Regear or reaxle?

[XJME]

for me the question is usually how much money my wife is going to let me spend.

If money is not a big issue get new axels

sell your current set up for about 1800$

Put in another couple thousand and you are well on your way to dynatracs

, if it is an issue i would at the least consider getting a HP 30 like said above. Sell the lp to some tj kid over at jeepforum.com who just wants a locker and is not going to regear. Go to the junk yard and get some regular shafts and keep the good shafts for youself. Heck you should be able to pick up an HP 30 for not much coin at all if you have any access to a yard. Keep the 8.25 because its a fine axel if your not wheeling the piss out of your xj. And if your short on coin you could always consider selling the teralow and just putting in a reg 231

And yes, 1800 bucks is way to much for just a gear install. You should pay somewhere around 1000 for front and rear if the shop does them with any regularity.

Thanks-Thanks and Thanks. Wow, I'm so glad I got on here, you guys are great! I was going to spend almost 2 grand on this regear and it sounds like it would have been a big mistake. In the long run I really would like to have disks on the back so I need to re-think this whole thing over. Any more sugestions would be great. If I can sell the old axles with arbs for 1800 and I am willing to spend another 2000, what would be the best set-up that would give me arbs-rear discs-4:88s and whatever other things you may think are important while I'm doing it. Or is that a tall order?

 

[Yucca-Man]

Oy, this thread has taken an odd turn...

Anyway, I can't seem to find the thread(s) where I've outlined the u-joint differences so I'll re-cap briefly.

There are two sizes available for the front axleshaft u-joints:
260-x : 1 1/16" cap
297-x : 1 3/16" cap

The 760-x is an upgrade for the 297-x. I believe 297-x sized axleshafts will replace 260-x without difficulty.

Things I know:
Disconnect D30s have 260-x u-joints.
NP242 XJs have 297-x (that will be 1987+ models)
All late-95+ XJs will have 297-x, and will probably be your best bet for finding an easily-swapped axle that will fit under your 2000.

Things I don't know:
Why I never saved that info.

 

[XJME]

ARB's come in two flavors. One for street gears and one for low gears. You need to find out what you have. If it was me and I had the Cro-Mo axels and ARB's I'd stick to what you have. You won't be able to re use you ARB in a high pinion front end or if some fool spent all that money and did not regear at the same time leaving you with a street gear ARB then you can't go low on the gears without a new ARB.. All terains don't break as many parts because they slip befor they break stuff(hopfully). Are you bogging down on the free way?

Bogging big time. The jeep is loaded with skid plates, front and back bumpers, tire carrier and winch. I'll be driving it alot and this is hard on the engine and tranny so I need to deal with it now and enjoy the driveability and save the tranny in the long run. Wish he would have addressed this when he built it. But what can I say, I got a lot of jeep for the buck so I just need to dial it in a bit.

 

[MudDawg]

Any year D30 with anti-lock has the 297 joints....I am as of this minute taking a break from installing one I built up from a 1990 model...if im not wrong, they became standard on all hp 30 in '95.

The first set of gears I had installed in my XJ by a "professional" drivetrain shop cost 1800.00 and that was gears only...yes i got screwed, especially considering the job wasnt done right...but I had no time to do it myself (or the tools)...the axle I am installing now cost me $567.00 including the cost of the complete axle assembly, gears, install kit, Aussie Locker, and misc shop supplies....but THIS TIME I built it myself...

 

[Yucca-Man]

Hmm. It seems even under the 2-hour limit that I can't edit. Must be a red-name thing... :shrug:

Front Axles
Dana 30 high pinion
• Reverse cut
• 27 spline, 1.16" diameter shafts
• 7.13" ring gear
• Used 84-99

Dana 30 low pinion
• Standard cut (not as strong in front-axle applications as the HP)
• 27 spline, 1.16" diameter shafts
• 7.13" ring gear
• 5-297x u-joints
• used 2000-01

Dana 30 axles with the NP231 through 1991 are vacuum disconnect
NP242 Selec-Trac will not have the disconnect
All 1992+ are non-disconnect
All 1995 1/2+ have 5-297x u-joints (1 3/16" diameter caps)
1989-95 with ABS have 5-297x u-joints
1989-95 non-ABS have 5-260x u-joints (1 1/16" diameter caps)
All 84-88 D30s have 5-260x u-joints

Therefore...your best bet for finding an axle with the larger 297-x u-joint will be from a 95.5-99 XJ, regardless of axle or t-case.

