pre-renix front driveshaft issues with lift.

so i know that the pre-renix xj's came with a sort of 'CV' front driveshaft, with the stupid rubber boots and whatnot, similar to the newer jk driveshafts.
so i'm guessing that sometime during the 26 years before i owned it, that wimpy shaft wore out, and someone had a custom one made that bolts to the stock np207 flange deal on the front, but has two 1310 ujoints on it, without a double cardan at the tcase end. that shaft worked great on the stock jeep, but now that i have a 4.5" lift those ujoints are in a bind. i have a shaft that will work, so now i'm wondering what type of 1310 yoke will work on that tcase, if any so i can put a double cardan shaft in my now lifted xj.
i have a couple to try, but i haven't taken it apart yet. one is a 29 spline yoke that looks like it might fit, and the splined part on the other looks a little bigger. the guy i got them from says one of them is from a dana 20 tcase. i'll try them, but if somebody already knows what will work, then that could save me some time.
thanks ahead, fellas.
1984 cherokee pioneer, 2.5l, 5spd, 4x4, dana 30&35, 4.5" lift.

IIRC, the flange from a NP231 will work just fine. I did this about 15 years ago so my memory is a bit vague.

sweet. i also just got offered a 21 spline np231. would i be better off to just swap in the whole case?

I know spike has a 207 with a stock double cardan front shaft. It had that weird cv thing before so you can swap them. But the 207 in his drive way has a higher low range than a 231. So if you can do the 231i would if just for that. It wasn't a big difference in the ratio but everything helps and hell there's not really a down side.

thechief86 said:

sweet. i also just got offered a 21 spline np231. would i be better off to just swap in the whole case?

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yes.

more aftermarket support and parts availability for a 231.

cool, i'll just swap in the whole case then. will my rear shaft still work? is my pre-pukegoat 5speed gonna have a compatible output? i don't even know what tranny it is, but the slave cylinder is external, and on the passenger side, and the case doesn't split down the middle.
i do like the idea of a lower low range, since i'm gonna have a 4 banger and 32's...

not sure about the rear shaft, case dimensions are probalby so similar length will not be an issue. Spline count and slip yoke style may be the difference. Of course, it's not a big deal to come up with 231 shafts from an XJ.

You most likely have an AX-5 or AX-4 transission, depending if it's 5 spd or not. They're both pretty much the same thing, the AX-4 is just missing the overdirve stuff.

You would be wise to take of the t-case, count the splines and know for sure what input gear you need in the 231 before going to the junkyard.

it's an 84 with 5spd.. if nothing else i can use the yoke from a 231 rear shaft on my old shaft. so now i just need to know if the input is compatible.
anybody already done this swap?

I know that all 4.0's with 5 spds got 23 spline outputs, even in the renix years. No idea about 4 cyl or pre renix. Best bet is to go take it off and look.

You need to get rid of that D35!........Oh wait, wrong thread

^aahhhhhahahaha! yeah, i'll get rid of it, after an honorable death.
87manche, my 87 xj 4.0 5speed was 21 spline. i didn't think they got 23 spline until later. i looked it up, and it looks like it's 21 spline, so i should be gravy. the 21 spline 231 i got offered is from an 87 comanche with a 4.0 as well, and my 88 comanche was 21. i would bet that your 87 comanche has a 21 spline np231...

thechief86 said:

^aahhhhhahahaha! yeah, i'll get rid of it, after an honorable death.
87manche, my 87 xj 4.0 5speed was 21 spline. i didn't think they got 23 spline until later. i looked it up, and it looks like it's 21 spline, so i should be gravy. the 21 spline 231 i got offered is from an 87 comanche with a 4.0 as well, and my 88 comanche was 21. i would bet that your 87 comanche has a 21 spline np231...

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My stock drivetrain left a long time ago and got replaced with an AX-15.

You are correct, I was mistaken, all AX-15 4.0 combos were 23 spline. I guess I just discount that there are any peugot trannies left.

87 "not much manche left" manche

^ha, yeah, they are a dying breed. i was actually happy to find out that i had an ax5, which i thought was a pile before i knew about the puegot's...

my AX-15 sounds like a box of gravel, but has for the last 5 years and who knows how many thousands of road and trail miles. It just won't die. They're good boxes.

man, my ax15(swapped into an 87 from a 97 tj) got stuck in 2nd gear, and stayed there, lol. it was fine the whole time i had it, but times got tough, and i had to sell the jeep. when i parked it at my buddy's house who i sold it to, i parked it in 2nd, and he never could get it out. so he robbed all the lift parts, tcase, and axles, bumpers and winch, built another xj, and scrapped mine. what a shame...