I want to redo both front and rear axles this summer. I am throwing around a few different ideas, one of which includes going full width. If I do go full width, I am NOT going to leafs in front, cause I hate leafs. What I want to know is, what axle swap would be easiest as far as steering set ups go? I know where to get any axles I want pretty much so the options are there. Any info, or places to look for info would be much appreciated. Thanks. Oh yea, I plan on running 36s +

You aint from around these parts, are ya?

Why dont you try a search:flipoff2: :beer:

Go here:

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=55080&highlight=xj+axle+swap

and here:

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=38373&highlight=xj+axle+swap

and here:

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16050&highlight=wagoneer+dana+44+WMS

and here.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=28659

and quite possibly here:
http://www.naxja.org/html/techarticles/ebswap.html

you da man! Oh yea, I am from around these part BTW. I read just about every post arond here.....sorry but, the search didnt come up with much info I needed. :flipoff2: oh well, heres one to ALL the pirates :beer:

why do you hate leafs, simple, tough and can be made to flex great. i say leafs f/r chevy 44 front full width with warns and CTM's and 60 or 14 bolt rear. use a D300 t-case and weld the rer and go full detroit up front. i'm in VB to if you need some help or wanna drink some :beer: :beer: then shoot me a e-mail

Mike-
I just sent you a PM. We should get up sometime and shoot the shit. Im out the door though for work right now. Talk to you later. Oh, and CTMs? Shit....do I look like I have 600 bucks.......hell no. This swap is going to break the bank as it is. :D

-Joe

Originally posted by Xj in Va
do I look like I have 600 bucks.......hell no. This swap is going to break the bank as it is. :D

-Joe

Speaking from experience- You better have $600 bucks to spare and then some if you are swapping F&R at the same time.

Yeah...don't just include the price of the axles and the obvious fabrication expenses. I think i spent a little over $600 bucks that was not including the axles and fabrication supplies. Driveshafts, i put new seals and a HD yoke on my rear 60. Ubolts and there was a bunch of other crap...most of the money actually came from buying tools and certain supplies. My custom driveshaft only cost $250....so the brunt of the expenses were the driveshaft and other tools.

I spent a little more than $600 also. Probably like $2700 more:eek: and that was just to build the axles

So I've been welding up a series of brackets on the front 44 now for a while. I have this almost architectural grouping of box steel (very bauhaus, very Mies Van der Rohe cubist), precision (ahem *right, like anything on this axle is precision* ahem) gussets, markings, cradles, etc all over this mother. Shiot, if layout pen ink glowed in the dark, you could see this thing from space. Also, the trackbar's a biotch if you want to run a real drag link. It's hard to clarify, but suffice it to say that I'm pretty much havnig to push the axle forward a bit just to be able to put the springs in a location that won't hosenschwanger the trackbar.

Anyway, what's my point. Oh yeah. Leafs v coils. Leafs are easy easy to do. When I finally learn that trying to excessively mod my monocoque daily driver is dumber than rocksalt, I'll build up a framed vehicle. With leafs.

Wait, that's not my point either. My point is REALLY that if you want to accomodate the stock suspension geometry on an XJ, you're looking at alot of work. The Billavista site is down right now (or was yesterday), so you can't see the insane good time that crazy kid had working out steering issues. Well, multiply that sort of jiggery pokery by like 3 and you have the complexity of farking around with an LCA, a UCA mount / bushing, a shock mounts, a trackbar, a draglink, and a swaybar mount, all at complex angles - all in the space the size of a gallon of milk. Not to be like whoop de do, I figured it out, but it's a heap of work. If you want easy, go leafs. If you want to play 3D SimCity with plate steel for a month, do coils.

Cheers
Bob

Go leafs or design a new setup in the front.. Did I mention how easy leafs are.

Yeah, I stuck with the stock setup since
a) I'd like to be able to sell this axle if possible
b) I have some burly long control arms I made that I don't want to fawk with.

Bob

Just exactly what is it you hat about leafs? The simplicity? The reliability? The low cost? :flipoff2:
http://www.rightcoastcrawler.com/billaVista/Action/Dcp_3539.jpg

just go buy a rolled Bronco and use the 9"/44. Make a rossmember and use the stock radius arms.... DONE