Awful funny that the side gears are the same in EVERY D30 front. When my son tried to put non-disco axles out of a newer XJ in his D30 housing in his 87 XJ. The axle for the passenger (long) side was a NO-GO!

 

I'd take the whole damn thing as a parts XJ and just strip down whatever you need off of it, then CL the thing...

 

27spline axles are the same for all year XJ's - as far as the spline count/shaft end size is concerned. If they weren't then people wouldn't be able to take new shafts and put them in their CAD axles to get rid of the 2 piece shafts. I'm not sure what the issue was with your sons axle but it should've worked just fine

 

Thanks for the info. I like to believe he is a good mechanic but, he could have brain farted it. I never verified it for myself. I just took his word for it. I still wish a guy could get lock out hubs for a D30 for less then $1800. I'd love to put a non-disco front axle in my XJ but, I don't want my whole front drive train spinning when in 2WD. I like my on road fuel mileage the way it is. 21 MPG highway is pretty darn good in a 91 XJ with 238K on the original 4.0, with 32" tires and 4.56 gears.

 

it looks like this is more trouble than its worth for me right now, i was wanting to get it back on the road in the next couple days. as far as bolt in, what are my options? i have a few junk yards around that always have XJ's so it shouldnt be problem to find what i need.

 

Why don't you buy the rear axle too? This way you can just bolt them both up and go! Or if the axle is cheap I would grab it and just regear the rear, you could probably have it done locally for about $300-$400.

If you can't find a front with the same gears you currently have you're going to have to regear one or the other (duh); so if you can't find one with the same gears you have now I would either look for a set of axles or go the easiest (cheapest...) route up front and simply regear the rear.

 

so then i can just bolt up the the front and rear from the '98 and im good? i didnt get a straight answer on that.

 

Yep - that's the best route...

 

thanks for clearing that up, im learning more and more each day about these so hopefully i will be answering more questions than asking . i decided that it would be easiest to buy the whole jeep if i can.

 

If you buy the whole thing and have the time and the room you can part it out and probably make a few dollars!

If you don't buy the whole thing you may want to grab the rear DS also if it's a different axle than what you have (8.25 vs D35). I'm not real familiar with the 8.25's so I don't know if the drive shafts will swap between that and the D35 - lenghtwise of course.

 

you will need the driveshaft for the 8.25 and you'll need new u bolts and the upper spring plates.
everything else is an easy go. only other thing that may be an issue, but not much to deal with would be the rear brake junction block. on the d35, the breather tube bolts through it. not sure about the 8.25, but you'll figure that out easy enough.

i say do it. if anything, you'll learn alot while you're at it.

 

the reason it was a no go, was inside the passenger side of the d30 disconnect axle is a nylon bushing. that is a different size and won't let the doner shaft fit.
also, the seals are in different spots.
personally, i'd just swap out axles, but i prefer the disconnect axles. the inner shaft is beefier, and you have the option to disconnect if you install a locker, like i did.

 

as long as i can get someone to pick them up for me i will be getting both axles tomorrow. im also going to get the brake booster and master cylinder since mine is an '89. i cant think of any other "upgrades" to get from it, mine is basically stock aside from zj front coils and dakota leafs.