• Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

H&T and front driveshaft

S

spitfyre

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Ontario
so ive been searching and searching, having a hard time coming up with a definitive answer, ive got a 99 2dr with 4.0/auto/231 i put a RC 3" kit with full leafs on last year, bad vibes after..
guy at a jeep shop recommended a tcase drop so i grabbed some square tubing from work and did a 1" drop,
id like to tuck my tcase back up now and since this is my only set of wheels i cant really afford downtime so i was wondering if anyone could help me out, if i get the Rubcon Express h&t, does anyone know what will work for a front driveshaft in the rear? xj or zj? thank you
 
Honestly, do NOT do it.

I did the hack n tap because it was cheap, and I rebuilt a front shaft.

Fast forward to 2 years later, and a 4.56 gear swap, my vibes became terrible. The splines are totally worn out on the flange, so I had to weld it on to reduce vibes. ( I dont have the cash to do a full kit, and its my DD). Also, pretty much all junkyard drivelines are junk. The centering ball is junk, as its not greaseable, and the splines on the slip yoke are super small, and short. Every junkyard shaft I've seen has slop in the slip yoke, and its usually not detectable until the shaft is mounted in the jeep.

If you were to do a hack n tap right, you have to get-
A junkyard shaft, for about 50
The kit itself for 100
The adapter flange for 60
U joints for about 30
And you should really get it balanced, (I paid about 60)

Thats already around 300.

Do it right, and spend 500 on the AA sye, and Tom Woods shaft combo. They will take a length measurement, taking any guesswork out of the driveshaft size.

I just got the tom woods front shaft, and the quality is incredible. They also warranty the ujoints for breakage, and any damage that happens to the shaft.
 
I disagree. I did the RE HnT with the flange and paid under $200 for it. It has run strong for more than 50k miles and hard trails on 33's with 4.56 gears.

RE HnT - $100
Front XJ DS from auto tranny XJ in the junkyard - $20 on 1/2 price weekend, I ran the same joints that were in the front shaft without problems.
Spicer 211229x flange - $60 from alljeep.com

Total cost is $180 and I have been running it for years. Even if you had to get new joints it is only $50 more for all 3 joints. I'd rather pay $230 than $500 every day of the week. I can swap the shaft with junkyard shafts and joints another 4 times before I pay for the equal cost of a Tom Woods DS. (No offense to TW shafts - they are good).

User "srmitchell" has terrible vibes but cannot pinpoint the culprit. I know because I have helped him to try and locate them - he cannot say that it is the HnT that is his vibe problem. If he knew what the problem was it would be solved by now.

(Sorry Columbus (srmitchell), but this is true. Even I don't know what the vibe problem you have is - it is a tricky one. And your vibe problem only got bad when you swapped in the new rear axle you bought from a buddy - this doesn't point to a problem with the HnT)
 
I got the hack n tap kit from IRO. For 200 you get a fixed yoke and a refurbed shaft (Mine came with new u-joints) with all the hardware. Iron Rock Off Road FTW. Free shipping right now also.
 
I have put in Ebay $175 SYE's and ran $50 stock front drive lines in numerous XJ's with zero issues. Total cost is $225 and its done. Drive lines can be found cheaper than that.
 
Since the OP has a 99,a H-n-T may not solve the vibes.I tried one on my 2000 and ended up buying a HD SYE kit,smooth a silk for 10yrs now!
 
2000 XJ with the RE H-N-T and the RE spicer drive shaft. whole kit was $400 but it is smooth as silk and very beefy. I had vibes so bad before i went to this the jeep was un-driveable
 
I personally opted for the Tom Woods SD SYE and double-cardan XB driveshaft (booted X-spline). Installation wasn't all that bad, even for a first-timer - no leaks afterwards, and vibes are gone.

Peoples' experiences with hack-n-tap SYEs and junkyard driveshafts will vary wildly... Look at it this way:

Best case scenario, you're looking at around $200 in parts for a H&T solution that has a *reasonable* probability of lasting a long time. If you're one of the unfortunate ones for whom it does not last, you'll either make that same investment again (possibly more depending on what else breaks) or spend more going for a proper solution.

I faced the same predicament and opted for the costlier solution, but I have confidence that it'll outlast the rest of my vehicle.
 
the_weirdo said:
I disagree. I did the RE HnT with the flange and paid under $200 for it. It has run strong for more than 50k miles and hard trails on 33's with 4.56 gears.

RE HnT - $100
Front XJ DS from auto tranny XJ in the junkyard - $20 on 1/2 price weekend, I ran the same joints that were in the front shaft without problems.
Spicer 211229x flange - $60 from alljeep.com

Total cost is $180 and I have been running it for years. Even if you had to get new joints it is only $50 more for all 3 joints. I'd rather pay $230 than $500 every day of the week. I can swap the shaft with junkyard shafts and joints another 4 times before I pay for the equal cost of a Tom Woods DS. (No offense to TW shafts - they are good).

User "srmitchell" has terrible vibes but cannot pinpoint the culprit. I know because I have helped him to try and locate them - he cannot say that it is the HnT that is his vibe problem. If he knew what the problem was it would be solved by now.

(Sorry Columbus (srmitchell), but this is true. Even I don't know what the vibe problem you have is - it is a tricky one. And your vibe problem only got bad when you swapped in the new rear axle you bought from a buddy - this doesn't point to a problem with the HnT)
Click to expand...

This is true. All valid points, I'm just bitter because mine totally wore out.

My whole point was that if you have the hack n tap, and decide to upgrade to the full kit later, you'll be paying the 230, and 500. But Josh is right, many people have zero problems.
:wave:
 
seems like there is a yoke you can buy and do a hack n tap without having to buy a adapter flange making it even cheaper. I was looking into this a little while back.
 
thanks for all the input, idno if i mixed up the threads i was flipping through but does a CV style front ds from a zj bolt up to the RE kit?
 
i want to do the iron rock offroad hack and tap/driveshaft deal. i have approximately 5" of lift in the rear using s10 packs and still have vibes after dropping the t-case(its a 96'). did anyone have to shim the rear pinion up when they did theirs? i have heard that you had to have the pinion angle the same as the driveshaft angle to make the double cardan work correctly. i need to know so i can plan accordingly as budget is this jeeps middle name.
 
Last edited:
jeeptech1 said:
i want to do the iron rock offroad hack and tap/driveshaft deal. i have approximately 5" of lift in the rear using s10 packs and still have vibes after dropping the t-case(its a 96'). did anyone have to shim the rear pinion up when they did theirs? i have heard that you had to have the pinion angle the same as the driveshaft angle to make the double cardan work correctly. i need to know so i can plan accordingly as budget is this jeeps middle name.
Click to expand...

yes, you need to shim the rear axe so the pinion is 2 degrees below the angle of the double cardon driveshaft. when under load, the pinion will rotate up 2 degrees.
 
I have a 99, about 7 inches of lift and 36's. I got a RE hack n tap and an xj front driveshaft, and have run vibration free for several years. I beat on it pretty hard and have had no issues at all. I got the HNT and driveshaft used for like $150 shipped.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

B
1990 turn and parking light issue left front and dash
Replies
13
Views
653
RCP Phx
R
K
Shop rebuilt front differential failed on first test drive, trying to figure out why?
Replies
4
Views
3K
xcm
xcm
F
Curious MAP sensor failing - symptoms
Replies
0
Views
2K
fenns7
F
V
D35 to 8.25 question
Replies
3
Views
1K
Tim_MN
Tim_MN
M
Test fitting RC 4.5" long arm on 2000 XJ
Replies
10
Views
4K
RCP Phx
R
Back
Top