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WJ knuckle and brake swap, new question...

I

IdahoEagle

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Boise Idaho
I'm pondering a WJ knuckle swap for a 30 in the front of my XJ... But not the normal route... I want to use everything WJ. Brakes, unit bearings, knuckles with JKS spacers and custom stub shafts. I was to go that route because the WJ unit bearings are like twice the size of the XJ bearings and have enough meat on them to have the 5 on 5 1/2" pattern drilled on them.
Has anyone used the WJ bearings at the same time on their XJ? I don't see this as a bad idea considering the beef difference of everything including the lower balljoints, but I want to know what negatives there might be. I know about having to relocate the swaybar and trackbar to match the crossover steering. Not a big deal to do...
If it ends up being too expensive or too much of a pain to do, I'll just build a Wag 44 and call it good...
 
I just went to NAPA and physically compared the 2000 XJ and WJ unit bearings side by side. I'll still need the spacers for the bearings, longer outer axle shafts (by about a quarter inch), and to space the caliper out at the same time because of the depth from mounting surface at the knuckle to the outer face where the rotor sits is 1/4" deeper on the WJ bearing than the XJ bearing.
 
EDIT: he's right on the bearing heights. Nevermind me.

JK D30 stubs should work for you.

some 1/4" plate spacers should do you fine. Get the highest quality bolts you can, though, about 6 mm longer than stock. I guess that's 5mm in actual bolt sizes.
 
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Hmm.
The flange offset on the JK stuff is actually 1.9xx" - which IIRC is the same as the 01 XJ stuff.
I read a couple times that the JK stub is 1/4" longer, though I'm not sure why. It could also be 1/4" longer in the hub-to-ujoint line or in the threads. Unsure.
I can't get a spline count off of RockAuto, but if you use bearings & stubs from the same vehicle you know it's going to match.
 
JK stuff won't work in WJ bearings, WJ's are 27 spline and JK's are 32 spline.

You can buy aftermarket chromoly U-Joint WJ stubs cheap, though.

You would not use the JKS spacer with a WJ bearing, leave it out.

Drilling them for 5x5.5 the wheel stud is at the very outside of the bearing, I have seen it done and it is sketchy as hell. I'd be afraid to drive it.
 
Cal, I think you are wrong about the spacer being unnecessary.
The spacer is there to move the stub shaft 1/4" out relative to the ball joint axis.
The shorter unit bearing is there to compensate for the shift outboard - to bring the rotor / caliper back in line.
A JK Dana 30 unit bearing is the same depth as the 01 TJ / XJ bearing and does have 32 splines. Using a JK bearing + JK D30 stub should work, as the JK D30 stub is 32 splines but uses a 760X joint.

ALSO: Blaine found a unit bearing that works in JK / WJ knuckles that is 5x5.5 - he doesn't want to give up the goods on what it is from. Maybe check out Blackmagicbrakes.com
 
He asked about using WJ unit bearings, not JK unit bearings.

JK bearings are junk...
 
I thought the JK stuff was better - not requiring a stub shaft to hold it together. Odd.
 
It does not require the stub for preload no.

It also does not hold up as well as the XJ unit bearing does.
 
I missed the 5x5.5 comment.

Those are J8 unit bearings for JK knuckles made for the Israeli military. Good luck getting them. IIRC he has *1*.
 
2006-ish Dodge half ton wheel bearings. I remember reading an article years ago about the J8 using those wheel bearings in the front because of that bolt pattern... I'll have to go compare those as well and see what I can figure out... I totally spaced that article until you said that...
 
I doubt that is what they are, but its possible. The dodge half ton is 33 spline stuff, and they are really crappy. The J8 is supposed to be 32 spline like the JK.

Another member here got me the P/N for the J8 stuff (56052930AB), and looked them up. There is one warehouse in the US with them in stock, and they only had a few. I have a hard time thinking there are only a few dodge 1500 bearings out there. :)
 
I'll have to check them out at the NAPA store I checked the XJ and WJ unit bearings out at. They also have a WJ axle shaft. Might have to compare rotors while I'm at it too... Might luck out and end up with a pile of upgrade parts that are very easily serviceable... These days, never know...
 
If you figure out an elegant way to do 5 on 5.5" keep us in the loop. I have WJ knuckles/brakes with WARN hub kit at 5 on 5.5" and I'd swap it out if I could. I'd need a more mainstream, non-pita replacement parts setup to make it worthwhile.
 
Will do. Also, with the WJ rotors, can you stay with 15" wheels or do you have to go 16"? And has anyone compared the ZJ/TJ/WJ/JK rear rotors? If so, which ones are bigger? I'm hoping that the JK ones are so I can get bearing ends for an XJ 44 to use all the consumable parts from the JK 44 (calipers and mounts, pads and parking shoes, bearings and retainers, and off the shelf JK specific 5 on 5 1/2" rotors), and alloy XJ shafts with the dual pattern. Big brakes with 33s wouldn't exactly hurt my feelers for a DD...
 
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I've heard you can do 15" wheels provided you go with a thinly built wheel with the right offset. In my case I was buying new wheels and tires anyway so I just did 16" wheels.

You'll enjoy the brakes. Great pedal feel, stops my piggy XJ on a dime.
 
IdahoEagle said:
Will do. Also, with the WJ rotors, can you stay with 15" wheels or do you have to go 16"?
Click to expand...
The big deal there is clearing the calipers. A 15" alloy wheel is said to interfere, while a 15" steel wheel with shallow offset will clear the same caliper.

I don't remember the specifics because I aquired some 16" alloys that I like.
 
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