Cherokee Charlie

Well I finally got around to really checking a broken shock perch on the front of my 99 Cherokee Sport and it was worse than I expected.
The rot on the front diff is pretty bad and although I thought I could have had a bracket welded on the passenger side to hold the shock, it doesn't seem that's the way to go. The rot isn't just on the piece holding the shock but that bracket on the passenger side also has a bracket which secures the Track Bar, as well as the sway bar link and the coil!
Checking further, the rot is also getting bad on the driver side shock bracket as well. Shop told me they can weld two brackets onto the axel but given the cost, I think I'm just going to buy an axel at the local junkyard that I saw for $200 dollars.
The 3.55 differential I saw seems to be in pretty good shape with little or no rust on the shock perches but not certain about the inside where the gears are. Is it normal to open one up prior to buying in order to check the gears' teeth for chips or metal shavings?
If replacing the diff and since having it down I'm going to put in new shocks, coils, lower control arms, and in essence a small 3 or so inch lift, what else should I consider as good maintenance, possible axel/pinion seals, u joints, etc. any suggestions would be appreciated and thks in advance.

Fred/N0AZZ

I agree with you on another differential because you can rebuild it and still drive the Jeep with that one for a while but the track bar is a major concern for safety.


As for replacing parts yes to all you posted is a good idea, but do check the gears first. If planning on a lift what size tires do you plan on running? Over a 31" will require a gear change and the 31's are pushing it for that size a 4.10 would bring it back to stock with them. So consider that while it is out also as replacement is easier if you change them.

Cherokee Charlie

Hi Fred, yes I considered the tire size, think I'm going to keep the tires at a reasonable size so as not to affect the front end geometry or angle of drive shaft, possibly 29/30" tires, thanks for your input.