dana 30, rebuild or replace ?

[jamesdaniel]

ok guys under the front of my new CJ5 is what i believe to be a Dana 30 . its just a housing and hubs, i have a bucket full of bearings, u- joints and a ring and pinion that are all BAD. i have the axle shafts and they dont look horrible. would i be better off (MONEY WISE) to rebuild this one or find a usable replacement from a junkyard ? what would bolt in ? would a later model with disc brakes fit ? I'm ready to get on the road so i would appreciate any help. Thanks.

 

[Incommando]

Junk yard/craigslist/whatever. You can buy a complete usable Dana 30 for far less than a new ring & pinion alone would cost. Then there are all of the other parts and probably some labor if you can't set up your own gears and....

Just make sure you get a gear ratio that matches the one in the rear axle you are using. The later disc brake axle will bolt in. If the axle is the factory unit it is a narrow track. Just get a narrow track versus the later wide track CJ unit and it will match the rear. The wide track front will bolt in just fine but the axle widths would be noticeably different. The wide track is 3" or 4" wider. You could add spacers to the rear axle to make up for this if all you can find is a wide track.

 

[jamesdaniel]

thats what i was thinking. any ideas what axle would be best to look for ? I was wondering if a 80 something wrangler had a Dana 30 that would fit ?

 

[PaRenegade]

No, they are a different animal. The pumpkin is on the drivers side on those. And widetracks started in 82 so look for prior to those.

 

[jamesdaniel]

Alright , thanks. I know what im looking for now.

 

[Jimbos76cj]

You need a CJ front passenger side drop axle. Make sure its a narrow track since thats what yours should be. and make sure you learn how to check the gear ratio.. pull the cover and look at the makings on the ring gear or atleast count the teeth and divide.people ill tell you to turn the axle and count pinion rotation.. dont do that. with CJ's coming in 3:31, 3:54 and 3:73 gear ratios its really easy to miss .2 of a turn and get it wrong.. then you just spent money on an axle that needs to be regeared.. Or... If you have the AMC20 rear you can search around for a matched set of axles narrow or wide track and that would solve the gearing issue. IF you find a wide track front with the same ratio as youe narrow rear you can always pick up a set of spacers for it.

 

[johnbilt]

Hi

Not sure what your local supply of parts is. If you have the axles, then you just need a bearing kit and a ring and pinion. If you are matching a standard ratio from the rear, then there may be several used R&P sets around from people swapping in low ratio gearsets. I have several in the garage myself. What ratio do you need?

Of course, if the axle housing is bent or otherwise trashed, or if you can find an entire axle for the right price, no need to build this one.

John

 

[BajaEdition]

I always completely rebuild an axle once I get it anyway so I do not know what you are gaining by buying an used axle.

you see
you are going out and looking for an axle that is 25 years or older to go under that jeep and hoping it will be in better condition than the one in it.
Let me ask, do you know what has happened to that axle, or how it was maintained?
That is why I just go ahead and rebuild. I would hate to spend money on a replacement, do the work to get it in and to set it up, just to have it fail somewhere down the road because I did not rebuild it.

 

[jamesdaniel]

The front axle under my cj is stripped< the gears and bearings came in a 5g bucket and dont look pretty. we have a 4x4 junkyard and they have a narrow track Dana 30 in every gear ratio and i can get one for $350. that sounds like a decent price to me.

 

[jasonmark1993]

Ya it is. See if they offer 90 days or something in case the bearings are toast already.

I just did my r/p and this being my first 4X4 was surprised to find rust on everything, including the bearings.