clayton long arm welding

ordered the kit, and as i have read, some welding is required to the unibody. Someone I know told me that the welding would keep me from being able to swap out my front d30. True or false, I am fine with this, but is there any welding on or around the d35 in the back that would keep me from swapping it out for a 44 in the future?

Sure do 'preciate it:smoker:

i highly doubt that you wouldnt be able to replace either axle

No. unless you are doing some sort of a 4 link or the rear axle, other wise it is not involved

your just welding the crossmember to the frame it will in no way effect any axle swaps in the future, defiteltly a bombproof setup, the arms on mine have already outlasted 2 xj's

good news, can't wait for the lift to arrive, i only hear good things about clayton products.

Subquestion: Is it worth swapping out the front axle for a d44 if I'm just draggin it through mud and sand? or should i be alright with the 30?

ksmithers88 said:

good news, can't wait for the lift to arrive, i only hear good things about clayton products.

Subquestion: Is it worth swapping out the front axle for a d44 if I'm just draggin it through mud and sand? or should i be alright with the 30?

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what size tires do you plan on running?

ROBZ95Xj said:

what size tires do you plan on running?

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35x12.50, looking at procomp x-terrains but something street-friendly

ksmithers88 said:

35x12.50, looking at procomp x-terrains but something street-friendly

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Mickey Thopmson MTZ's would be a decent choice, the frt 30 will be fine if you toss in some alloy shafts and a heavy duty diffcover to help beef up the housing, but ditch the 35 asap or atleast dont drop a cent into it

ROBZ95Xj said:

Mickey Thopmson MTZ's would be a decent choice, the frt 30 will be fine if you toss in some alloy shafts and a heavy duty diffcover to help beef up the housing, but ditch the 35 asap or atleast dont drop a cent into it

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yeah i was lookin at the MTZ's as well, where would i find alloy shafts? look in a junkyard or is that the kind of part you wanna buy new?

ksmithers88 said:

yeah i was lookin at the MTZ's as well, where would i find alloy shafts? look in a junkyard or is that the kind of part you wanna buy new?

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new, look in the vendors section

I know someon who went from their Dana 30 to a Dana HP44, no problems.

I dont know what to say except....nominated?

The Clayton's kit is a good choice. I've been running mine about six months now and a half-dozen wheeling trips, I like it a lot. It in no way limits axle swaps. The rear is a basic bolt-in, you may have to set and weld on new spring perches. I picked up an XJ D44 for the rear, so it was a bolt-in. The front D30 is a solid unit for reasonable wheeling. Like was said, aftermarket alloy shafts and a thick cover and you should be okay up to 35"s with a reasonable driving style. I went with Yukon alloys and super joints, it was around $550. You have to check and grease the individual fittings about once a month, and I wouldn't recommend running them on a cross country drive (bushings as opposed to needle bearings) but I've been very happy with them.

My Clayton's kit came with Rock Krawler coils and leaves, I believe the new kits use springs made especially for Clayton's. Other than very mild sag in the leaves assisted by a 1/4 ton of meatheds in the back seat along with full trail gear in the cargo area, I've had zero issues.

The welding part of the install isn't a big deal. If you can lay down a quality bead, do it yourself. If not, it shouldn't be more than maybe $100 for a qualified weld shop to do it for you once you get it installed and set your front alignment. It would be okay to drive it carefully from your garage to the welding shop, but don't drive it around too much or wheel it without getting the X-member ends welded up.

I just purchased the Clayton long arm unpgrade kit for my 01' XJ. This will be replacing the fron of my RE 5.5" SF short arms and drop brackets. Planning on welding up the crossmember this weekend.

My question is, did anyone reienforce the frame before welding the Clayton crossmember up? I know this may not necessarily be required but its not an option once the crossmember is welded up.

If anyone did stiffen the frame, what did they use or if purchased what company did they go with?

Also, what about limiting straps for long arms? It hard to find good install info for thouse of you who have installed them.

I just installed this kit over the last few weeks, and i did not reinforce the frame before welding the crossmember. I DID however order and receive the frame stiffeners from HD, and they will be going on soon enough. I am going to have to notch out the stiffeners to allow them to fit around the crossmember, but will weld everything together once they are on. The Clayton kit and customer support is second to none. You should have no trouble putting it on. The biggest problems I ran into was from getting the old worn out crap off.

I cant help with the limiting straps as I dont run them, however there should be sufficient material around the old arm mounting points on the uniframe to fab up a bracket to hold one end of the strap, and the arms will certainly hold the strap on the other end.


Edit, in the area of the crossmember it is double walled, so it may not be necessary to re-enforce before welding the crossmember, but it certainly wont hurt.
~James