'84 4wd front hub bearings.

I have a '91 XJ with the usual sealed hub bearing assemblies. I will need to replace them soon, but also have a pair of the early rebuildable ones out of an '84. Is it worth repairing these instead and fitting them to the '91 or are they not as durable as the later ones? I think will have to use the '84 brake rotors as the hub flanges are offset differently for these earlier solid rotors, will they then work with the '91 calipers?

Check the offset of the hubs very carefully. At some point, not sure when, they changed to composite rotors, which have a thinner base, and with it the depth of the hub was changed. I think the knuckle changes with that as well. But I'm not sure which type rotors came on a 91.

If the hubs you're planning on using already need rebuilding, I would skip it. But if you're curious, and you need to do the job anyway (and you can afford a bit of down time), then you could always take one hub off and do a trial fit. You'll find out soon enough if it's wrong.

I know the hubs between '89 and '93 are different sizes, and the hubs off my 89 were not the rebuildable style. I needed the rotors that came with the hubs to make the '93 hubs work for my '89.

The knuckles are different to take the different brake calipers, but the hubs fit either type, as do the axle shafts. The offset of the hubs is different, as the '91 has the composite rotor, and the '84 has one piece rotors with the thicker flange. My main question was is it worth rebuilding the '84 hubs and using them on my '91 instead of replacing the regular hubs with new ones.

aardvark4x4 said:

The knuckles are different to take the different brake calipers, but the hubs fit either type, as do the axle shafts. The offset of the hubs is different, as the '91 has the composite rotor, and the '84 has one piece rotors with the thicker flange. My main question was is it worth rebuilding the '84 hubs and using them on my '91 instead of replacing the regular hubs with new ones.

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You would have to change everything from the knuckles out.

Worth doing? IMHO no. It can be done, but the replacement parts total up to about 75% of the price of a new, sealed unit. And you need a very powerful shop press to do the work. We're talking a floor-mounted hydraulic press. You won't do this one in the bench vise.