Dana 35 axle shafts

ive got an '87 with a Dana 35 , was wanting to get a spare axle shaft in case i broke one on the trail. are the drivers / passengers side the same? would i have to carry a spare for both sides or can i carry one that will work on either side?

Need the pair. They are different lengths.

Also, some, if not all, of the D35's up until 90 or 91 have a roller bearing pressed on the the shaft out by the backing plate. It's a real pain to change in the trail unless it's been apart before. So check and see if you have this axle with the bearings cause the newer shafts won't work.

Take an axle slide hammer along. It comes in handy on the front as well!

Also, make sure that the spare axle shafts are the SAME kind that your axle uses-the early '90 and older XJ's used a NON c-clip axle, the later models use the C-clip style. The two kinds DO NOT interchange.

mines an '87 so i reckon its the non c clip verision. is there anyway to tell for sure?

thanks to all for the help

If the axle tube behind the backing plate necks down slightly, then it's non-c clip. If the tube is even all the way from the plate to the center housing then it's C clip.

carnuck said:

Take an axle slide hammer along. It comes in handy on the front as well!

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I can almost guarantee it's a non-clip axle.

Well, once you undo the 4 bolts holding the bearing retainer on the axle shaft and bearing should slide right out. If not, flip the drum over, slide it onto the studs and put the lug nuts on a few turns. Slide drum in/out a few times and viola you've got a cheap slide hammer.

Unless you need to fish out broken pieces (semi-likely), you don't need to pull the diff cover to change the shaft on a non-clip axle. Your spare shafts will need to have a new bearing and retainer plate as they require a bearing press to install/remove. And yeah, they are different lengths on either side.