Dana 30: Replace or Repair?

Alright so, im on 32s with a RE 4.5 and my front end used to wobble pretty bad, tires are worn bad and the ball joints are the culprit, tie rod is also bent back from some light wheeling, the ends are all but rusted in place. It sucks anyway being the inverted Y set up that it is.... Anyway, in addition to those woes, im sure some bushings are loose here and there, my expert jeep mechanic told me my ball joints are dead ($600 for new ones) and my trackbar bushing has play in it. On top of all this, i hit a rock the other day, surprisingly it tightened up my front end, so it doesnt wobble, its very touchy though (and unforgiving) and the LCA and UCA passenger side axle end control arm brackets are damaged, top one is pinched inward and bottom is bent to hell, itll cost me like $200ish for him to replace, weld, and align just the bottom one. In addition to that i plan on doing an 8.8 rear with 4.10s, so theres another $500 for front gears ill need plus a locker and im sure shafts eventually etc etc etc...

So, given all the crap i want to replace, maybe i should jsut get a junk yard one thats HP, non ABS with 4.10s? Then replace hte ball joints, get crossover, align it, and be good to go. Then have extra shafts from my old one, extra Hubs Assemblies (they only have like 1000 miles on them), extra pads, calipers, and rotors (all only 1000 miles). Oh and did i mention my current d30 needs the pinion seal and an axle seal replaced?

Anyway, never thought id swap out these axles, but its looking like its the better way to go! This also gives me a chance to put in all new front end bushings and stuff.

Anyway, if you had the patience to read all that id love to know what you thikn!!!!

yeah man id go for a junk yard d30, some of them are really clean in stock jeeps. and then you could sand it down paint it black n throw it under yours, but id definitley think about upgrading your steering if your gonna run that much lift.

yea i was gonna do crossover anyway so thats another reason. maybe ill find one with new ball joints? Should i look for disconnect or non? i have no idea what that means..

go for a junkyard hp dana 30 non abs like you said. pull a zj v8 tie rod while youre at it. i have 3 and i paid 15$ each for them...they are worth it. and youll get the junkyard 30 for under 140$. get a hp unit and if its older grab a driver side 297x shaft from a 96 or newer unit to make that 260 dissapear but for the pass side your stuck until you find a 95 wrangler ....

get one with the abs..the shafts have the bigger axle joints on them.

good luck finding a HP with 4.10s stock.. in a yard

http://www.4x4groupbuy.com/store/jeep-dana-rubicon-locking-front-axle-assembly-p-5640.html

why not just get that? comes with 4.10, lockers, and disk brakes. will have to do a bit of fab work to get it bolted up, but its a hell of a deal for a brand new axle

im not gonna do the ZJ tie rod, b/c i want crossover so ill probobly do a cheap cross over setup...i definitly dont have that much money for the rubicon 44 though i wish i did, as far as hp and 4.10s, how rare are they? one guy on here mentioned he found one but idk....

nootay said:

http://www.4x4groupbuy.com/store/jeep-dana-rubicon-locking-front-axle-assembly-p-5640.html

why not just get that? comes with 4.10, lockers, and disk brakes. will have to do a bit of fab work to get it bolted up, but its a hell of a deal for a brand new axle

Click to expand...

You don't want a front 44 on 32's. I have spoken to guys who went back to a HP30 because it has more clearence.

I have a 2001 as well and upgraded to an HP30 with my first lift. The HP is pretty strong and is great for up top 35's.

Have fun

i got tj axles under my jeep on 35s locked with 456s and beat the piss out of it...never had a problem with the lp 30 in it...if and when it becomes a problem i will upgrade to d44/9" full widths