I've got a 68 jeep that I wasted a rear axle shaft in. Im searching for a replacement on it and I've become confused as to what I have, what I need and what originally came in this jeep.

from what I've read, cj5's had rear 44's through like '76 then they went to the amc20.

my 68 seems to have the round cap amc20 rear but I don't know what year.

I need a drivers side axle and/hub how can I tell which one I need?

thanks in advance.

more than likely you have the narrow track amc20 that came stock in CJ5s from 76-83, and in CJ7s from 76-80. buy a red star and post up some pics so we can give you better advice.

By "round cap" you mean the flange where the wheel bearing goes? Early 44s had this flange as round. If you are talking diff covers then yes 20s are round and the 44 has "points" on the top and bottom. Comparing diff covers is a sure fire way to tell if it is 20 or 44.

If you are still unsure count the splines of the shaft. 44s of this age would be 19 spline I think, while model 20 is 29 spline.

Here is a photo of an AMC20 wide track. Does yours look like this? If it does and that is what you want to but back in have a spare AMC20 narrow track axle complete for $150.


http://www.myjeeprocks.com/forums/gallery/files/3/0/2/3/amc20.jpg

Unless it has been changed ( and who knows in 40 years) you have a Dana 44 rear with coarse splines (19) and a 2-piece axle design with hubs, just like a Model 20. These were replaced around 1970 with a flanged 1-piece axle 30-spline D44. You need to find a 19-spline axle or, to gain a noticable strength increase, find a N/T CJ D44 from a '70 or newer jeep. Heck, find a matching set of N/T axles and upgrade your front & rear & get better brakes at the same time.

The two-piece design of the early D44's confuses many people. Most people do not realize that D44's used to be an axle/hub design like the AMC M20. Again, if your diff cover is perfectly round, someone has swapped in an AMC M20. If it is "pointy" it is probably the original two-piece D44 axle.