gears out after you have the housing out from under the jeep and on a bench.

 

[old yeller]

do i need to mark the axle spline orientation/position in relation to the gears. do they need to go back in exact same place on the gear when re-installed?

 

[Old Dog]

No, the splined end can go any where,
The carrier bearing caps (both top and right and left) need to be marked though so that they go the same place.

 

[old yeller]

is there a certian puller that I want to look for? I think I'm going to have trouble removing the axles. i think all the rear end components are the OEM's....about 40 years old

 

[IOPort51]

The axles are not usually hard to pull. I have always removed the brakes and put the drum on backwards with 5 or 6 threads of the lug nuts. slide the drum in and pull it out rapidly and the axle should pop out. Don;t forget to pull the bearing retainer bolts from the flange.

 

[old yeller]

thanks for the tip. I wouldn't have thought of that.

 

[old yeller]

I talked with the gear shop today. got a general quote for worse case senerio. not as bad as I thought. all it takes is time and money....