Front axle shoved backwards?

[SeeJay]

They look good to me, the mount is mangled to hell though.

 

[xcm]

MIGHT be able to find something here. our LCA joints are 2.63" wide at the mount.
http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/Link-brackets_c_24.html

 

[SeeJay]

How's she look ha...

And the quick fix the keep the tire from getting chewed up

Guess I will wait till the weekend to fix the bent bracket.

 

[89XJPioneer]

whatever you do dont bend it back and call it good!... gusset it I learned this the hard way and broke a control arm mount about 5miles into a trail.... long story short took me about 5 hrs to get out!!

 

[DougJ]

Found the culprit, passenger side LCA mount on the axle is completely destroyed. It is bent in towards the drivers side more than an inch, obviously helping my tire and fender meet eachother every turn I make.

:lecture: What do I Win???

 

[Begster]

whatever you do dont bend it back and call it good!... gusset it I learned this the hard way and broke a control arm mount about 5miles into a trail.... long story short took me about 5 hrs to get out!!

Ya, I highly recommend completely removing that bracket and replacing it, or just getting a new axle. They are fairly cheap, and it is very easy to just replace the axle rather than do fab work.

I bent it back and welded on plates with mine, but it still wasn't perfect. There is a 90% chance your UCA mount is bent too.

How's she look ha...

Identical to mine. Its a somewhat common problem.

 

[SeeJay]

I really don't have any local yards that have Jeep laying around, not sure where else to find one. Don't want to spend a whole lot on a new axle.

 

[SeeJay]

Also if I find a front axle locally, what do I need to look for? Obviously a matching gear ratio (3.55) but is there any differences from year to year that would keep it from not working when swapped into my 2000?

I would be looking for a HP D30 as well.

 

[JRW7072009]

There are many companies that sell new ones you just have to cut off the old ones and weld on the new ones they will be much stronger too.
http://www.currieenterprises.com/CESTORE/Product.aspx?id=1275

This is a common upgrade for XJs and TJs, we just installed a set last week on a TJ.

 

[SeeJay]

Does that axle have to come out? Or can a guy just drop the LCA's out of the bracket and cut the old ones off and weld the new ones on?

 

[kastein]

I ghetto patched mine while the LCA was still bolted in*, and I've been driving on it since August 8th, so yes, that's quite possible. You'd probably have to pay more if you leave it under the jeep, because no one likes welding under a jeep more than welding stuff on a bench.

* the bushing only caught fire three times. Welding on the other side of the plate it was pressed against may have been a poor plan :gee: I just wanted it to hold together till I get my new axle regeared + built up, so far it's doing fine.

 

[SeeJay]

Well I will be fixing this in the garage, so I don't see a reason I would have to pull the axle out. Never been afraid to lay on the cold cement ha.

 

[SeeJay]

As far as looking for a new HPD30, is it safe to say that any from a 97-99 will work for my 2000 that has a non disconnect LPD30 in it now? I searched in the Dana 30 tech but still alittle unsure on what I need to be looking for.

 

[IslanderOffRoad]

As far as looking for a new HPD30, is it safe to say that any from a 97-99 will work for my 2000 that has a non disconnect LPD30 in it now? I searched in the Dana 30 tech but still alittle unsure on what I need to be looking for.

any from another XJ or TJ will bolt in.

Ideally you want a 95-99 because it will have the better u-joints and be high pinion.

You want at least a 91+ so its a non-disco axle. If its a disco (older) you'll have to do some work to get the front axle to engage.

 

[SeeJay]

^ Awesome thats what I was looking for! Was a bit confused about the disco vs. non-disco and when the disco D30 stopped making its way onto the XJs.

 

[robsjeepxj]

Don't waste your money on another axle your just going to have the same thing happen again later. The stock LCA mounts are way to weak for real off road use. Get some new HD mounts, I got mine from rusty's for like $50. They're made out of 1/4 plate instead of crappy sheetmetal. I've had 2 sets of these mounted on different jeeps both times with axle in for like $75. Call around until you find the right welder.