I have a 96 cherokee 4x4. Most of you cherokee purists are going to be horrified by this question. And I apologize in advance for offending you.
The u-joint at the right front steer is going bad. I do not have the time or money to replace the u-joint. Can I cut the shaft before and after the ujoint? I do not even have the driveshaft for the front axle. I live in florida so I do not need 4wd. I just need basic transportation and I do not want an accident or to be stranded should the u-joint break.
Thankyou for your advice

 

If you do what you are suggesting the only thing holding your wheel to the car is the wheel bearing. Which is very unsafe. U joints arn't hard to replace and they are only around $20.

 

The wheel bearing needs the outer stub shaft for support. Remove the ujoint and the inner portion of the shaft. Leave the outer stub shaft in the hub.

 

If you're going to do something that atrocious (lol) this is what you need to do. Inner shaft can be removed as well as the joint itself, but the outer MUST stay if you don't want your wheel to fall off.

You should also look into plugging the hole the inner shaft came out of so that the differential gears don't rust.

 

Honestly though, the most difficult part I think Is removing the wheel bearing and axle shaft to the to the u joint. Since you'd be taking it apart anyway, why not spend the extra 20 mins and $20 to do it right?

 

This is a solid question but he said he doesn't even have a front driveshaft