Lets say for some crazy reason I don't like the lack of locking hubs (maybe because of the mileage, maybe because of the poor reliablility), and I wanted my front axle (I'm assuming a dana 35, that's what the back is) to have locking hubs, and I needed the side-locking-thingy to always be engaged, can I get the parts from some junkyard car? Can I use parts from a chevy (like maybe the solid long-side axle, or the hubs?) Are there any reasonable priced kits for this (reasonable being under 150)? Is there a way to always lock the part time axle, because mine slips out under any good strain, like when I need 4wd to get unstuck...would an '84 be a vacuum or electric system?

 

you can swap a waggy Dana 44 in then swap manual hubs in, or you can buy the kit to swap in manual hubs for the existing axle ($1000+/-), you swap in front and rear full width axles, or find an axle with hubs and narrow it to fit. So to summarize it all depends on how much $$, you want to spend , and how much fab skills, you have and are willing to do.

 

you need to swap the axle, or cut off the knuckles and weld on D44 knuckles, or buy reid racing knuckles that use D44 hubs, or buy the warn D30 hub kit.

 

So there are no stock 35s (in anything at all) with locking hubs? No other hubs that fit?

 

You should have a dana 30 in the front. There are kits to keep the axleshaft engaged. you may also try to swap axles from a newer cherokee which have larger u-joints.

 

You can swap (with a decent bit of fab) the outer knuckles from a Jeep CJ or older Scout front Dana 30. You will need everything from the outer stub shaft to brakes. It's a lot of work but is based on the kit reid racing makes. A guy I know did the swap and said he wished he had just swapped the axle because it would have been a ton easier and less work.

 

What year XJ do you have? do you have a vacuum disconnect front axle? There is a cable conversion system, to eliminate the vacuum actuator.

 

like others said, dana 30, and no.

for what it's worth, i've seen more failures of cheap dana 44 hubs on the street and trail than i have good dana 30 wheel bearings. just go to a GOOD parts store like napa or a place that sells timkens and buy those. i'm running the most expensive hubs available from the jeep dealer (had a friend who worked there, got me a slammin deal) and they've been great so far. i usually ripped through cheap 60 dollars hubs every 6 months. been almost 2 years on this set.

 

I've been working on a set up for a long time (in my head and on paper)

See Warn use to and Mile Marker does make a hub conversion it for the D30..

Now from all my reading, it looks as if you get a D35 TTB donor axle from a Ranger or a BII you can use all the out parts to build a "Home Brew" lock out hub kit.

I have yet to find someone that has tried it and I haven't had any funds on the money tree to try it my self.

So for now it's just a "idea"..

 

Ok, 30s...and it's an 84, and I 100% can't use parts from a newer cherokee...I was hoping something like an S-10 blazer or Astro, or maybe an aerostar or something, I'm swimming in old vans and trucks.