Ultimate Junkyard Axle Find

[Rock Hound!]

I have a 99 TJ that I would love to upgrade the axels on someday. What I want to do is find a set of junkyard axles and over time build them up myself (As funding allowed). So my question is, what should I look for (vehicle year and make) to find the best setup to start with. I would like D-60's. My future plans are to run 37 to 40" tires, stretch the wheel base and stroke the 4.0 or look at V8 options.

Thanks for any input

 

[thenag]

Stock ford rear 60's suck, 30 spline small axle shafts, not much stronger than a d44.

If you are going to build it up it is fine, the housing will take a 35 spline locker and then 35 spline shafts.

For the rear for something you would find in a JY it is tough to beat a GM 14 bolt, they are easy to find in yards, detroits are cheap for them you won't need chromo axle shafts, it is easy to re-gear them since they have adjusting collars in them. Disk brake kits are pretty easy and cheap (unless you need a parking brake...) They are huge and heavy

Dana 70 out of a dodge ram or ford van is a good option too.

For the front, 78-79 ford dana 60 is probably what you want. They have king pins instead of ball joints, and the driver side axle tube is pretty long it seems like it fits pretty good for full width. (and good luck finding one in a JY, it happens but not often)

Of course if you find a newer superduty with the "super 60" that is pretty sweet too, just be sure to get the matching rear axle since the superduty's have a metric 8 lug pattern.

This is just to get you thinking... I could go on for pages but I won't.

Nathan
99 xj, one ton's dual cases, 37's
build thread
http://rme4x4.com/showthread.php?t=83436

 

[skippy]

If you stick with a 37 inch tire I would run a 14 bolt rear, wich in stock form is plenty strong and build a stout dana 44 for the front. The high pinion 44s are easy to find and can be had very cheap and come up quite often in the junkyards

 

[Rock Hound!]

Stock ford rear 60's suck, 30 spline small axle shafts, not much stronger than a d44.

If you are going to build it up it is fine, the housing will take a 35 spline locker and then 35 spline shafts.

For the rear for something you would find in a JY it is tough to beat a GM 14 bolt, they are easy to find in yards, detroits are cheap for them you won't need chromo axle shafts, it is easy to re-gear them since they have adjusting collars in them. Disk brake kits are pretty easy and cheap (unless you need a parking brake...) They are huge and heavy

Dana 70 out of a dodge ram or ford van is a good option too.

For the front, 78-79 ford dana 60 is probably what you want. They have king pins instead of ball joints, and the driver side axle tube is pretty long it seems like it fits pretty good for full width. (and good luck finding one in a JY, it happens but not often)

Of course if you find a newer superduty with the "super 60" that is pretty sweet too, just be sure to get the matching rear axle since the superduty's have a metric 8 lug pattern.

This is just to get you thinking... I could go on for pages but I won't.

Nathan
99 xj, one ton's dual cases, 37's
build thread
http://rme4x4.com/showthread.php?t=83436

Seems like I remember from an Extreme episode that there are two different 14 bolt axles, one better that the other? I could be confusing this with another axle..

Also do any years offer a HP for the 14 bolt or D60

 

[thenag]

Seems like I remember from an Extreme episode that there are two different 14 bolt axles, one better that the other? I could be confusing this with another axle..

Also do any years offer a HP for the 14 bolt or D60

All the ford front d-60's are high pinion.

google search for "pirate 14 bolt bible" it is more info than you will ever need to know about 14 bolts. For example if you have a regular truck 14 bolt and put the hubs from a dually on it it makes an axle that is 63.5 inches wide. but your brake backing plates don't line up so you need to put disk brakes on it or weld your own backing plates. this is what I did for my rear. (my front is a whole $$$ other story)

As far as the 14 bolt being high or low pinion... I am not sure it seems like it is "mid pinion"

Billavista also posted a "dana 60 bible" you can look that up to.



Nathan

 

[skippy]

You will not find any high pinion rear axle without going custom and spending big $$$