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Is it worth swapping the an LP for HP30?

2001XJ

2001XJ

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Canton, MI
I have the cahnce to grab a 97 cherokee for $1000. Its in real good condition, problem is I only want the axle (to put in my 2001) and the guy wants to sell the whole thing. So I would basically tie up $1000 to swap axles and then try to sell the 97 with the LP in it and hopefully get my money back or part of it.

Is it worth the hassle or should I just look for the HP by itself instead of dinking around with another vehicle? I wanted an HP to try and help with slight vibes I get at 65-75mph since I am at 6" of lift and using a LP.

thoughts?

TIA
 
I picked up a D30 HP at the u pull it for $100. Had the same gear ratio as what I was replacing. That said, the strength difference is minor. Both axles use the same gears, shafts, jonts, etc..( same years, older axles had smaller outer shafts) The real difference is the LP runs on the coast side of the ring gear instead of the drive side as in the HP. The HP will help with the drive line angle.
 
I wouldn't do it unless you think you can sell the donor rig for more and make some money. There's plenty of HP30's to be found loose that will have the right gear ratio for a swap into yours, if you really want HP. The difference in strength is pretty marginal anyway, it's still a dana 30 after all, just a minor bit of extra strength in the ring gear. Most times shafts will break first anyway. If you had it lifted sky high and needed the higher pinion for driveline angle, then maybe...
 
No, it's not worth it to buy an entire Jeep just for the front axle.

Find one on Craigslist or a million offroading forums where people are getting rid of their stock axles. I bet you could find one on Pirate4x4 in 10 minutes.


Hopefully you are running big tires with 6" of lift, so you'll need all the strength you can get, in addition to the extra clearance and less driveline angle of a HP diff.
 
thanks for the input guys. I found one in detroit at Pacific Motors but they want $250. Kinda steep. I will get on pirate and GL4x4. I find them all the time on pirate and even on here but they are in colorado, wisconsin, iowa, etc or wherever and shipping kills the deal.
 
With 6" of lift, it is certainly worth swapping in a HP.
There is no way to get your caster back within an acceptable range with a LP at 6"
 
lazyxj said:
With 6" of lift, it is certainly worth swapping in a HP.
There is no way to get your caster back within an acceptable range with a LP at 6"
Click to expand...

Yes there is, but then your front driveline angle will be pretty steep. I must have missed the part about having 6" of lift... if that's the case, a HP D30 is a good choice to swap in... just not good enough that I would buy a whole 'nother rig to swap front axles and have to hassle with re-selling.
 
if it's in good shape, it would probably fetch 3k if you were to sell it. i'd almost buy it to flip it for a few bucks.
 
Check the MWC classifieds... there was just a discussion recently about how they are worth maybe $100-150 unless they have a more desirable gear ratio than 3.55s. I can get 3.55 geared 30s for $100 complete here all day long, 4.10 axles are quite a bit more rare and bring maybe $200-250 in good shape.

I would not pick up an entire XJ for 1k to get a set of stock axles... unless you think you can flip it fast.
 
lazyxj said:
With 6" of lift, it is certainly worth swapping in a HP.
There is no way to get your caster back within an acceptable range with a LP at 6"
Click to expand...

sure there is, I am running it now with PERFECT steering, no wandering, tracks great, no bumpsteer....it just vibes a bit at 70-75mph which gets annoying.
 
I wish I read this before I comment.. a HP30 goes for about 50-100 rage in stock form so no that deal wouldn't be worth it.
 
FSM specs for the front pinion angle is zero degrees with a maximum variance of 1 degree. Every LP D30 I have worked on runs out of caster adjustment (less than 5 degrees) at 3-4"s of lift, if the pinion is within range.
The FSM says pinion angle has priority over caster. Increased pinion angle will wear the front u-joint and pinion bearings out faster than normal and will result in vibrations.
 
whitexj98 said:
Or your just used to it.... Do you know what your caster is? I could only get about 4.5 degrees of caster before getting vibes at 65-70 and thats with HP30, 4:56s and 35s.
Click to expand...

I can't remember for sure but I want to say I got 6-6.5 caster. No, it really does drive great. I can go 65-75 down the road and let go of the wheel and it tracks aswesome, even if I hit a mild bump. It just vibes
 
I bought a 98 XJ for $900 a few years back. Swapped the HP into my 2000 XJ. Took off and sold or used all the skid plates and bull bar (it was an old police unit) put $60 bucks into it to get it running (crankshaft sensor and misc wiring) and sold it for $1250.

I would do it again. Just my 2 cents.
 
yeah, I am tempted....still not quite keen on tying up $1000 until I unload it and who knows how long that could be
 
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