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Axle install write up?

Stock replacement axle? Front or rear or both?
 
Google the install instructions for any decent quality lift kit. That should do the trick.
 
bolting in a housing? swapping axle shafts?

a little bit of specific info goes a long way.
 
Taking an axle out, putting another one in.

Just write down every step you do to remove it, then do the list bottom to top to put the new one one.


A rear is pretty easy. Basically:


Put jack stands under the frame rail
Pull the tires
Remove the rear drive shaft
Unbolt the axle end of the shocks
Unbolt the u bolts
Detach the brake lines
Yank the axle out


Pretty basic set of instructions, but as I said, it's a pretty simple swap...assimg you are truly doing a like for like swap. An unlike for like swap will require additional work and some fabrication.
 
I should have got these details up earlier, but was tight on time. My 93 XJ came with a dana 44 when I bought it, previous owner swapped it in. That axle was giving me problems, so I picked up a 8.25 out of a 95 cherokee for pretty cheap. Had a shop change the gears and put new bearings in. And here I am.
 
D44 and C8.25 used same length driveshafts so nothing to worry about there. Look up the tube sizes on google and see if you need new u-bolts. Brake setup should be the same, assuming the D44 was an XJ original.
 
I put a 2001 8.25 into my 88 XJ, at the same time I installed new 3" lift leafs. It was very straightforward except for two things :

1 - I had to reuse the parking brake cables from the old Dana 35. The 8.25 cables weren't the right lengths. Once I figured out the black magic that is brake drums, they fit right in.

2 - the OEM ubolt plates from the 8.25 didn't fit the mounting stud on the new RE lifted leaf springs. The plate holes were slightly to small; I had to wallow them out with a 1/2" drill bit and a corded drill.

After I tackled those things it all fell right together. Kastein had already recommended the right length driveshaft for the swap so I didn't have to worry about that
 
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Cottontail's steps cover the basics.

As ehall says you'll need new u-bolts.

I'm pretty sure the 8.25 and 44 use a different brake hose so you may want to pick one of those up too.

A loaded axle is heavy so make sure you have some good way to raise and lower it from the vehicle. Fork lift, pallet jack, transmission jack, or just plain or floor jack with care.
 
As everybody says, there aren't many ways to go wrong with a rear axle swap. Get big jack stands. I used the Harbor Freight 6 tons (cheap for the height) with a few planks underneath. You need to get the XJ up high, and it falls, you might not fare well. My Jeep is pretty rust free, and I still had to cut a couple of the U bolts with an angle grinder. I should have just cut them all, as it would have been faster.

If you need to swap drum brakes over from one to the other there are ways to goof that up. Take pics. Find some instructions and diagrams. At least the first time, tearing down and reassembling drum brakes is harder than changing the axle.

The axle swap itself only took two hours or so with a buddy at a pretty relaxed pace. But then I had to swap E brake cables from my '99 axle to the pair from my '96 XJ, which took some fiddling. (The 8.25 and 35 have the same length brake cables, IME, but the 96 and earlier are the same length side-to-side whereas the 97+ have one short and one long to deal with the offset lever).

You could do it by yourself, too. Leave the wheels on the axle you are taking out, then put them on the axle you are putting in. They aren't that heavy, but it is still easier to roll than to lift! If you don't get the wheels that far off the ground, it is pretty easy to leave one tire on the ground, then jack the first side into place to get the U bolts started.

Note that the E brake cable goes over the exhaust, not under! If you goof that up, you'll melt the cable and it'll seize. (I was supposed to be in Moab yesterday, and instead, I'll be there tomorrow. At least I was able to track down a new E brake cable in only a few hours!)

Have fun!

Paul
 
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