 

[javik]

I guess it depends on your area for price and availability. Call around. I once had to drive 125 miles to get gear work done because i could not find anybody local. but the drive ended up being worth it because the guy had alot of experience and was only charging 200$ per axle for labor and i could bring in my own parts.

Another option would be to post a plea for help in your local naxja or jeep chapter and offer all you can eat beaf and all you can drink bear which my pan out.

I recomned that you Do not let someone install gears on your rig even if they are certified up the wazoo that have never done an ARB before.

You really need to find out for sure what your gear ratio is becasue if it is 3.73 you can take that arb and use it with 4.56s which will save you some coin.

Personally if you dont have welding skill or alot of money i would stick with modified stock axels because if you cant find a cheap gear installer you probably cant find a cheap welder/fabricator either.

If i were you this is what i would do assuming that you have 3.73 which means that arb will work. Go to the pick and pull and pick up a hp30, find a shop that has done 4x4 regears, specifically arbs, within 200 miles if necessary. Yank the lp 30 arb by yourself and put in a box. borrow a buddies pickup yank the rear and drive them to a shop that does good work for a good price. Even with the Hp 30 pick and pull price you should be under 1200 bucks.

 

[XJME]

Hmm. It seems even under the 2-hour limit that I can't edit. Must be a red-name thing... :shrug:

Front Axles
Dana 30 high pinion
• Reverse cut
• 27 spline, 1.16" diameter shafts
• 7.13" ring gear
• Used 84-99

Dana 30 low pinion
• Standard cut (not as strong in front-axle applications as the HP)
• 27 spline, 1.16" diameter shafts
• 7.13" ring gear
• 5-297x u-joints
• used 2000-01

Dana 30 axles with the NP231 through 1991 are vacuum disconnect
NP242 Selec-Trac will not have the disconnect
All 1992+ are non-disconnect
All 1995 1/2+ have 5-297x u-joints (1 3/16" diameter caps)
1989-95 with ABS have 5-297x u-joints
1989-95 non-ABS have 5-260x u-joints (1 1/16" diameter caps)
All 84-88 D30s have 5-260x u-joints

Therefore...your best bet for finding an axle with the larger 297-x u-joint will be from a 95.5-99 XJ, regardless of axle or t-case.

Thanks Yucca-Man, one more question, does everything bolt up the same on the high-pinion? Is it a strait swap? How about driveshaft length? I appreciate your help. Looks like I'll be off to the salvage yard soon.:wave:

 

[Yucca-Man]

The high-pinion and low-pinion axles mount the same. You may need an alignment after installing it - actually, count on aligning it anyway. The driveshaft is slightly shorter due to the higher pinion, but at 6-7" lift I wonder how yours is anyway.

Take a look for '87 Cherokees while you're at the yard. If you want a D44 rear, that's the axle to find it under.

 

[XJME]

Javik, thanks buddy! Sounds like an economical way to go. I'll see if I can find some guys around here to help me. I really wanted to go with 4.88s but it sounds as though it may cost me a lot more $. Anyone have 4.56.s with an auto and 33s, what are you tach-n at 65mph.

 

[XJME]

So all my old stuff will fit into the hp 30 as long as I have a 3.73 now? If so, great! How much should I pay for a 95.5 to 99 hp?

 

[Yucca-Man]

ARB, and axleshafts...as long as it's 3.73

No idea what kind of price you'll find for the HP D30.

 

[XJME]

Great, thanks for your time and help. Now I just have to try an figure out if the 4.56s will be enough for me. I'll let you know what I end up with.

 

[ZachMan]

I run hp d30/8.25/4.56s and 33s/ 35s and its great with 33s and pretty good on 35s.

 

[IH8RDS]

I run HP 30 4.56 ARB, Ford 8.8 4.56 ARB 31" tires. Torque out the a$$ gas mileage 14.5 MPG. Would not hesitate to run 33" with this setup.