I had previously posted about my extremely rusted 1988 Cherokee that I bought new, sold it, & reclaimed it 32 years later...I need to replace the rear brake backing plates as they are rusted so bad the pins fell out that hold the shoes....I just need clarification on the axle shaft removal... The axle shaft has a hole in the flange where the lug studs are located...Is it true that that hole gives access to the nuts that hold the axle in place & this type axle does not have the 'C' retainer located in the differential? and to remove the axle shaft is as simple as removing the 4 nuts & pulling the axle out? Really did I get that lucky ???? ...Thank you.......

 

Nope. It's a c-clip axle. Pull the cover, remove the pin bolt, pull the pin, remove c-clips, pull the axles.

 

OK - So..I was misinformed.....next question....why do some axles have the hole & others don't?

 

Those old ones are non c clip Dana 35s.

 

be super careful when removing the 5/16"- 8mm head lock bolt in the diff, I have seen a few snap, and its then very difficult to work them out

 

You are correct. The older D35 used in the Renix was a non-clip version. Those 4 bolts you see between the flange and the backing plate hold the backing plate and bearing retainer. The non-clip D35 also came with a threaded fill plug instead of the rubber plug. Incidentally, the bolt pattern on the axle ends is the same as the Dana44 and the early 1990's Crown Vics. I retrofitted Crown Vic disc brakes on mine. A near straight bolt-on, only having to make a custom spacer to hold the bear in and modifying the brake lines to have metric fittings.

While you're there, you might consider doing the wheel bearing and seal. You will need to cut the old bearing retainer sleeve and bearing off and press on the new ones. A press or a long pipe and hammer will work. Don't forget to put the retainer plate on right side up and the new seal on before pressing the new bearing and retainer sleeve on. As I recall the bearing and sleeve were a Timken SET10, and there are some kits available with a new retainer plate, seal, bearing, and retainer sleeve.

 

Well that's really cool. I wish the 8.25 was like that.

 

lawsoncl.....Once again to the rescue....anyone who can retro fit Crown Vic rear disc's on a Jeep surely knows what their doing....I couldn't even imagine that......In my feeble mind, I just don't get the hole in the axle for access to the nuts to remove the axle...where there is full access with a box wrench behind it, What am I missing???....So just for knowledge sake....the hole in the axle is the determining factor whether it has a 'C' retainer or not ?

 

I'm not sure it's definitive for the non-clip version. The non-clip axle will not have much in-out play as it's held by the wheel bearing, versus the c-clip version. The non-clip also had a metal fill plug located lower in the diff cover. The c-clip version had the hole higher because the wheel bearing get lubed by the gear oil. The hole is there so you can access the bolts without having to remove the brake hardware.

The crown vic retrofit was mostly research, bolting stuff on and making a spacer.

 

lawsoncl.....As usual.... Thank you for sharing your time & knowledge, truly appreciated...& also the rest of the guys who responded....

 

I was paranoid about that happening when I put in my rear locker, but fortunately all was good. That would be a ***** to fix if it sheared or even rounded off.