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Doing the Front Driveshaft SYE mod..

P

PW1XJ99

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Raleigh, NC
Alright, I know a few people have done this mod with the AW4. We are going to try it with a 94 XJ, with the 3.5" RE SuperFlex kit. It has the AX15, a 8.25 rear. Has anyone done this with with the AX15? Will the front shaft be too long? Thanks!


Here's a current picture of the project:


DSCF8637.jpg
 
I have the RE H&T with a front ds and a rusty's 3" full leaf kit plus 1.5" shackles, a 1/2" block and an extra stock leaf. its extended a little further than i'd like but i've flexed it and its not going to come out. as far as the ds being too long, i dont think it's an issue, the ax-15 is shorter than the aw4. make sure the front ds is from an auto, the manual driveshafts are a bit shorter. which i guess if it was too long (HIGHLY UNLIKELY) you could get a 5-speed front ds.
I think it'll work out just fine.
 
I have a 96 5speed with a PORC SYE and i pulled a front driveshaft from a automatic and it was to short to bolt right in safely, so i had it lengthened and it works fine all the joints bolt right together on that kit.
 
So the front driveshaft from the AW4 can be used as a rear driveshaft with an SYE kit? If that is the case, would I be able to save some money and use a front AW4 driveshaft with my AW4/NP231 and SYE kit for a 4.5" lift?
 
groovyone said:
So the front driveshaft from the AW4 can be used as a rear driveshaft with an SYE kit? If that is the case, would I be able to save some money and use a front AW4 driveshaft with my AW4/NP231 and SYE kit for a 4.5" lift?
Click to expand...

yes but its going to be short most likely, i think it would bolt into a automatic but there wont be enough contact in the slip yoke, In my manual I wouldnt have even tried running it without lengthening it. Do some searches youll see whats up.
 
Meh, I tried to use a front shaft with an SYE kit. I have an AW4/231 and a D35, 4" of lift. Turns out the front shaft was too short. Just went to the junkyard looked through their pile of driveshafts and found one close to the lenth I needed with the same ujoints and had it resized. Came out to like $75 total.

I wouldn't bother with the headache of trying to find the perfect shaft, just have one resized.
 
Pretty sure most front driveshafts in AW4 XJ's end up around 31" fully compressed. With an SYE I would have needed about 34" midrange with the AX15.
 
go look for a front driveshaft out of a older style (93-?) Grand cherokee.. i am running about 8" of lift in the rear, and it still will flex out fine without me worrying about it pulling apart.
BTW i am running an AW-4 with a 242 and using a corvette yoke from ebay.
 
I use a stock front driveshaft in the rear with my NV241 Rubicon Rock Trak. It even bolts up without needing that weird adapter from the driveshaft to the SYE yoke. The DS is a bit stretched out with my 9", but it works and I like I can get a driveshafts at pick n pull for next to nothing so a spare is easy and cheap. I've thought about lifting a little more in the back, but deal with some rubbing in the back because I don't want to lose this benefit. Also replacing a blown driveshaft is much easier then replacing axle parts so it makes a good drive train fuse along with manual hubs up front.
 
Last edited:
WobblesXJ said:
Meh, I tried to use a front shaft with an SYE kit. I have an AW4/231 and a D35, 4" of lift. Turns out the front shaft was too short. Just went to the junkyard looked through their pile of driveshafts and found one close to the lenth I needed with the same ujoints and had it resized. Came out to like $75 total.

I wouldn't bother with the headache of trying to find the perfect shaft, just have one resized.
Click to expand...
With the D35 a front shaft will be short. With the 8.25 it will be fine. I'm running a FDS, AW4/231/8.25 at 6", it works fine. JIM.
 
You guys are starting to miss the point of this thread...with an AX15, not an AW4, this does not tend to work out, regardless of the rear axle.
 
vetteboy said:
Pretty sure most front driveshafts in AW4 XJ's end up around 31" fully compressed. With an SYE I would have needed about 34" midrange with the AX15.
Click to expand...

+1
 
So the consensus is that a STOCK front DS will not work when doing an SYE on the AX15/231/8.25 combo, correct? Swampheep, are you saying that a GC front DS will bolt up as the rear drive shaft (after adding the SYE, obviously)? If I decided to lengthen a stock front shaft, what (ballpark) would that run me, or is that something I can do myself?
 
orchimaxi said:
So the consensus is that a STOCK front DS will not work when doing an SYE on the AX15/231/8.25 combo, correct? Swampheep, are you saying that a GC front DS will bolt up as the rear drive shaft (after adding the SYE, obviously)? If I decided to lengthen a stock front shaft, what (ballpark) would that run me, or is that something I can do myself?
Click to expand...
try it, I got a mint shaft for $10 from my pick and pull, I know you're running an ax15 and its shorter, so pull one off an aw4. I sit at 6" with aw4/231/8.25, and I think it's too long > http://www.jeepforum.com/gallery/files//4/7/5/4/8/DSC00105.JPG
 
shmoken875 said:
t I know you're running an ax15 and its shorter, so pull one off an aw4.
Click to expand...

No no no no no no no

vetteboy said:
Pretty sure most front driveshafts in AW4 XJ's end up around 31" fully compressed. With an SYE I would have needed about 34" midrange with the AX15.
Click to expand...

And that was at 4.5" lift.
 
I run a front shaft with my AW4. It worked with my D35 at 5". GC front shafts are the same as XJs. They are identical in regards to autos and manuals. Lengthening is not as much as a new shaft, but it gets close. In my area it runs around $200. Defeats the purpose of running front shaft, meaning cheap. You can get brand new for $250. If you can run a front in the rear, they are cheap and so are spares. Even if you don't have a spare, if you ruin one shaft, you can run the good one where ever you want. If you use different length shafts then who cares? Just buy one to order and run with it.
 
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